Birding Week

This May, birders from across the country will return to Northwest Ohio, the Warbler Capital of the World, to celebrate The Biggest Week in American Birding. To welcome birding enthusiasts and families to the Marblehead Peninsula, Lakeside Chautauqua will host free birding lectures, photo exhibit and guided bird walks from May 12-17.

While you visit Lakeside, walk the nature trails and lakefront path for scenic views of Lake Erie, pack a picnic and enjoy the many parks and playgrounds, shop and dine in the downtown business district and Village of Marblehead, and explore nearby birding hotspots like the Marblehead Lighthouse, Meadowbrook Marsh and Magee Marsh Wildlife Area.

Stay Overnight

Plan your spring getaway to Lakeside! Discount lodging is available at the Fountain Inn from May 9-18, 2025. Reserve online using promocode: LKSDBird or call 419-798-4461, ext. 230.

A two-night minimum is required. This offer cannot be combined with any other discounts.

Schedule of Events

Monday, May 12

Dianne Rozak Birding Photography Exhibit
11 a.m.-1 p.m. | Train Station | Free
Dianne Rozak’s avian photography captures much more than just birds on a wire, it reflects her ability to showcase special moments when they’re at their best. “If you spend enough time in their environment, you’ll find that birds are performers and extremely curious creatures,” Rozak said. “Oftentimes, they exhibit quizzical looks which are quite comical,”

Many of her best photos have occurred when the bird is simply going about its business. “Birds will do what birds do,” she said. “But my favorite catch is when their eyes lock on mine. It just doesn’t get any better!” The birds in her exhibit feature a medley of natural photos, digital watercolor prints and subjects she has creatively enhanced.

Lecture: “Avian Mortalities Project at the University of Cincinnati” with Ron Canterbury
7 p.m. | Hoover Auditorium Lobby | Free
Nearly 1.4 billion birds die annually across North America because of glass windows. Ron Canterbury’s research focuses on assessing building, environmental and the artificial lights at night (ALAN) impacts on migratory birds during seasonal migration through the Greater Cincinnati and Ohio River Valley area and proposes the best mitigation practices to reduce fatalities. Linkage to habitats, communities and ecosystems, along with field research stories and birds as an indicator, flagship and umbrella species key to ecosystem functionality, will be discussed.

Canterbury is in his 20th year at the University of Cincinnati, where his roles include helping to direct an academic program in Anatomy & Physiology, teaching Anatomy Physiology I and II and Ornithology, and occasionally Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy, as well as conducting field research and training students in environmental science.

He has 37 years of experience studying wild birds and is a leading state and national avian expert. Canterbury has studied and worked on birds for more than 53 years, and he and his research team, students and sub-permit banders have banded nearly 90,000 birds since 1993. Canterbury is a Master Bird Bander and Editor of the State of Ohio’s bird journal, The Ohio Cardinal. He is considered by many as a national avian expert, especially on early successional species and fields of ecology and conservation.

He lives with his wife, Beverly, in Anderson Township, Ohio, along with three adult children nearby and his first grandson.

Birding Trivia Night
5-6:15 p.m. | Hoover Auditorium Lobby | Free
Gather friends and family to rack your brain with fun facts about Easter. Compete for prizes and bragging rights.

Tuesday, May 13

Bird Walk at Meadowbrook Marsh
10:30 a.m. | Meadowbrook Marsh | Free
Join local birding expert Dianne Rozak for a Bird Walk starting at Meadowbrook Marsh, located a short drive from Lakeside at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, May 13.

The Lake Erie shoreline is renowned for viewing all kinds of birds and attracting birdwatchers from around the country, especially during the spring and fall migrations. Rozak will lead a hike around the trails at Meadowbrook, help the group find and identify birds, and provide interesting facts along the way.

Some of the species you may see on the walk include Bald Eagles, Baltimore Orioles and a variety of shorebirds. You can also expect to find some of the 40 species of neo-tropic warblers that migrate through the region.

Participants are encouraged to wear closed-toed shoes and clothing they don’t mind getting dirty. A few pairs of binoculars can be borrowed for the walk.

Meadowbrook Marsh is located at 8577 E. Bayshore Rd., in Marblehead. Participants are instructed to park on the grass at the top of the main entrance. A sign stating “overflow parking” will direct guests. The walk will begin in this upper region of the park which is known for its intense bird activity. The walk will then continue down the drive to the other paved trails.

Lecture: “Avian Conservations through the Lens of 37 Years of Field Research” with Ron Canterbury
7 p.m. | Hoover Auditorium Lobby | Free
Through storytelling and science collected during avian field research over 35 years, Ron Canterbury discusses avian science, conservation and ecosystem linkage and connectivity in this lecture.

Wednesday May 14

Dianne Rozak Birding Photography Exhibit
11 a.m.-1 p.m. | Train Station | Free
Dianne Rozak’s avian photography captures much more than just birds on a wire, it reflects her ability to showcase special moments when they’re at their best. “If you spend enough time in their environment, you’ll find that birds are performers and extremely curious creatures,” Rozak said. “Oftentimes, they exhibit quizzical looks which are quite comical,”

Many of her best photos have occurred when the bird is simply going about its business. “Birds will do what birds do,” she said. “But my favorite catch is when their eyes lock on mine. It just doesn’t get any better!” The birds in her exhibit feature a medley of natural photos, digital watercolor prints and subjects she has creatively enhanced.

Lecture: “Bird Intelligence” with Verner Peter Bingman
7 p.m. | Hoover Auditorium Lobby | Free
Calling someone a “bird brain” may have been insulting in the past, but recent research has shown that being called a “bird brain” is more likely to be a compliment to one’s intelligence.

Many bird species have a remarkable capacity for planning, tool making, communication, memory and spatial navigation, among other cognitive abilities. Indeed, the intelligence of members of the family Corvidae, crows, jays and magpies, is comparable to higher order primates such as chimpanzees. Accompanying this surprising intelligence is a brain organization in birds that differs from mammals, suggesting an alternative design in the engineering of an intelligent brain.

For example, birds seem to pack more nerve cells in their brains than even primates. Verner Peter Bingman will describe an array of behaviors in birds that offers testament to their surprising intelligence during his talk. He will then explore the organization of the bird brain to offer insight into the “machinery” of their intelligence.

Bingman has been a distinguished research professor in the Department of Psychology at Bowling Green State University since 1989. He has a bachelor’s from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, a master’s and PhD from the State University of New York-Albany. He has held postdoctoral positions at the University of Frankfurt, Germany, University of Pisa, Italy, and the University of Maryland-College Park.

Bingman has been awarded numerous scholarly and research fellowships, including three Fulbright Fellowships (Spain, Argentina and Korea) and a Humboldt Fellowship (Germany). He has authored or co-authored more than 200 scientific journal articles.

Thursday, May 15

Bird Walk at Lakeside
10:30 a.m. | Beginning at the Train Station Patio | Free
Join local birding expert Dianne Rozak for a Bird Walk throughout Lakeside. The Lake Erie shoreline is a renowned location for viewing all kinds of birds and attracting birdwatchers from around the country, especially during the spring and fall migrations. Rozak will lead a hike around the trails in Lakeside, help the group find and identify birds and provide interesting facts along the way.

Dianne Rozak Birding Photography Exhibit
2-4 p.m. | Train Station | Free
Dianne Rozak’s avian photography captures much more than just birds on a wire, it reflects her ability to showcase special moments when they’re at their best. “If you spend enough time in their environment, you’ll find that birds are performers and extremely curious creatures,” Rozak said. “Oftentimes, they exhibit quizzical looks which are quite comical,”

Many of her best photos have occurred when the bird is simply going about its business. “Birds will do what birds do,” she said. “But my favorite catch is when their eyes lock on mine. It just doesn’t get any better!” The birds in her exhibit feature a medley of natural photos, digital watercolor prints and subjects she has creatively enhanced.

Lecture: “Birding the Local Hot Spots — The Joy of Discovering Northwest Ohio’s Feathered Friends” with Dianne Rozak
7 p.m. | Hoover Auditorium Lobby | Free
Celebrate the annual migration of colorful warblers with an entertaining, informative presentation by local birding enthusiast Dianne Rozak. She will share her favorite locations, what sightings to expect, spectacular photos from her collection, an identification overview, technology recommendations and advice for a successful day on the bird trail.

Audience participation with comments and questions throughout the talk is highly encouraged to create an interactive learning experience for beginning as well as advanced ornithologists. This is a unique opportunity to meet fellow birders and share collective experiences.

Friday, May 16

Dianne Rozak Birding Photography Exhibit
11 a.m.-1 p.m. | Train Station | Free
Dianne Rozak’s avian photography captures much more than just birds on a wire, it reflects her ability to showcase special moments when they’re at their best. “If you spend enough time in their environment, you’ll find that birds are performers and extremely curious creatures,” Rozak said. “Oftentimes, they exhibit quizzical looks which are quite comical,”

Many of her best photos have occurred when the bird is simply going about its business. “Birds will do what birds do,” she said. “But my favorite catch is when their eyes lock on mine. It just doesn’t get any better!” The birds in her exhibit feature a medley of natural photos, digital watercolor prints and subjects she has creatively enhanced.

Lecture: “Tracking Tiny Birds to Reveal secrets of Migration” with Henry Streby
3 p.m. | Hoover Auditorium Lobby | Free
Migratory birds can experience bottlenecks, or factors limiting population growth, during any stage of their annual cycle. It is especially important to study migratory connectivity and non-breeding dispersion for populations of songbirds for which breeding-grounds factors have little apparent relationship to local and regional population trends.

Henry Streby will summarize findings from a decade of collaborative research on two pairs of species, Golden-winged and Blue-winged Warbler, and Louisiana Waterthrush and Worm-eating Warbler. Specifically, he will explain how we track these tiny birds with tiny technology and discuss what we have learned about their annual journeys and what it means for conservation.

Streby has been a professor of ecology at the University of Toledo for the past nine years. Before that, he earned a bachelor’s and master’s at Ohio University, a PhD in wildlife ecology and management at the University of Minnesota, and held post-doctoral positions at the University of Tennessee and the University of California-Berkeley.

He has been studying migratory bird ecology for 21 years, has published more than 50 peer-reviewed articles, and is an elected fellow of the American Ornithologists Union. Streby lives in Toledo with his spouse, Jeanine Refsnider, also a professor of ecology, and their daughter, Sora.

Lecture: “Warbler Warm Up” with Matt Valencic & Kelly Stanek 
7 p.m. | Hoover Auditorium Lobby | Free
Some of the prettiest birds on the planet are in Northern Ohio from April-October. Most are just passing through on their way north, but some stay here to have their babies. Because we only see them for a short time every year, we forget how to quickly identify them. This presentation uses over 200 of the authors’ photographs to help group birds by appearance and preferred habitat.

See all the warblers with eye rings on one slide. Learn about behaviors like tail wagging, skulking on the ground and walking along branches to help narrow down choices. Participants will learn to appreciate trilling, buzzy and high-pitched songs to narrow down birds heard but not seen.

Matt Valencic started chasing birds in 1974 while he was a student at the College of Environmental Science & Forestry in Syracuse, New York. He has a bachelor’s in forest biology and spent his career in science-based technical sales, all related to the biological system of animals and people.

He retired in 2015 and immediately joined an Audubon chapter where he started creating bird programs from his catalog of pictures. The most important message he wishes to share is that all of nature, plants, animals and water are inextricably tied together. It’s our responsibility to be good stewards and protect what is whole and repair what is damaged.

Kelly Stanek has been a birder for more than 30 years. Her interest began in her teens and her passion took off while earning her master’s degree in biology. Stanek enjoys the challenge of identifying birds not only by sight but by sound. Most of all, she enjoys the camaraderie of her friends who share the same passion and help each other find the birds.

Saturday, May 17

Birding Movie
7:30 p.m. | Wellness Center Drackett Hall | Donations Welcome
Orchestra Hall enjoys the distinction of being the only movie theater on the Marblehead Peninsula and in Ottawa County. It’s a historic theater to watch new and classic films. The movie is free, but Lakeside Chautauqua values donations to support these types of programs.

Two bird enthusiasts try to defeat the cocky, cutthroat world record holder in a year-long bird-spotting competition. (PG 1hr. 40 min. 2011)