From: "Lee, Glenn" To: "'bbowman@umich.edu'" Copies to: "Lee, Glenn" Subject: Wildwood Preserve Metropark, Toledo Date sent: Mon, 28 Feb 2000 11:20:28 -0500 I'd like to put in a word for my favorite spot in Toledo - The Wildwood Preserve Metropark west of Toledo on Central Avenue, about a mile east of the Central Avenue exit off highway 23. Wildwood is the former estate of a wealthy family and encompasses both prairie settings and river bottomland. Of special note to beginning birders like myself is the special bird observation room in the main administrative building (an old carriage house by the look of it). A small area has been set up with feeders and running water, overlooked by one-way windows. Outdoor microphones pick up bird vocalizations quite well. I've spent a lot of happy hours there, watching birds very closely, studying their field markings, and hearing their songs. Granted, the species that you see there are pretty common, but every once in awhile something surprising shows up. Reportedly, a hawk came down and grabbed a squirrel there a few weeks back. The rest of the park has lots of trails and is worth the casual stroll. Lots of migrants stop there in the spring. Glenn Lee Ann Arbor ----------------------------- Wildwood Preserve Metropark W. Central Ave., between Corey and Reynolds, Toledo; Park Office, 535-3050; Visitor Center, 535-3058, ext. 101 Wildwood is an unusual combination of beautiful natural areas and former estate buildings and grounds. One of the best tallgrass prairies in Ohio is preserved here. Streams have cut deep ravines through the hardwood forest on their way to the Ottawa River. Wildwood has a connector to the University/Parks Trail.