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Hocking Hills: What To Do
Hocking Hills: What To Do

Birding


NEW! Hocking Valley Birding Trail Web Site

Click here for the new Hocking Valey Birding Trail web site, filled with spots in the Hocking Hills region for the best birding areas, species and information for birding enthusiats visiting Southeast Ohio.

Birders Flock to the Hocking Hills

Text by © Jerry & Barbara Jividen

Spring and fall trigger the age-old sense of journey for many of earth’s winged wonders. While legions of birds migrate from point to point around the globe, birdwatchers are right behind them, flocking around the country. But before you leave on a long journey to chase their tail feathers, stop by the Hocking Hills first. You might decide that Hocking Hills, Ohio birding areas offer enough birds to keep you busy right here.

Some Ohio bird watchers hope to see elusive or rare sightings for our area such as the Canada Warbler or Black-throated Green Warbler. True, both have been spotted here and have occasionally nested here due to the Canadian-like environment in the gorge. Other folks, however, are quite content to spy Ohio’s official state bird, the Cardinal, or catch a glimpse of a bright blue Indigo Bunting. Those, too, have been spotted by Hocking Hills, Ohio bird watchers.

Natural habitat for wildlife is important to the world’s 9,808 bird species, and places like the Hocking Hills State Park provide a safe haven and good migratory route for more than 230 of these avian delights. In turn, these natural areas create hotspots for serious and novice birders to watch for our flying friends from hummingbirds to hawks, wrens to warblers, and tanagers to terns.

Flickers of color and the sounds of Ohio’s songbirds fill nature’s outdoor theater in all areas of the Hocking Hills State Park, which encompasses more than 2,300 acres of land. The hammering sounds of woodpeckers and the night calls of owls can also be heard in this forested region, where more than 9,200 acres of state forest densely drape the surrounding hills and supply a good habitat for them.

Near the Park’s 17 acres of water, Hocking Hills, Ohio birding enthusiasts may find herons, egrets, ducks, Kingfishers and other birds that hunt or nest near the water. Many Park visitors have sighted Ospreys gliding over the glassy surface of Rose Lake or watched a Bald Eagle perch atop a sturdy limb at Lake Logan.

Year-round, Hocking Hills, Ohio bird watchers enjoy checking off species from their “life list.” Many birdwatchers keep such a list, noting each new species they discover. Birdwatching is not only a good way to commune with nature, it’s educational and fun.

 

Here are a few items that will make your Ohio birding experience in the Hocking Hills more enjoyable and successful.

Hocking Hills, Ohio Bird Watching Starter Kit

  • Binoculars
  • Hat to shade your eyes and binoculars
  • Field guide for bird identifications
  • Small tablet and a pencil for notes
  • Print off "Birder’s Checklist" from this web site
  • A birdsong identifier (like the "BirdSong IdentiFlyer," a handheld player that uses interchangeable sound cards of digitally recorded bird songs for identification)