Lorain Harbor

Lorain Harbor (Huron & Lorain Loop)

Lorain Harbor reaches its peak as a birding hotspot from November until ice-up of the harbor and adjacent Lake Erie, which usually occurs in late December or January.

Key Species by Season

Spring

• Common Loon
• Horned Grebe
• Caspian Tern

Summer

• Whimbrel
• Double-Crested Cormorant
• Warbling Vireo

Fall

• Nelson's Sparrow
• Bonaparte's Gull
• Red-Breasted Merganser

Winter

• Little Gull
• Lesser Black-Backed Gull
• Iceland Gull

At-a-Glance

36 - Lorain Harbor
Lorain Port Authority
319 Black River Ln, Lorain, OH 44052

440.204.2269

Public Access
Open from dawn until 11 p.m.

Amenities
Restrooms, Picnic Area

Driving Directions
From the intersection with SR 2, take SR 58 north until it dead ends at SR 6. Take SR 6 east about two miles to the harbor area.

What to Look For

Lorain Harbor reaches its peak as a birding hotspot from November until ice-up of the harbor and adjacent Lake Erie, which usually occurs in late December or January. Thousands of Bonaparte’s Gulls mass in the harbor, often accompanied by much rarer gulls. Likewise, scores of Ring-billed and Herring gulls gather. Good numbers of waterfowl often loaf in the harbor, and staggering numbers of Red-breasted Mergansers can be seen passing by on Lake Erie.

The spoil impoundment just east of the harbor’s east pier can be good for songbirds in migration. The willows lure many species of warblers, flycatchers, and other species, and oddities such as Barn Owl can even turn up. The dense stands of giant reed (Phragmites) and smartweeds sometimes host large numbers of sparrows of several species in October. Conditions change from year to year, but if mudflats are present nearly every regularly occurring species of shorebird can turn up.

Noteworthy Rarities

An impressive list of rarities has been accumulated from Lorain Harbor over the years. These include Ohio’s only records of Heermann’s Gull and Tufted Duck. One of few records of Cinnamon Teal turned up in 2010. Rare gulls such as Black-headed and Little turn up regularly. There are multiple records of Northern Gannet, and Snowy Owls are sometimes found on the breakwalls. Both Le Conte’s and Nelson’s sparrows are possible at the spoil impoundment.

Local Resources

Lorain County Visitors Bureau 
Ohio Ornithological Society  

About the Huron & Lorain Loop

Scores of serious birders flock to the sites on this loop. Some of Ohio's legendary "lake-watching" sites are here, such as the Huron Harbor West Pier and Sherod Park. Chances of finding a fall jaeger at these spots are about as good as anywhere in the state.

The section of Lake Erie between the cities of Huron and Lorain encompasses the “bottom of the bowl;” the southernmost curve of the lake. The fourteen sites in this region offer some of the finest birding in Ohio. The varied habitats include a power plant’s warm water outlet, sandy beaches, expansive woodlands, marshes, and reservoirs. The total species list for this loop is 325.

What to Look For

Some of Ohio's legendary "lake-watching" sites are on this loop, such as the Huron Harbor West Pier and Sherod Park. Chances of finding a fall jaeger at these spots are about as good as anywhere in the state. Lorain Harbor and vicinity has produced scores of rare birds, and is always interesting in peak migratory periods. If you can endure the cold, the open waters behind the power plant, adjacent to Miller Road Park, harbor outstanding duck and gull concentrations in the dead of winter.

Slightly inland are Oberlin and Wellington reservoirs; magnets for ducks. Nearly all of the common species can be found on their waters, and rarer birds such as scoters and Long-tailed Duck are regularly found. Findley State Park and Vermilion River Reservation are two sites that offer excellent woodland birding, and massive restored wetlands at Sandy Ridge Reservation have become famous for wetlands species such as bitterns, rails, and Sandhill Crane.

Noteworthy Rarities

There is a reason that scores of serious birders flock to the sites on this loop. This part of Lake Erie regularly produces vagrants and exciting rarities. Six species—Tufted Duck, Pacific Loon, Spotted Redshank, Heermann's Gull, Royal Tern, and Green-tailed Towhee—have only been at sites on the Huron and Lorain Loop. The records of the duck, redshank, gull, and tern are the only Ohio records.

Natural Features

Many of these sites on the Huron and Lorain loop are not "natural"; they are highly altered habitats that nonetheless offer great vistas of Lake Erie and in season can produce an abundance of birds. Old Woman Creek and Sheldon Marsh State Nature Preserve contain outstanding examples of undisturbed wetlands and beach. A number of rare animals and plants occur at these sites. Vermilion River Reservation flanks the visually stunning Vermilion River and offers a taste of big woods and forest diversity.