You don't have to travel far to find some locations in our Riverway that boast well over 200 bird species.
The Lower Great Miami River in particular is designated as an Important Bird Area, (IBA) which includes Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park, Rentschler Forest MetroPark, and Chrisholm MetroPark in Butler County, and Crains Run Nature Park in Montgomery County. The IBA program began in 1999 with a gathering of bird conservation stakeholders and has resulted in the documentation and research of over 100 sites in Ohio.
#1. Tawawa Park, Sidney
#2. Charleston Falls Preserve, Tipp City
#3. Taylorsville MetroPark, Five Rivers MetroParks
Ohio Ornithological Society highlights this park as a birding hotspot:
#4. Gilmore MetroPark, MetroParks of Butler County
From Ohio Ornithological Society: “Depending on water levels, the Cattail Marsh area can be good for waterfowl, herons and egrets, or shorebirds. During spring and fall migration, the trails around South Pond are good for passerines. Cattail Marsh is often good for sparrows, with a chance of seeing LeConte’s or Nelson’s Sharp-tailed Sparrows in the fall, again depending on water levels. It is not a very large area, so birders can get around the entire area fairly quickly.”
According to the National Audubon Society, this park was designated as an Important Bird Area:
#5. Fernald Preserve, Hamilton
Ohio Ornithological Society highlights this park:
“The Fernald Preserve features 140 acres of wetland habitat, 400 acres of forests and 360 acres of grasslands including tall grass prairies. The preserve currently has about 2.5 miles of trails with additional trail construction planned for 2009. Lodge Pond trail, located along the site’s access road approximately 1/8 mile from the Willey Road entrance, provides access to wetlands and prairies. In addition to a wide range of migratory waterfowl, this area provides excellent viewing opportunities for a variety of prairie species including dickcissels, bobolinks, grasshopper sparrows and eastern meadowlarks. Shingle Oak trail primarily spans woodland habitat and is a good choice for viewing neo-tropical migrants as well as a variety of summer nesters. The Weapons-to-Wetlands trail features an overlook that provides excellent viewing for migrating waterfowl in the spring and fall as well as a variety of raptors in the winter months. The 3.5 mile Trestle Trail, completed in September 2009, spans prairies, upland forests, open water and a riparian corridor.”