A Yellow Warbler seems to shout the news that Lakeside will host a week of birding events starting on Friday, May 26. (Photo by Sheri Trusty)

BY SHERI TRUSTY

While many of the thousands of birders invading Ottawa County have returned to their homes around the world, flocks of the migrating birds who pass through Northwest Ohio in the spring are still here. During Ornithology Week on Friday, May 26 to Friday, June 2, Lakeside Chautauqua will feature several educational programs on spring’s most-anticipated feathered visitors. While many birders flock to Magee Marsh Wildlife Area each spring, the same birds they are seeking pass through Lakeside as well.

“Northwest Ohio is a birding hotspot, and the birds don’t know if it’s Magee Marsh or Lakeside,” said Lakeside Director of Education John Mann.

Ornithology Week is part of the Chautauqua Lecture Series, and open to the public. Because the event falls within the Chautauqua season, parking and gate fees apply. For more information, visit www.lakesideohio.com/events/cls-audubon.

Martyn and Morgan Drabik-Hamshare of Sandusky will kick off Ornithology Week with a lecture on Friday, May 26 about their shared birding experiences across three continents. The couple will talk about how their love of birds strengthens their love for each other, and lead a bird walk on June 3 at 9 a.m. beginning at the Train Station.

The PBS documentary, “Audubon,” will be aired in Orchestra Hall on May 26, and Environmental educator and photographer Becca Matthews will give a talk on “Spring Migration” on May 30. Matt Valencic will present a series of lectures on summer birds, wetland birds and raptors on May 30 and 31. Elizabeth Rosenthal will talk about the life of famed birder Roger Tory Peterson on June 1. Naturalist, artist and writer Julie Zickefoose will discuss her 13-year journey of artistically documenting the growth of 17 bird species on June 2.