Wood+County+Birding+Drive

=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 may save the link to the Google map on your smartphone or tablet, or print a copy on paper to take with you. Links are provided with information about each eBird hotspot. Follow those links for more information about birding each location.
 * =Birding in Ohio=

Wood County
=Wood County Birding 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.

This Birding Drive explores eBird hotspots in Wood County. When you submit checklists here you help to add to the data about birds in this region of Ohio.

@Cricket Frog Cove
14810 Freyman Road Cygnet, Ohio 43413

From I-75, take Exit 171 toward Cygnet. Turn west onto Cygnet Road and drive .7 mile. Turn left onto Rudolph Road and go .5 mile. Turn right onto Freyman Road and go .7 mile. Turn right into the parking area for Cricket Frog Cove.

The area consists of approximately 160 acres located between Cygnet Road and Freyman Road bordered by Mitchell Road to the west. There are approximately 90 acres of wooded area and 70 acres of grassland and old pasture field. Located off the Slippery Elm Trail, Cricket Frog Cove offers fishing, hunting by permit and nature trails. From Cricket Frog Cove webpage

Wintergarden Woods and Saint Johns Nature Preserve
615 South Wintergarden Road Bowling Green, Ohio 43402

From Cricket Frog Cove, drive east on Freyman Road for .7 mile. Turn left onto Rudolph Road and drive 5.5 miles. Turn right to stay on Rudolph Road and drive 3.1 miles. Turn left onto West Gypsy Lane Road for .2 mile. Turn left onto Sand Ridge Road for .1 mile. Turn right onto South Wintergarden Road and arrive at Wintergarden Woods in .6 mile.

Bowling Green was once part of the Great Black Swamp that covered most of Northwestern Ohio. The area was teeming with wildlife and had huge forests with stands of Oak, Maple, Ash, and Hickory trees. Intermingled with the forests were prairies and savannas where grasses and flowering plants covered forest floors and opened into sunlit areas hundreds of acres in size. The deforestation and drainage in the area provided excellent farmland for the early settlers and it continues to provide for farmers today.

When the City of Bowling Green acquired Wintergarden Woods just after the Second World War, it provided a space for residents to engage in passive recreational opportunities. Wintergarden Woods was just the beginning. Over the years a lodge was built through community support. Originally designed to cater to overnight groups and youth hostellers, the lodge is now the Rotary Nature Center which serves to educate residents on all facets of natural resources within our community. Additional properties were purchased, including St. John’s Woods, Bordner Meadow, Twyman Woods, and most recently, 19.7 acres that were formerly owned by the Sader family (now called Tucker Woods). From Wintergarden Woods and Saint Johns Nature Preserve webpage

@Baldwin Woods Preserve
14080 Range Line Road Weston, Ohio 43569

From Wintergarden Woods, drive north on South Wintergarden Road for .5 mile. Turn left onto West Wooster Street and continue onto Bowling Green Road for 1.9 miles. Turn right onto US-6 west and drive 2.8 miles. turn left onto Range line Road and arrive at Baldwin Woods Preserve in .9 mile.

Purchased from Brown University in 1993, the 124-acre preserve is a mix of woodlands, grasslands and wetlands. No established trails exist allowing visitors the opportunity to explore this jewel in a more natural state. From Baldwin Woods Preserve webpage

Maumee River--Grand Rapids
Grand Rapids, Ohio 43522

From Baldwin Woods Preserve, drive north on Range Line Road for 1 mile. Turn left onto US-6 west and drive 5 miles. Turn right onto Wapakoneta Road and go 2.9 miles. Turn left onto Front Street and arrive at the Maumee River Grand Rapids.

The rapids at Grand Rapids are easily viewed from just upstream from the railroad bridge or, from the US-24 side of the river, at Providence dam. Access to the dam is about 0.3 mile southwest of the Grand Rapids (OH-578) bridge. From Ohio Ornithological Society website

@Otsego Park
20000 West River Road Bowling Green, Ohio 43402

From the Grand Rapids, drive east on Front Street for .7 mile. Continue straight onto OH-65 north and drive 4.2 miles. Arrive at Otsego Park on the left.

The oldest of the Wood County Parks, Otsego Park was established in 1937. On the Maumee River, the 21-acre park includes 10 acres of islands. It is home to the Thompson Stone Hall (formerly known as Otsego Stone Hall) and the Otsego Canoe Livery. Considered by many to be the most picturesque of the Wood County Parks, its scenery and river access attract many visitors. From Otsego Park webpage

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