Ever expect to see a turkey in Northwest Ohio? How about a bobcat? Or even an otter?
All of these species — and more — are making a comeback in the region.
“Actually, there’s quite a few and the list is pretty extensive,” said John Windau, wildlife
communication specialist with the Ohio Division of Natural Resources.
He said that over the past 80 to 100 years there has been a great improvement in a variety of habitats
across the state, “and so our populations for these species are recovering.”
Among them, the iconic bald eagle, which Windau said has greatly rebounded in Northwest Ohio “to the
point where it’s no longer listed as a species” that’s threatened.
He also noted the nesting of peregrine falcons in the region, including a famous nest at the Wood County
Courthouse’s clock tower.
“That’s a species that never nested in Ohio, historically,” instead usually nesting on cliffs, said
Windau.
“It’s a species that has adapted to what we as a species have done.”
Another bird that one might spot is the wild turkey. One was sighted in a backyard in Bowling Green just
last month.
“We have turkeys pretty much throughout Ohio now,” said Windau. “As a state agency, we restock and
repopulate it” in suitable habitat areas, and “we were able to establish population in nearly every
county, or every part of the state.”
“It’s not unheard of to see turkeys pretty much everywhere now.”
On the more playful side, river otters are also making their way into Northwest Ohio’s waterways.
Windau said the swimming mammals can be seen in the Maumee River, though they haven’t made inroads into
Wood County just yet.
ODNR reintroduced the animals in the eastern part of the state, but their increase in Northwest Ohio is
due to another factor — the increase of otter populations in areas like Indiana is making the critters
move east. “Not necessarily in Wood County, but some of the neighboring counties have had some river
otters recently.”
Bobcats, too, are being seen in Northwest Ohio. Sightings are increasing statewide, with 169 seen in
2012.
“We’ve had some sightings in Williams County, sightings in Lucas County. The ones along the Michigan
line, particularly because the population to the north in Michigan, the population of bobcats are doing
well in those (areas).”
While black bears have been sighted in the region in recent years — with several seen in southern
Michigan — they don’t appear to be making much headway into Northwest Ohio.
Windau said there was one unconfirmed sighting in the region — in Seneca County — in the winter of 2012.

“We never really had any other information about it. Obviously, we do have black bear populations in
Ohio, most of them are in the eastern part of the state” and come in from Pennsylvania and West
Virginia.
“We have had reports of black bears in the past from Williams County and Fulton County, and it would make
sense that some of those could have come from Michigan.”