Birding around Springfield, OH – Part 2
Cedar Bog Nature Preserve, Springfield OH 980 Woodburn Road, Urbana https://www.cedarbognp.org
There is a fee to walk the boardwalk trail. Money well spent!
Of all the places Cleon and I birded in around Dayton and Springfield, OH, this was our favorite. There is a Visitor’s Center with a small gift shop. But best of all, there is a large white board listing all the blooming plants throughout the fen. And the day we visited, there were dozens (there are about 530 native plants in this nature preserve). There is one full-time staff person named Maddie who does an outstanding job of getting everyone who enters organized and out to the boardwalk She answered all our questions and volunteered additional, quite welcome information. And all with such friendliness and a big smile. This is obviously a woman who loves her job. There is also a basket holding several different types of bug spray right at the door leading to the boardwalk and we opted for the most powerful one and were glad. With the bug spray, neither of us were bitten – or bothered. This is a wet, buggy place – which is one of the reasons it is full of birds and gorgeous flowers. This is truly a healthy bog! Or is it? Read on ……
It turns out Cedar Bog Nature Preserve is a real conundrum. There is even a sign→
These are the questions from the sign:
Is Cedar Bog a bog or a fen? To decide, ths sign continues with these questions – and answers:
Can you see flowing or bubbling water?
Bog – Water leaves only by evaporation.
Fen – Small streamlets drain the water. Water bubbles up from below.
Cedar Bog – There are small streamlets and waters bubbles from below. Fen.
What does the water look like?
Bog – Tea-brown. Decaying peat stain the water.
Fen – Clear. Spring water (water bubbling up from underground) is clear.
Cedar Bog – The water is clear. Fen.
What are the main plants you see?
Bog – Sphagnum moss. This moss creates a floating carpet.
Fen – Sedges. Sedges grow between the streamlets.
Cedar Bog – The main plants are sedges. Fen.
So you can see from this sign that is right at the entrance – this bog is not a bog at all. It is a fen. But what really mattered to Cleon and I was this was a beautiful place – and full of birds. It was so relaxing to sit on one of the benches along the boardwalk trail and just gaze out over the sedge meadows. Blooming wildflowers were everywhere. And for the entire walk around the boardwalk loop, birds were just singing and singing. I did post a video from just such a spot!
And look at some of these flowers – simply gorgeous!
But the loveliest of all and such a treat because I have rarely seen them – an orchid. These orchids were scattered in clumps all throughout this fen and we were there at the perfect time – full bloom.
Besides all the birds and flowers, there are also beavers, lizards – I saw a quick flash of one as it disappeared under the boardwalk – bobcats, and snakes. One snake is the Massasauga Rattlesnake which is a rattlesnake we have in Illinois. This is a rare snake everywhere throughout its range and in Illinois and Ohio, it is on both state’s Endangered Species List. This is a shy snake that avoids human beings. These signs are along the boardwalk at regular intervals, reminding everyone the snake is present, but my guess is, it is rarely or never seen by anyone.
Following, is the list of birds we heard and saw and I posted a video looking out over one of the sedge meadows. The birds were singing!
Turkey Vultures Willow Flycatcher Gray Catbird
Rose-breasted Grosbeak House Finch Chimney Swift
Eastern Towhee Carolina Wren Great Crested Flycatcher
Tufted Titmouse Vesper Sparrow Red-bellied Woodpecker
House Wren American Goldfinch Carolina Chickadee
Ruby-throated Hummingbird Blue Jay Downy Woodpecker
Wood Thrush Indigo Bunting Northern Cardinal
Yellow Warbler Mourning Dove Song Sparrow
Yellow-breasted Chat American Robin Red-winged Blackbird
Common Yellowthroat Cedar Waxwing Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
And what would a fen – or a bog! – be without fungus. These were so dainty!
If you are looking for a good place to bird or to simply get away from it all for an hour or two, both Cleon and I highly recommend Cedar Bog. This fen is in a rural area outside Springfield and throughout your walk on the boardwalk, there is little or no noise from traffic. Just the sound of the wind, birds singing and insects buzzing. This is a magical, quiel, and very alive place. Even though we were covered in bug spray and the day was hot and humid, we stayed almost 2 hours and enjoyed every single second.