What to expect

Walnut Beach Park offers excellent access to Lake Erie and protects an extensive sand beach. The best birding occurs in fall and early winter. Late summer through September brings migrant shorebirds that stop in to rest on the beach. Many do not linger. October is a good time to watch for several species of sparrows lurking in vegetation behind the beach. November and December bring large numbers of birds moving offshore over Lake Erie. Huge numbers of red-breasted merganser and Bonaparte’s gull can be tallied, along with large passages of common loons. Early mornings are an especially good time to catch flyover loons, and productive mornings can produce several dozen or more. Although spring does not bring the diversity of species and numbers that fall does, March is a good time to watch for migrant raptors. Migrant hawks tend to hug the shoreline of Lake Erie, and large numbers of red-shouldered and red-tailed hawks can be seen. Northern harriers, bald eagles, rough-legged hawks, and even merlins and peregrine falcons might also be recorded. A total of 230 bird species have been documented. Birders should note that restrooms are seasonal and/or may only be open during peak beach visitation times.