M & M Birding

05/22/2026

Although The Biggest Week In American Birding Festival ended last weekend, we are still birding and seeing some exciting spring migrants including orioles, warblers, and flycatchers.

This morning on our private group tour of Pipe Creek Wildlife Area, we got great views of MULTIPLE Great Crested Flycatchers, Red-headed Woodpeckers, and Indigo Buntings.

Some were lucky enough to hear and see a Yellow-breasted Chat, which are uncommon at this site. Other birds identified included Magnolia, Tennessee, and Blackpoll Warblers, Pied-billed Grebe, and a Green Heron.

What stole the show, however, was a member of our group finding a TINY Blanding's Turtle on the trail! This is a Threatened Species in Ohio, so seeing a young one means that there is at least a successful breeding pair around! It is the smallest one either of us have ever seen!

Does this sound like something your group would be interested in? Message us to arrange a tour!

05/16/2026

Meadowbrook Marsh was teeming with birds this morning with 11 warblers among 52 species identified! Magnolia, Bay-breasted, and Chestnut-sided Warblers put on the best shows for our group, though a singing male Indigo Bunting was probably the standout bird. Another exciting find included an active pair of Hairy Woodpeckers close to the trail.

Thank you to Lakeside Chautauqua for coordinating this guided bird tour. Stay tuned for information about dates for more partnerships between Lakeside and M&M Birding for the fall migration.

For information on other bird tour dates, or to book a private tour, visit our website:
https://www.mandmbirding.com/

05/15/2026

Our birding tour this morning with the Sandusky Library was wonderful!

We found a Peregrine Falcon - the fastest bird in the world - perched on a nearby church steeple! We also had great views of a Baltimore Oriole, Chipping Sparrow, and a Barn Swallow.

One of our most exciting experiences however, was two young eagles fighting over a fish high in the sky. The fish was dropped and caught by the aggressor in midair. Incredible!!!

Thank you to everyone who came out!

05/13/2026

We are looking forward to this program!

Interested in bird watching, but don’t know where to start? One barrier to bird watching is not having the right optics. We are excited to announce that you can now borrow binoculars from the Sandusky Library! To celebrate this service, Morgan and Martyn Drabik-Hamshare of M & M Birding will be giving a binocular tutorial and leading a bird watching tour near the library, meeting at the Circulation Desk. Join us on a walk to find spectacular migrating birds during the spring bird migration.

05/10/2026

It happened today on our birding tour of Meadowbrook Marsh with Lakeside Chautauqua. It rained warblers!!

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

We started off strong with 22 bird species just at the parking lot including good views of a perched male Rose-breasted Grosbeak. Then we took a short stroll through the forest. The bird activity started to slow down until an unexpecting section of the trail.

The warblers were hopping like jumping beans and every time we located a bird with our binoculars: it was a new species!! Anyone who has tried birding knows how many times you bring your binoculars to your eyes and how many times you look at the same individual bird hopping around. This was so different.

In one small spot we saw the following warblers: Black-and-white, Chestnut-sided, Blackburnian, Black-throated Blue, Black-throated Green, Blue-winged, and Northern Parula.

We were so excited to experience this event with this group. Here is hoping for a similar event on our bird tour on May 16th also at Meadowbrook Marsh. 🐦🌿🌟🌈👏

05/08/2026

Come out and bird with M & M tomorrow!

05/08/2026

With a break from leading tours, Morgan helped with bird banding for the Winous Point Marsh Conservancy. This week's banding took place at Swan Creek Preserve MetroPark in Toledo. This project aims to understand the relationship between landscape, birds, and mosquitoes on the life cycle of West Nile Virus.

Morgan uses her knowledge of avian research to inspire tour participants to appreciate the natural world and encourage them to stay curious.

Note: this project complies with all federal and state regulations including possessing the necessary permits and permissions. All birds are handled by trained professionals.

Winous.org
U.osu.edu/meutilab
Go.osu.edu/vetfluresearch

05/07/2026

Throwback Thursday. In honor of The Biggest Week In American Birding festival starting tomorrow, here is a photo of us from 2019 with David Sibley. Yes, the Sibley who writes and illustrates the bird books!

The organizers of the Biggest Week do a great job of bringing in the biggest names in birding. This year, Bonner Black, Rosemary Mosco (Bird and Moon comics), and the Reiser brothers, who made the movie "Listers" will be in attendance.

So besides the birds, keep a look out for these celebrities of the birding world! Who knows, maybe Anderson Cooper will show up next year for the festival?!

05/05/2026

Our bird tour this morning was epic!!

We gave a 2-hour private tour to an individual from another state. We observed 60 species!!

It was amazing to see a large group of Common and Forster's Terns flapping over the mouth of Pipe Creek. Later, we saw a handful of Spotted and Solitary Sandpipers. So cool to see so many together. We also had good views of Blue-winged and Green-winged Teal. Warblers included Yellow-rumped, Northern Yellow, Palm, Magnolia, and Ovenbird.

Our solo tours are perfect for you or that special someone in your life who loves birds! We can tailor the tours to find certain bird species for listers or find the perfect light for photographers.

Message us today to set up a private tour for you or as a gift!

mandmbirding.com

05/03/2026

Our bird tour today at Pipe Creek was wonderful! We got great views of an Eastern Kingbird, Tree Swallows, Yellow-rumped and Palm Warblers.

We were graced with a group of American White Pelicans and a migrating Northern Harrier!

Spring migration is just heating up, so head over to our website to book a tour to see these spectacular migratory birds!

mandmbirding.com

🌟🌠🌿🐦🌸🌻🌺🌹🦅

05/02/2026

Thanks to our partnerships with Lakeside Chautauqua and the Sandusky Library, we are providing three FREE guided bird watching tours in May! No registration required. Let's go birding together!

✨World Migratory Bird Day Birding Tour
🗓️Saturday May 9th 8:00-9:30 AM
📍Meadowbrook Marsh, 8577 E. Bayshore Road
Lakeside, OH 43440

✨Binocular Tutorial and Birding Tour
🗓️Friday May 15th 9:00-10:00 AM
📍Sandusky Library, 114 W. Adams St.
Sandusky, OH 44870

✨Last Call for Spring Migration Birding Tour
🗓️Saturday May 16th 8:00-9:30 AM
📍Meadowbrook Marsh, 8577 E. Bayshore Road
Lakeside, OH 43440

Bird photographed: male Red-breasted Nuthatch