The Ohio Bird Sanctuary, located in Mansfield, Ohio is a 90 acre rehabilitation facility for songbirds and raptors. There is a visitor center right off the parking lot where there is a very knowledgeable staff member to answer any questions you may have. There are a few birds inside the center and a resident bunny rabbit that accompanies you while inside. Here you pay a small fee to enter, at the time it was $5 per adult/$3 per child (please check the website for up to date pricing, operating hours etc. www.ohiobirdsanctuary.com). We had more questions after walking through and seeing the birds and they were happy to answer them when we walked back into the center.
There are lovely walking paths to the aviary and birds homes. Each bird housed has a plaque outside with the bird’s information about how/why/when it came to the sanctuary-very interesting! Most were injured but some were born with difficulty to be able to survive in the wild. These birds are very beautiful and well taken care of. We met staff that were feeding the owls and we got to watch and ask questions.
There is an aviary with songbirds in it and you are allowed to walk in and hand feed them. Special feed is given to you upon entry. It is a fun experience, especially for kids! We also learned that the sanctuary provides educational/nature camps, school programs/field trips and treehouse classrooms. There is also a play area for kids.
We saw eagles, owls, hawks, crows and more, we learned so much! There are hiking trails throughout the property and many visitors were doing just that, we took a small trail to the edge of the woods but didn’t venture further as it was a little muddy and we didn’t have hiking boots. This is a great place for photographers as well, as they do bird encounters too!