Mentor Marsh State Nature Preserve (Cleveland Loop)
Interesting birding can be had year round, but fall may be the most productive season. Lots of sparrows of many species frequent the marsh vegetation, sometimes threatened by patrolling Merlins.
Key Species by Season
Spring
- Marsh Wren
- Rusty Blackbird
- Least Bittern
Summer
- Swamp Sparrow
- Virginia Rail
- Purple Martin
Fall
- Nelson's Sparrow
- Merlin
- Sharp-Shinned Hawk
Winter
- Northern Harrier
- Song Sparrow
- American Crow
At-a-Glance
12 - Mentor Marsh State Nature Preserve
Division of Natural Areas and Preserves
Ohio Department of Natural Resources
Cleveland Museum of Natural History
5185 Corduroy Road
Mentor, OH 44060
440.257.0777
Public Access
Open daily, dawn until dusk
Amenities
Hiking Trails, Visitors Center, Checklist Available, Sightings Board, Outdoor Feeders, Wildlife Observation Window, Binocular Rentals
Driving Directions
Take State Route 2 east and exit at State Route 44. Go north on State Route 44 about a half mile to the State Route 283 overpass (Lakeshore Boulevard). Exit and go west on Lakeshore to the first traffic light. Turn right onto Corduroy Road. The Mentor Marsh House is on the right at 5185 Corduroy Road, just before the road crosses the Marsh.
What to Look For
The dominant feature of the nearly 700-acre preserve is a massive, nearly monocultural stand of giant reed, Phragmites australis. This massive grass species can tower to twelve feet or more in height. In spite of the dense Phragmites, a surprising diversity of birds use the marsh, including some noteworthy species. Mentor Marsh is owned by the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, and is a dedicated state nature preserve.
The best access point to the marsh is via the Wake Robin Trail, which includes a boardwalk. Recent restoration efforts have increased plant diversity along the trail, and this is the place to try for Le Conte's and Nelson's sparrows. A nature center, the Mentor Marsh House, is located at 5185 Corduroy Road, just east of the marsh. Consult the Cleveland Museum of Natural History for hours of operation and upcoming programs.
Interesting birding can be had year round, but fall may be the most productive season. Lots of sparrows of many species frequent the marsh vegetation, sometimes threatened by patrolling Merlins. Warblers of many species can be found in the trees that budder the marsh, along with a diversity of other songbirds. Rails and other marsh birds skulk amongst the Phragmites, including both species of bitterns.
Noteworthy Rarities
Le Conte's and Nelson's sparrows are fairly reliable along the Wake Robin Trail in October.
Local Resources
Lake County Visitors Bureau & Welcome Center
City of Mentor
Cleveland Museum of Natural History
Western Cuyahoga Audubon Society
ODNR Division of Natural Areas and Preserves
About the Cleveland Loop
The Cleveland region—Cuyahoga and Lake counties—is by far the most populous area along Ohio's Lake Erie shoreline. It also harbors the most birders, and as a consequence the bird life of the Cleveland vicinity is better known than probably anywhere else in Ohio. Birding is good at all seasons, and records of exciting rarities abound.
This loop is the most populous region on the trail, as the city of Cleveland and neighboring areas are the most developed locales on Ohio’s Lake Erie shoreline. There are more sites on the Cleveland Area Loop – 28 – than any other loop. Every type of habitat found along the lake occurs on this loop, and some of the sites are among the most famous birding hotspots in the Midwest. The total species list for this loop is 356, and a remarkable 12 of those have only been recorded in this region.
What to Look For
The centerpiece of this loop is the city of Cleveland. The Greater Cleveland area is the largest metropolitan region in Ohio, with a population over two million. There are probably more active birders here than anywhere else in the state and as a consequence this loop's bird list is large and spectacular.
Many of the sites along this loop offer outstanding birding opportunities during spring migration, and a number of these same sites support a great diversity of breeding birds. Headlands Dunes State Nature Preserve is a standout among migratory hotspots, and boasts one of the largest bird lists of any single site in Ohio.
The greatest sheer numbers of birds occur in fall migration. Lakeside spots such as Cleveland Lakefront Nature Preserve draw in scads of songbirds: warblers, thrushes, sparrows, and many others. As fall merges into winter, tremendous numbers of Bonaparte's Gulls and Red-breasted Mergansers build up, especially along the downtown Cleveland lakefront.
Even winter has its charms. Eighteen species of gulls have been found, which puts the Cleveland region near the forefront of North America's best gull-watching locales. Joining the gulls are a wide variety of hardy waterfowl, including scoters, Long-tailed Duck, and the occasional King Eider.
Noteworthy Rarities
At least nine species of birds have been found in the Cleveland region, but nowhere else in Ohio. Some of the mega-rarities include: Common Eider, Ivory Gull, Ross's Gull, Black Guillemot, Common Ground-Dove, Smooth-billed Ani, Boreal Owl, Rock Wren, and Painted Redstart. Some of the sites on this loop are great places to look for rare species such as Purple Sandpiper and Red Phalarope.
Natural Features
Ohio's best remaining natural beach community is found at Headland's Dunes State Nature Preserve. Many rare plants occur there, such as Beach Pea (Lathyrus japonicus), American Beach Grass (Ammophila breviligulata), and Seaside Spurge (Chamaesyce polygonifolia). Fantastic concentrations of Monarch butterflies can gather at lakefront sites in fall migration. Cuyahoga Valley National Park and The Holden Arboretum, in particular, support a staggering array of botanical diversity across a broad range of habitats.
5185 Corduroy Road, Mentor, OH 44060
