OAK HARBOR – The sound of bird songs in Oak Harbor may be coming from the new downtown mural.
Spanning almost an entire city block, the interactive mural sits on the corner of Ohio 19 and Ohio 163 in downtown Oak Harbor. It has a QR code for the Black Swamp Bird Observatory special mural website and includes photos of birds and other local species, along with facts and bird songs.
“The mural has all native plants and things you would find in the Portage River. And with all the birds, they have all the bird calls linked right to it. So it’s got an educational component,” Mayor Quinton Babcock said.
The project cost $60,000. It was finished just before the start of the Biggest Week in American Birding, and the announcement declaring Oak Harbor the warbler capital of the world.
“There’s the yellow warbler, and it’s there to educate the general public. We chose those species on the recommendation of the Black Swamp Bird Observatory,” Babcock said. “That one there is here for the Biggest Week in American Birding, and everyone’s excited to see that species. Promoting natural resources is nice, but it’s even nicer if there’s an education component.”
The mural was made possible thanks to building owner Rich Farmer, Oak Harbor Development Group, Village of Oak Harbor, Shores & Islands Ohio, Park District of Ottawa County, Black Swamp Bird Observatory, Friends of Magee Marsh, Friends of Ottawa National Wildlife and anonymous donors.
Contact Roger LaPointe at 419-332-2674.
This article originally appeared on Fremont News-Messenger: Oak Harbor interactive mural is complete with bird sounds
Reporting by Roger LaPointe, Port Clinton News Herald / Fremont News-Messenger
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
