ASHLAND – Experienced birders and nature novices alike flock to Byers Woods for the annual Bobolinks and Butterflies Festival.
Though wildlife can be unpredictable, visitors to the June 23 festival are almost guaranteed to see something special and learn something new.
Located at 675 County Road 1754 (off Ohio 60 between Ashland and Hayesville), the Byers Woods park was created on a site that was once the county landfill. The earthen mounds that now cover the park create a vast grassland habitat to attract birds. The park also features wooded areas and ponds, creating a diverse combination of habitats that supports a wide range of bird and butterfly species.
Over 100 bird species can be found at Byers Woods, and festival-goers have seen everything from bald eagles engaged in aerial combat to butterflies emerging. Of course, they almost always see bobolinks.
Greater Mohican Audobon Society member Irv Oslin said Byers Woods has become an unexpected breeding ground for the black, white and yellow birds songbirds because the tall grass provides cover for the ground nesting birds.
“With bird people the word is out — If you want to see a bobolink, go to Byers Woods,” said Greater Mohican Audubon Society president and volunteer park manager Tim Leslie. “You can go to a lot of places and not see them, but here we protect them.”
While the bobolink population has decreased significantly in recent decades, mainly due to loss of habitat, Ashland County Park District avoids mowing bobolink nesting areas at Byers Woods until July, after the birds’ breeding and fledging season.
Byers Woods is also a good place to spot meadowlarks, bluebirds and purple martins, all of which Oslin and Leslie spotted on a recent trip to the park.
Put on by Greater Mohican Audubon Society and the Ashland County Park District, the 12th annual Bobolinks and Butterflies Festival is free and open to the public. Running from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. June 23, the festival is designed to allow visitors to stay all day or to come for an hour or two to experience nature and learn from experts.
The first bird walk of the day will begin at 9 a.m., and a second bird walk will be at 12:30 p.m. Lisa Rainsong, an expert on the subtle sounds of nature, will lead the afternoon walk. Each guided walk lasts about an hour and 15 minutes.
There will also be a shorter bluebird walk for adults and children from 10:30 to 11 a.m. and a butterfly walk from 2 to 3 p.m. Spotting scopes and conservation-related vendors will be on the grounds all day.
Ashland Public Library’s Bookmobile will be on hand 11 to 11:45 a.m., followed by a visit from the Ohio Bird Sanctuary with live ambassador birds at noon.
A hot dog lunch will be served 11:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., and snacks and beverages will be available throughout the day.
Event organizers say the festival already attracts birders from out of town and even out of state, but they hope to bring in more local nature lovers of all ages, especially young people and families.
They want not only to share their passion with the next generation but also to begin passing the torch of the Greater Mohican Audubon Society.
“We’re getting older. A lot of clubs are suffering from that,” Oslin said. “It’s important to get younger people to take over.”
