Sheldon Marsh State Nature Preserve (Huron & Lorain Loop)
This 465-acre nature preserve is one of Lake Erie’s “hidden” jewels. Sheldon Marsh can rival just about any spot on the lakefront for numbers and diversity of birds. Spring and fall migration can bring scores of songbirds, including the possibility of all 37 species of warblers that occur annually in Ohio.
Key Species by Season
Spring
- Connecticut Warbler
- Broad-Winged Hawk
- Scarlet Tanager
Summer
- Acadian Flycatcher
- Green Heron
- Hooded Merganser
Fall
- Sanderling
- Forster's Tern
- White-Rumped Sandpiper
Winter
- Bald Eagle
- Northern Saw-Whet Owl
- Hairy Woodpecker
At-a-Glance
47 - Sheldon Marsh State Nature Preserve
Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Natural Areas and Preserves
2715 Cleveland Road W.
Huron, OH 44839
440.839.1561
Public Access
Open daily, dawn until dusk
Amenities
Hiking Trails, Restrooms, Checklist Available, Handicap Accessible Trails, Sightings Board
Driving Directions
Use the Rye Beach Road exit from State Route 2 and proceed west approximately 0.5 mile to the preserve entrance.
What to Look For
This 465-acre nature preserve is one of Lake Erie's "hidden" jewels. It is often eclipsed by legendary birding sites to the west, such as Magee Marsh Wildlife Area, but on a great day Sheldon Marsh can rival just about any spot on the lakefront for numbers and diversity of birds. Spring and fall migration can bring scores of songbirds, including the possibility of all 37 species of warblers that occur annually in Ohio.
Vehicles cannot go beyond the parking lot at the gate, but a flat paved road provides easy access to Sheldon's habitats and Lake Erie. The road is about a mile long and terminates at the lake. There are a few observation platforms along the way that overlook the marsh. A short boardwalk near the road's end offers access to the mile long barrier beach. This beach is always worth scanning, as gulls, terns, and shorebirds often roost on its sands.
Expected breeding birds include Bald Eagle, Green Heron, Yellow-throated Vireo, Eastern Kingbird and many others. Conifers near the parking lot have harbored Northern Saw-whet Owl in winter.
Noteworthy Rarities
Golden-winged Warblers are seen with some regularity, and Kirtland's Warbler has appeared at least once. There are records of Piping Plover; in fact much of the beach is marked as restricted access as Sheldon's barrier beach is the longest along Ohio's Lake Erie shoreline, and hopes persist that this species might someday attempt to nest here (last Ohio nesting record dates to 1942).
Natural Features
Birders braving late summer mosquitoes will be treated to a fine display of cardinal-flower (Lobelia cardinalis). The beach and adjacent marsh supports at least a dozen species of rare plants, including the tumbleweed-like beach wormwood (Artemisia campestris). Watch for basking turtles in the ditch and wetlands along the abandoned road/walkway; rare Blanding's turtles are often seen. Their lemon-yellow chin cinches the identification. Eastern fox snakes are sometimes seen around the rocks of the breakwalls at the end of the road.
Local Resources
Black Swamp Bird Observatory
Lake Erie Shores & Islands
Ohio Division of Natural Areas and Preserves
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.
2715 Cleveland Road W., Huron, OH 44839
