Decoy Marsh a unique haven for birding
FREMONT - Annually open for only a month, Decoy Marsh gives birders access to a little-known and secluded part of Sandusky County wetlands.
Park District Interpretive Naturalist Sarah Chong showed off the park, for an exclusive tour, the day before it officially opened for the season.
“A lot of our birding could be as good, or better than Ottawa County, and with a lot fewer people. If you are looking for a more relaxed environment, we have that,” Chong said. “We have a lot of diked wetland and marsh, which attracts a lot of migrating waterfowl and shorebirds, and not just the beautiful little warblers, of which we’ve had 21 different species reported in this park.
"We also get a lot of shore birds, like yellowlegs, dunlin – really cute shorebirds, and you can see flocks of them coming in – we actually have a pump system for the wetlands, helping us have some control over the water levels. There has been a lot of rainfall, and we don’t want the area flooded, so we can actually drop the water levels, giving mudflats, which is what a lot of the migratory shorebirds are looking for,” Chong said.
The 67-acre park borders Green Creek and is surrounded by two private hunt clubs and the Winous Point Marsh Conservancy, creating hundreds of acres of protected land.
“It protects a miles-long stretch of Green Creek, and so it’s really great to be a part of a conservation effort that big. You can really see how that pays off in the diversity of the wildlife we get in the park,” Chong said.
There aren’t regular trails, because the grass has grown over them, so the park district mows in grass trails that generally follow the tops of dikes and channeled ditches that were created many years ago by a private hunt club.
Chong said that more than 165 species of birds have been counted on the property.
“With the majority of those sightings in May, that limited time to see them shows pretty great diversity,” Chong said.
In addition to many birds, the diked marsh provides habitat for many wetland species, like muskrats, bats and beavers. A large bat condo was installed next to the barn that can be seen from the entrance.
Formal maps indicate that it is only open “for scheduled use.” Decoy Marsh is one of the least used and accessible parks in the 17 properties operated by the Sandusky County Park District. It doesn’t have a formal parking area and is only open for the month of May.
She also noted that there are very few visitors, compared to more popular places, like the Magee Marsh and the Black Swamp Bird Observatory. Because of the lack of parking and restrooms, it’s not unusual for the park to have only a handful of visitors.
The property was donated and has a life-lease, which still limits the use, but is also helpful to the habitat.
“May is the biggest month in Ohio for migratory birds, in the spring, and that’s when warblers are the hottest in Northwest Ohio,” Chong said.
“Our warblers have cute little sounds, but unlike the European warblers, they are not good singers. Most do have circus-level amazing colors,” Chong said. “We have a diverse list of warblers. Not every warbler wants a wooded area. Some prefer a wet habitat, like that of Green Creek, here. We get prothonotary warblers, which in my opinion, are one of the most beautiful warblers. They are a super intense yellow color.”
The common yellowthroat is her favorite warbler.
“It really likes water. I see them while kayaking, and they have a recognizable song – they say ‘witchety-witchety,’” Chong said.
She listed off a wide variety of birds that have been seen on the property: yellow-shafted flickers, bluebirds, bald eagles, cormorants, several woodpeckers, kingbirds, Baltimore Oriels, yellow warblers, red-eyed vireos, egrets, herons and woodcocks.
Decoy Marsh is located at 2700 County Road 259, northeast of Fremont. There is a sign, as pictured, behind the fence. Park on the grass in front of the fence. As parking is extremely limited, accommodating no more than a dozen vehicles, Chong asks that visitors take that into account.
Chong also recommends Blue Heron Reserve, 2134 County Road 260, in Vickery, and Creek Bend Farm. During the "Biggest Week," May 3-12, the Wilson Nature Center at Creek Bend Farm has hours designed for birders with organized tours. Coffee and light snacks will be available Monday through Saturday 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. and on Sunday 7:30 a.m. to 10 a.m.
Chong teaches a class called Warbler identification for beginners, on Saturday morning from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. She will teach how to identify Spring warblers by recognizing their song, field markings, behavior, and preferred habitat. It takes place at the Creek Bend Farm Wilson Nature Center. Registration is required. https://reservations.lovemyparks.com/programs/5298/.
419-332-2674
This article originally appeared on Fremont News-Messenger: Decoy Marsh a unique haven for birding
