MAJOR SUPPORT PROVIDED BY
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THE 2013 BIGGEST WEEK IN AMERICAN
A ROUSING SUCCESS!
By all estimations, the 2013 Biggest Week was a smashing success! Record numbers of people registered, and they came from 46 states and at least 13 countries! More than  200 volunteers worked together to make the event run smoothly, the weather was spectacular, and the birds did their part, too, delighting and dazzling people who traveled here from all over the world! The event also raised thousands of dollars to support local bird research, education, and conservation, and brought together an astounding number of partners and sponsors. Our sincere thanks to all of our wonderful volunteers, to our co-hosts at Destination Toledo and Lake Erie Shores and Islands, and a special thanks to Patrick Czarny and his outstanding staff at Maumee Bay Lodge and Conference Center! We'd also like to thank our sponsors for their support of the festival.
Check out the digital edition of the Biggest Week Visitors' Guide
Read a tutorial on how to have Biggest Week bird sightings Tweeted to your phone!
Visit Black Swamp Bird Observatory's Birding Blog for sightings and migration predictions!
 THE BIGGEST WEEK IS PROUD TO SUPPORT eBIRD
HERE ARE SOME HELPFUL eBIRD TIPS FOR SUBMITTING YOUR SIGHTINGS FROM OTTAWA NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE AND MAGEE MARSH WILDLIFE AREA
Here's a link to the local eBird hotspots NW Ohio, as well. Many thanks to Ohio eBird Reviewer Ken Ostermiller for providing this information!
 BLACK SWAMP BIRD OBSERVATORY IS A FREE WIFI HOTSPOT, COURTESY OF DOTNET TECHNOLOGIES!
CHECK OUT OUR BRAND NEW LOGO!
Designed by super-talented wildlife artist Darin Miller, our new logo features a few of the species that make this area so spectacular in spring: Kirtland's Warbler, American Redstart, Mourning Warbler, Blackburnian Warbler, and Black-and-white Warbler. In addition to donating his time and talent to create the artwork, Darin has also graciously agreed to donate the original painting of the logo. It will be auctioned off during the festival and the proceeds will help support local research, education, and habitat conservation. And if you think this electronic version looks good, just wait until you see the actual painting! It. Is. Gorgeous! Read more about Darin and see a larger version of the logo, below!
 THE BIGGEST WEEK & BIRD-FRIENDLY COFFEE
The Biggest Week is proud to feature Birds & Beans: The Good Coffee
Drinking certified shade-grown coffee is an easy (and tasty!) way to support bird habitat conservation. BSBO is happy to recommend Birds & Beans for all of your shade-grown coffee needs. To read more about how drinking shade-grown coffee helps migratory birds, please click HERE.
Through the combined efforts of Black Swamp Bird Observatory (BSBO), Birds & Beans, Maumee Bay Lodge and Conference Center--and a lot of supportive (and thirsty!) birders--during the 2012 Biggest Week we sold more than 1,000 pounds of bird-friendly coffee! The Bird-friendly Coffee Bar will return to the Lodge this year and we'll also be serving Birds & Beans at BSBO!
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 CONSERVATION IS AT THE HEART OF THE
BIGGEST WEEK
We want every person who comes to the festival to have a wonderful time and enjoy the spectacular birding that northwest Ohio is becoming famous for. We hope that the more people who fall in love with birds and birding the more support there will be for bird conservation. We are proud to share many conservation messages through the festival. Messages about simple things we all can do to help protect and conserve habitat. Read more HERE.
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OUR TOUR COMPANY PARTNERS
...are a vital part of the 2013 Biggest Week. Visit their websites to learn more about the fabulous talent they'll be sending to NW Ohio to help us make sure everyone has fun and sees loads of birds!
Their guides will be on the Magee Boardwalk every day to help spot birds and answer questions. They'll be wearing the traditional "Golden Guide Caps" that identify them as the go-to folks for bird questions.
 
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Thinking it's time to purchase some new optics or upgrade what you have? Looking for a great gift Mother's Day? Then you'll want to visit OPTICS ALLEY at Black Swamp Bird Observatory.
OPTICS ALLEY will feature:
---> Many different optics dealers with
an amazing variety of binoculars, spotting scopes, and other birding gear to
try!
---> Free mini-workshops happening daily on How to purchase the right binoculars, Caring for Optics, Tips on Digiscoping, and much more!
OPTICS ALLEY will be open every day throughout the Biggest Week.
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OUR NEW LOGO AND THE ARTIST WHO CREATED IT
THE BIGGEST WEEK IN AMERICAN BIRDING
PROUDLY UNVEILS OUR NEW FESTIVAL LOGO!
With birds painted by local artist Darin Miller, our new logo design incorporates a few additional species that make this area so sensational in spring! Darin has graciously DONATED THE ORIGINAL PAINTING to be raffled or auctioned off with all proceeds helping to fund bird research and conservation projects in northwest Ohio! More details on the auction (and your chance to bid!) coming soon!
ABOUT DARIN . . .
 A self-taught artist and a local to the area, Darin Miller specializes in wildlife art with a strong interest in birds.With just over fifteen years of experience in his field, he enjoys promoting less common species through his work. He works in a very detailed style of oil painting, and his philosophy is that no subject is impossible to paint- time is the only enemy.
Darin is a Signature Member of the Society of Animal Artists. He has exhibited in numerous gallery and museum shows across the country, including such venues as the San Diego Natural History Museum and the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. His work has also been in the top 100 of the Arts for the Parks exhibition in Jackson, Wyoming. He was also a recipient of the Don Eckelberry Scholarship Award, which allowed him to spend some time at the Asa Wright Nature Center in Trinidad, studying and gathering reference on many of the island’s species.
Darin's commitment to natural resources is reflected in more than just his breathtaking artwork. Darin is also an active volunteer, lending a hand on many conservation projects in the area.
Darin's gallery offers more of his remarkable work.
*We'd also like to give a major shout-out to supremely talented bird artist Jen Brumfield. Jen created the bird art that graced the original Biggest Week logo, and we are indebted to her for lending her talent to the festival.
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