We were not sure if we should stop at Metzger Marsh initially even though it was showing up regularly as a site with special birds and was one of a series of preserves on the lake that seemed like a good migrant trap. However we have only limited time so is it worth it versus the other possible stops? What pushed us over the edge is the fact that one of the vendors at the festival told us how he went and saw multiple warblers easily and where so we decide to try also and see what happens. The start is really not that promising, there is no forest for the warblers just marshland on one side and a RV park on the other.
However the marshland is quite popular compared to other wetlands we visited here with lots of Trumpeter Swans and egrets and even a few snakes crossing the road.
The Trumpeter Swans are especially impressive. According to our source they were reintroduced here and have flourished as far as we can see. In fact we only see Trumpeter Swans here, no Mute Swans. And Dunlins, lots of Dunlins between the reeds.
There are also as expected lots of Canada Geese and quite a few terns, unfortunately all are Common Terns and no Black Terns.
We continue on towards the end of the access road and given the size of the groups we see in the distance decide to park before the end and just walk down the street the reminder of the way following the canal.
On the way we see a Least Flycatcher and a few other birds and then we reach the group which we soon understand is not an organized group it is a mob chasing a rare bird. Specifically a female Cerulean warbler which would be a lifer also for us.
So we decide to also stay for a while and scan the greenery and soon after are rewarded with some nice views of the beautiful female bird. Very productive start of our walk!
We then reach the main parking lot and notice there are enough places here so we could have parked here. But maybe in that case we would not have walked back and learned about the Cerulean Warbler so no complaints from us.
And then we start exploring and from our short exploration it seems to us that the vendor was right, this is the best site to see warblers close up. At least now. This is because the wooded area is a small one so really the warblers are restricted to only a small patch of forest.
And it isn’t only warblers. We also see woodpeckers and woodchucks and Eastern Phoebes, basically almost every bird in migration and a few mammals as a bonus.
There are also some nice views of the lake with flowers on the lakeshore and we enjoy the views while scanning for any interesting birds.
Returning to the forest patch we find cardinals and quite a few Bay-breasted Warblers a bird that we never saw before this trip but now can see everywhere it seems.
Same for Magnolia Warblers, funnily enough Wilson Warblers which are relatively easy to see in the Southwest are actually more prized than Magnolia Warblers given their rarity here. And then after a few more circles we notice it starts to get dark so we drive to the last site of the day, Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge, which is close by.
