Crane Creek State Park Memories

Crane Creek State Park is located on the shore of Lake Erie and is a birdwatcher’s paradise. 

This area of coastal environment was originally part of the Great Black Swamp and is said to be home to more than 300 species of birds in addition to turtles and fish species. 

Have I mentioned before I was fortunate to find someone who enjoys watching wildlife as much as I do?

At one time my husband and I used to park in the Crane Creek State Park parking lot and walk over to the beach. We found it enjoyable to watch birds diving, squawking, and soaring and spent the better part of the day lazing about on the beach watching the waterfowl and shorebirds.

Do you ever think about the specific events in life- the times we embrace life in the moment? 

Here are some of the specifics I thought about when writing this posting about Crane Creek State Park.

1. I was looking at a site that mentioned dedications the other day and realized we were coming to the Crane Creek area long before the Ohio Division of Wildlife built the boardwalk along Magee Marsh which was dedicated on April 30,1989.

2. The first time we took the Magee Marsh boardwalk we found a frightening-looking raccoon walking on our path during the middle of the day so we left the boardwalk and hunted down a wildlife officer to inform him.

3. Our first visit to International Migratory Bird Day remains one of my top 10 best wildlife memories. The people we so very kind in helping us identify different species by observation. And we were thrilled when many years later USA Today listed that Magee Marsh was voted USA's #1 Birding Destination in North America.

4. The last time we stopped near the beach along Crane Creek Parking Lot it was overgrown and the beach was covered with natural debris. There were no visitors other than us. In retrospect, this change may be a good thing for the species that inhabit the area.

Crane Creek State Park comprises 79 acres of beach and marshlands adjoining the 2,600-acre Magee Marsh Wildlife Area and Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge. It is located at 13531 W SR 2 Oak Harbor, Ohio.