Pictured above is a palm warbler, one of the noteworthy species already spotted this spring. Photo: Suzy Horvath.
The spring bird migration has begun, with early arrivals already spotted across northern Ohio.
Notable sightings include a yellow warbler in Strongsville on April 14, a palm warbler at North Chagrin Reservation on April 7, and a golden-crowned kinglet recorded just outside the Museum last week. According to real-time data from Hummingbird Central, ruby-throated hummingbirds have reached southern and central Ohio, a migration pattern featured in the Florence and Jack Selby Biodiversity Across Ohio media interactive in the Museum’s Ames Family Curiosity Center. Recent days have shown a significant uptick in migration activity in our region, with an estimated 166 and 150 million birds moving north. Based on the heat maps, we are experiencing noticeably increased movement compared to recent weeks.
Van Doren, B. M. and Horton, K. G. 2025. BirdCast, migration forecast map; April 18, 2025 & April 22, 2025. Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Colorado State University and Oxford University. birdcast.info.
Peak migration in the Cleveland area is predicted between May 15–21, when the greatest abundance and diversity of migrating birds will be passing through or setting up for spring nesting. An interactive map from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology offers a compelling visualization of this year’s migration timing.
At the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, visitors can track migration in real time thanks to a newly installed BirdWeather PUC device in the Ralph Perkins II Wildlife Center & Woods Garden—Presented by KeyBank. This system, supported by the Richard and Jean Hoffman: Bird Research, Conservation and Education Endowment, uses the BirdNet audio identification platform, developed by the K. Lisa Yang Center for Conservation Bioacoustics and Chemnitz University of Technology, to record and identify bird calls.
You can explore the station data here: https://app.birdweather.com/stations/12359
A quick analysis of recent data from the BirdWeather station revealed interesting behavioral patterns. For example, our resident sandhill cranes are not vocalizing during the typical morning and evening hours of their wild counterparts.
On the other hand, our resident bald eagle exhibits a distinct bimodal calling pattern. The white-throated sparrow, a common local species, vocalized most frequently in the morning. The non-native house sparrow, recorded 9,114 times, is the most vocal bird with morning/evening call pattern. What’s amazing about this device is that anyone can explore this data to uncover trends in migration timing, species diversity, and daily activity patterns.
At the Museum’s Mentor Marsh State Nature Preserve, years of habitat restoration are yielding exciting signs of success. Citizen scientists have recently begun reporting signs of rare marsh bird species. Among those possibly visiting and nesting in the preserve are the American bittern, least bittern, king rail, black rail, and yellow rail. These secretive species are notoriously difficult to observe due to their camouflaged plumage and elusive behavior.
To better understand and document their presence, the Museum is installing autonomous acoustic recording devices throughout the marsh, also funded by the Hoffman Endowment. These recorders will continuously capture bird calls for later identification using BirdNet, generating a robust dataset on avian diversity. The presence of these rare marsh birds—each listed as a conservation concern at the state or federal level—serves as an important indicator of habitat quality and restoration success.
This initiative, in collaboration with the City of Mentor and Cuyahoga Community College, will inform future conservation efforts. By mapping the occurrence of these species, we can assess their habitat preferences and identify where additional restoration may be needed to support their continued recovery. This work not only validates our ecological restoration efforts but will guide the ongoing stewardship of Mentor Marsh’s vital wetland ecosystems.
Check in regularly on the Museum’s BirdWeather PUC station through May to catch recordings of migrating warblers calling outside the Museum. You can also head out to Mentor Marsh and join one of the Museum’s spring bird walks.
