FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) – Eagle Marsh, an 831-acre restored wetland at the southwestern edge of Fort Wayne, announced Monday that it recently saw its 250th bird species. This makes the marsh one of the most productive natural areas for wildlife in northeast Indiana.

On Sept. 13, an olive-sided flycatcher was sighted by Jon Jenkins, making it the 250th bird species seen at Eagle Marsh, the press release said.

The Eagle Marsh is protected by the Little River Wetlands Project, a local nonprofit land trust. The nonprofit continually works to restore the wetland, and this accomplishment is exceeds expectations.

“When we began restoring Eagle Marsh in 2005, returning it from wet farmland into the wetland that it was originally,” said Amy Silva, Little River Wetlands Project Executive Director. “We were hoping that many of the original birds and wildlife would return—and they have, beyond our wildest dreams. Eagle Marsh has also become a key stopover or summer breeding habitat for many migrating birds.”

The bird sightings at Eagle Marsh are tracked by Ed Powers, a member of Stockbridge Audubon, the press release said.

“I started keeping track of bird sightings at Eagle Marsh in 2006, when it was still a cornfield,” Powers said. “At first, I recorded sightings reported on the Indiana birding listserve IN-BIRD, what people told me, and my own observations, but now I mostly rely on Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s eBird reporting system.”

For more information on Eagle Marsh Barn and the Little River Wetlands Project Inc., click here.