Wayne+County+Birding+Drives

=Ohio Birding Drives= Ohio Birding Drives are routes for birding trips which can be accomplished in **one day**, stopping to walk and bird at various eBird hotspots. For each Birding Drive, a Google map is provided with the route and suggested stops at eBird hotspots. You you may save the link to the Google map on your smart phone or tablet, or print a copy on paper to take with you. Links are provided with more information about each eBird hotspot. Follow those links for more information about birding each location.
 * =Birding in Ohio=

Wayne County
=Wayne County Birding Drives= Killbuck Marsh to Funk Bottoms Birding Drive Funk Bottoms Birding Drive Killbuck Marsh Birding Drive Wooster Area Birding Drive Wayne County Shorebird Drive

Click on the hotspot names below to view the page about that hotspot in a new tab or window. You can click on the thumbnail maps below to view a larger version in a new window or tab. || media type="custom" key="28442177" ||
 * =Killbuck Marsh to Funk Bottoms Birding Drive= ||
 * This drive includes an ambitious number of stops and would require a full morning and afternoon to explore adequately. Killbuck Marsh is better in the morning during warble migration. Funk Bottoms is best for water birds which are likely to be there throughout the day. The drive through Killbuck Marsh begins with Messner Road.

Killbuck Marsh Wildlife Area--Messner Road
To reach the east end of Messner Road (County Road 49 on Google Maps) take Prairie Lane or OH-83 south from Wooster. Turn right on Messner Road. Cross Prairie Lane if you came on OH-83. There are several areas to park along this road, although often the best birding can be by driving slowly along the road. Use flashers for oncoming or passing traffic and pull as far off onto the shoulder as you can if you are stopped. Most years this bottomland hosts nesting Brown Creepers, Prothonotary Warblers, and Red-shouldered Hawks. Red-headed Woodpeckers are usually easily found along this road. Close your Messner Road checklist when you reach the end of Messner Road.

Killbuck Marsh Wildlife Area--Valley Road North
At the end of Messner Road, turn left onto Valley Road. Valley Road has two eBird hotspots. The north section of the road traverses more of the bottom land and then climbs out of the Wildlife Area. Start a new checklist for Valley Road North. Please note: This section of Valley Road is often flooded in the spring or when water is high. Do not enter water on the road, as the potholes are often deeper than they look! Bird this road from your vehicle. It is very lightly traveled. Continue watching for Prothonotary Warblers and Red-headed Woodpeckers. Eastern Phoebe often nest near the bridge just before you climb out of the Wildlife Area. Close your Valley Road North checklist when you reach Kimbler Road.

Killbuck Marsh Wildlife Area--Valley South
Begin a new checklist for Valley Road South when you reenter the Wildlife Area after crossing Moreland Road. This section of the Wildlife Area is quite different from the bottom land. The section just past Moreland Road with homes on the left often has a nice mix of woodland birds. Follow Valley Road. You will come to a T in the road and Valley Road continues to the left. There is a large pond where Clark Road intersects Valley Road. You may want to take the time to drive out Clark Road along the and return to Valley Road. Clark Road is a separate eBird hotspot, if you wish to make a separate checklist while you are on the road. Then proceed right on Valley Road, crossing a bridge and more bottom land, before climbing up the hill to Force Road. Close your Valley Road South checklist when you reach Force Road.

Killbuck Marsh Wildlife Area--Force Road West
At the intersection of Valley Road and Force Road turn left on Force Road. Drive a short distance to a Y in the road and turn left at the Y to stay on Force Road. The Force Road West hotspot is at the end of Force Road. There is a parking area at the end of the road. You can walk a short distance to an old bridge where there are views of birds on the marsh. Eagles have nested in this area for many years. Great Blue Herons also have a colony near the Eagle nest. The area beyond the bridge is closed to entry. Please observe the signs.

Shreve Lake Wildlife Area
Retrace your route back out Force Road. Turn right at the Y. Continue to Cemetery Road where you turn left. Then follow the route on the map through Shreve to the Shreve Lake Wildlife Area.

Shreve Lake is a popular fishing destination. It sometimes has waterfowl, especially during migration.

Wilderness Road
Continue west on Brown Road when you are done birding at Shreve Lake. At the intersection with Elyria Road, turn right. Follow Elyria Road, crossing OH-3. Wilderness is the first road on the left after OH-3. Turn left on Wilderness Road.

Wilderness Road is worth checking in all seasons. During spring and fall migration ducks and geese are abundant. Sandhill Cranes are often in the area. In the fall the peat pits along the north side of Wilderness Road are sometimes drawn down, providing excellent shorebird habitat. Short-eared Owls, Northern Harriers, and Rough-legged Hawks are often found in the winter. Eagles nest here during breeding season. Wilderness Road traverses private property. Please be respectful and bird from the roadside. Stay out of the way of workers at the peat pits when they are working there.

@Funk Bottoms Wildlife Area
At the intersection of Wilderness Road and Funk Road, turn right. Proceed north to OH-95 and turn right. Watch for the sign on the right to the Funk Bottom observation tower. Take the gravel road to the tower.

The observation tower gives good views of the Funk Bottoms marsh. During spring and fall migration there can be many ducks and shorebirds in this area. During the winter this is a good place to look for wintering Short-eared Owls. Sandhill Cranes are often in the area in all seasons, event staying in the area some winters. A spotting scope is very helpful for viewing birds at the tower. You can also walk the unmarked trails in this area when the water levels are low. In some wet seasons the road to the tower is flooded.

OH-95 is a very busy highway. There are three pull off areas with limited space on the south side of the road. Use care in pulling off as the embankment is quite steep. There is also one pull off on the north side of the road with a bit more space to park. Stopping on the roadway is not recommended.

See the Funk Bottoms Wildlife Area Drive for more ways to explore this area around Funk Bottoms, if you have ore time. || media type="custom" key="28443109" Open Map in a new window



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 * =Funk Bottoms Birding Drive= ||
 * Thanks to Su Snyder and the Ohio Ornithological Society for the description of this drive.

Funk Bottoms Wildlife Area is made up of nearly 2000 acres, starting in Wayne County and continuing west into Ashland County. Most of the property is a lowlands and is easily flooded.

@Funk Bottoms Wildlife Area
From the wildlife observation platform, located off OH-95, you can observe a large area of wetland, especially if you have a spotting scope. Huge numbers of waterfowl stop here during spring migration. Check the large Canada Goose flocks carefully for Greater White-fronted Goose and Snow Goose. Large flocks of Tundra Swans have also been seen here. Shorebirds, sometimes numbering in the thousands, stop when water levels are suitable. With luck, you’ll see Sandhill Cranes flying over or feeding in the fields. In winter, Rough-legged Hawks, Northern Harriers, and occasionally Short-eared Owls are present. A very primitive walking trail starts at the platform, but is sometimes underwater.

From the observation platform lane, turn right on to OH-95. There are only a few safe parking pull-offs on this road. Check out both sides of the road for waterfowl and shorebirds.

@Blachleyville
Continue on OH-95 and turn right onto S. Elyria Road. A few miles down the road is a sod plant. Behind this property, Sandhill Cranes, shorebirds, and waterfowl can found. Stay out if the plant is closed. If the plant is open, you can go inside and sign in to let them know you are there. Otherwise, you will be trespassing.

Wilderness Road
Continue on S. Elyria Road and turn right onto Wilderness Road. All the property along this road is private. Seasonally, you may want to check out feeders at the first house. Also, check the fields on the right side of the road for Ring-necked Pheasants. A Sedge Wren was found here the spring of 2003. Farther down this road, watch the lowlands on both sides for waterfowl and shorebirds.

@Schwartzwalder Road
Turn left onto Clay Plant Road and then right onto Swartzwalder Road. This is also all private property and can be good for shorebirds.

After stopping at the end of Swartzwalder Road, go straight and merge with Funk Road which then curves to the right. Turn right onto Wilderness Road and search the fields in the winter and early spring for Snow Buntings and Lapland Longspurs. Please remember that this is all private property.

Funk Bottoms Wildlife Area--Funk Road
Turn around at Clay Plant Road and back-track on Wilderness Road. Turn right onto Funk Road and continue on north, past the Village of Funk. Check out the marshes and flooded fields on both sides of the road.

@Ashland County Road 1950
Turn left onto Angling Road. Veer to the left onto County Road 1950 and go past the golf course. Just before the crossroads at County Road 175, check both sides of the fields for shorebirds. Turn right onto County Road 175 to reach US-30, or you can turn left on County Road 175 and drive around the block, with a left turn onto County Road 2000 and another left turn onto OH-95. This will take you back into the village of Funk.

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 * =Killbuck Marsh Birding Drive= ||
 * Thanks to Su Snyder and the Ohio Ornithological Society for the description of this drive.

Killbuck Marsh Wildlife Area--Wright Marsh
To start at the northwest corner of the Killbuck Marsh Wildlife Area, take OH-3 south from Wooster and veer left to get on OH-226. Turn left onto Carrie Lane, which dead-ends into a parking area with walking access to Wright Marsh. In the spring, huge rafts of ducks can often be seen here. Remember to stay off the private property that borders the wildlife area.

Return to OH-226 and travel south less than a half mile. Turn left into the Wright Marsh parking lot. From here you can walk to several impoundments. During migration, look for waterfowl and shorebirds.

Killbuck Marsh Wildlife Area--Willow Road
Continue on OH-226 and turn left onto Willow Road. At the railroad tracks there are parking areas that overlook impoundments on the left and a private duck-hunting area on the right.

Crossing the railroad tracks, look for Prothonotary Warblers and Red-shouldered Hawks in the woods along this stretch of road. Continue on Willow Road, which turns to the right and becomes a gravel road (the paved road straight ahead is called Kimber Road from this point). This is a good road to look for passerines. There is a parking area on the right where you can pick up a primitive walking trail.

Killbuck Marsh Wildlife Area--Valley Road South
Continue on Willow Road. At the top of the hill, go straight ahead and the road merges with Valley Road. You will come to large open area of water on the left just before reaching Clark Road. This spot hosts waterfowl, warblers, vireos, and both orioles. Black Terns often come through here during migration. When the water level is low, look for shorebirds.

Killbuck Marsh Wildlife Area--Clark Road
Turn left onto Clark Road. At the first crossroads, turn right onto OH-83.

Killbuck Marsh Wildlife Area--Force Road East
At the first right, turn onto Force Road. After passing through private property, you will reach the wildlife area. This road is often very rough. Look for Yellow-breasted Chats, White-eyed Vireos and Wild Turkeys. There is a parking area just before a small bridge. At the water, nesting Hooded Mergansers and Common Moorhens are possible. This road dead-ends at the Killbuck Creek and this final stretch of road to the river is occasionally totally underwater and impassible. The left (south) side of the road is a refuge and is closed to the public.

Killbuck Marsh Wildlife Area (Holmes County)
Return to OH-83 and turn right. Then turn right onto County Line Road (also known at Centerville Road). At the first parking area on the left, you can pick up a primitive walking trail. A few hundred feet down the road, check near the bridge for nesting Yellow-throated and Prothonotary Warblers. In winter, look for Yellow-rumped Warblers.

Continue on County Line Road. Along this stretch, watch for Sandhill Cranes and Wild Turkeys. The lane to Killbuck Marsh wildlife station is a few miles up the road on the right. A box at the beginning of the lane holds maps of the area.

Killbuck Marsh Wildlife Area--Force Road West
Continue on County Line Road until you reach Shreve Eastern Road, which veers to the right, then make another immediate right onto Valley Road. Turn right onto Force Road (a sign here reads No Outlet). At the bottom of the hill is a parking area. From here it’s a short walk along the road to the spot where you can see the Bald Eagle nest in the closed refuge, on the right side of the road. Other nesters in this area include Red-headed Woodpeckers, Marsh Wrens, Willow Flycatchers, and Sandhill Cranes. Force Road dead-ends at the Killbuck Creek, so you will have to go back up Force Road and turn right onto Valley Road, which makes another right at the top of the hill.

Killbuck Marsh Wildlife Area--Valley Road South
At the bottom of the hill on this section of Valley Road is a large, open marsh dominated by Marsh Wrens. This is also a good spot for Virginia Rails and Soras.

Killbuck Marsh Wildlife Area--Cemetery Road
Returning to the top of the hill, turn right onto Force Road, then right on to Cemetery Road. You will come to a large wetland area on the corner of Cemetery Road and OH-226 that attracts large numbers of waterfowl. There is a small parking area on the right. A spotting scope will be helpful at this spot.

@Shreve Fish Pond
Turn right onto OH-226 and check the private pond directly across from the Wright Marsh Parking Area. When the water is low in the spring and fall, this can be quite a hot-spot for shorebirds. Continue north on OH-226 and check out the pond behind the Pine Tree Barn for waterfowl. This is also private property.

Killbuck Marsh Wildlife Area--Moore Marsh
Turn right onto Valley Road. Just before the railroad track and bridge is the Moore Marsh parking area. Check out the impoundments for water birds. Northern Rough-winged Swallows usually nest under the bridge.

Crossing the railroad track and bridge, you can turn right on Valley Road, which will eventually take you back to the Clark Road area, or make a left turn onto Messner Road.

Killbuck Marsh Wildlife Area--Messner Road
Most years this bottomland hosts nesting Brown Creepers, Prothonotary Warblers, and Red-shouldered Hawks. Red-headed Woodpeckers are usually easily found along this road.

Turning right off Messner Road, Prairie Lane soon merges with OH-83. The Killbuck Marsh area runs for miles along this stretch in both Wayne and Holmes Counties. Most of the land along here is private property, so look for signs. After you pass County Line Road, there are several pull-offs. One of the pull-offs on the right, by an oil tank, has been a good place to see Sandhill Cranes.

Killbuck Marsh Wildlife Area--Butler Spring
The next parking area south is beside Butler Spring; one of the few places in the area that has open water all winter.

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MAP || Secrest Arboretum Wooster Memorial Park Oakhill Park
 * =Wooster Area Birding Drive= ||
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|| MAP || Wilderness Road Funk Bottoms Wildlife Area Shreve Fish Pond
 * =Wayne County Shorebird Drive= ||
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|| MAP ||