M & M Birding

10/13/2026

October marks our 1-year anniversary of being in business!

Within this year, we provided birding tours to over 100 participants across 6 locations in northern Ohio witnessing over 120 bird species. In additon to tours, we also gave 2 presentations. Lastly, we received a Destination Development Grant from Shores & Islands Ohio for 15 pairs of binoculars and a spotting scope for participants to use during our tours.

Behind the scenes, the year has been filled with drafting our liability documents, navigating business insurance, and setting up our website.

We knew there was a need for this service, given the amazing local birding opportunities and tourism infrastructure. Couple this with our knowledge and passion for the area we call home makes for a great experience for participants.

It has been rewarding to do this as a couple and to start small, as we have other employment and twin daughters. The flexibility has been perfect!

This could not have been possible without partnerships and our support network. We want to thank the organizations, community members, babysitters, and our families and friends who have supported us this year. THANK YOU!!

And we are just getting started! We have more tours coming up this year and we have a very exciting experience to offer during May of 2027, just before The Biggest Week In American Birding. Stay tuned for details!!

10/08/2026

10/07/2026

It is time to celebrate the fall edition of World Migratory Bird Day, which is this weekend!

Join us for a FREE birding tour of Meadowbrook Marsh in collaboration with Lakeside Chautauqua!

🗓 Friday Oct. 9th
⏰️ 2:00-3:30 PM
📍Meadowbrook Marsh (8577 E. Bayshore Rd.)

Join local birding experts, Martyn and Morgan Drabik-Hamshare, for a Bird Walk at Meadowbrook Marsh (8577 E. Bayshore Rd.) at 2 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 9. The Lake Erie shoreline is a renowned location…

10/07/2026

Thank you to the College Club of Vermilion for inviting us to speak on Fall Birding!

We had a great time presenting to a wonderful interactive audience!

09/28/2026

They are back! At least for now! We saw many migrating bird species on our private tour today with two birders from Maryland. Most of the birds are just passing through on their way to their wintering grounds. 🐦🧳

Some breathtaking moments included a squadron of over 300 American White Pelicans flying over us at sunrise, a Yellow-billed Cuckoo within arms reach, and getting great binocular views of a Cedar Waxwing feeding its young! We also saw a state endangered species: a Snowy Egret. 🥳✨

Does this sound like something you are interested in? Contact us to set up a tour! 📞📨

09/10/2026

How cool is this?!

Yesterday Martyn spotted two gulls with color bands - one at either side of the Miller Ferry to Put-in-Bay from Catawba. These photos were taken through binoculars while on the ferry!

Scientists place lightweight bands on gull legs to study bird movement, life spans, and nesting habits. The color bands are very useful as they can be read - and photographed - from a distance.

These two juvenile American Herring Gulls were banded by local gull ba**er, Bruce Buckingham, at the start of July. Both hatched atop buildings in Port Clinton, and are likely making some of their first flights away from their nest.

Bruce recently had a paper published on his gull banding research. Link in the comments!

Be on the lookout for these color bands, especially in areas with lots of gull activity. If you are able to locate and read the band, you can report the information via reportband.gov to help scientists understand more about the species.

A Certificate of Appreciation is provided to each relocated bird as a token of gratitude.

Let us know if you have ever managed to report a band!

Also, remember that you can book guided bird tours with M&M Birding, and we can search for gulls together! Visit https://www.mandmbirding.com/ for more information.

07/30/2026

We are so excited to bird watch with you at this event!

07/11/2026

We had a great time leading a private tour of Meadowbrook Marsh! It was a beautiful summer morning!

We saw 40 species of birds and lots of butterflies! Some highlights include watching multiple baby Northern Rough-winged Swallows get fed from their parents, hearing and briefly seeing a Yellow-billed Cuckoo, and two Cedar Waxwings feeding near the ground! We also witnessed a Northern Yellow Warbler feeding a juvenile Brown-headed Cowbird - brood parasitism is such an interesting behavior!

Here is a link to our ebird checklist to check out what else we saw.

https://ebird.org/checklist/S370683534

Want to book a tour for your group or family? Head over to our website to book!

mandmbirding.com

06/09/2026

Our private tour of the Sunnybrook Trout Club was so much fun today! 🌞🐦🌿

Without leaving the patio, we got excellent views of Great Crested Flycatchers, Cedar Waxwings, and an Eastern Wood-pewee.

Then while on a tour of the property, we found a Green Heron being mobbed by an Eastern Kingbird! It was thrilling to see.

The Sunnybrook Trout Club is an ideal birding location given the diversity of habitats, close proximity to facilities, and the ability to use golf carts to explore the entire 80-acre property.

Stay tuned for some exciting details regarding our partnership with Sunnybrook Trout Club! 🎉🦜🌈

Until then, visit our website to book tours or message us to set up a private tour. 🌐📲

06/04/2026

Many of the migratory birds have passed through, but there are still chances to see some really cool birds in northern Ohio. Martyn got his eyes upon this King Rail today while kayaking.

These birds are listed as Endangered in Ohio, and Near Threatened by IUCN Red List, but that can be difficult to determine as they are so secretive (usually). They are occasionally found (or more often heard) in some of the wetlands in our region, though there are likely more than we are aware!

The other two images here show the eBird reports from 2026 so far, and their distribution map - which shows a scattered breeding range - which extends beyond Ohio!

One of our mottos is ABB: Always Be Birding. You never know what you might find!