Highly recommend this place, ESP if you love OWLS! They have so many & all different kinds! Watch their FB page for events! Also check out their website if you love owls or homeschool for all of the neat options for close up experiences & learning! We went for a meet & greet with "Willow" the baby owl from Berkeley Springs, WV when she first arrived to the sanctuary. We had decent seating, learned a lot from the speaker, & could get right up to the table where she was at & take pictures! A lot of information thrown out & a decent amount of time to just watch her. read more

See all

This time, i checked the days they were open and hours so i could visit. This is 21/2 hours from home, so i can rarely come. But I had the opportunity to spend 2 nights in the area, and this was someplace i wanted to return. They have several birds in small caged areas ... i guess they were injured or couldn't be returned to the wild. It's always sad to see birds unable to fly. I did see a few hawks i hadn't seen before, but pics in the cages aren't great. They had eagles, crows, hawks, and owls. They often have a time they bring a bird out of the cage on a staff persons arm. Give so info about that bird. Today, it was a bard owl. But my goal was to enter the aviary... they sell small cups of food you can feed the birds. They dont put much in it, but the birds will come eat it, which can be fun. But birds weren't interested in the food, so they must be well fed. I had fun watching the birds and the kids trying desperately to attract them. There is a blue jay or 2 but the one who was super friendly escaped years ago. Didn't see the Is Quail that was in review... but still several birds to see. Excellent place for photos of birds or to bring kids. The staff are informative and helpful. The fee was only 5 dollars and they greatly appreciate donations to keep it running. They accept donations of fresh fish ect to feed the birds. The bird watching in this whole area was good .. especially around the lake. Saw lots of hawks and waxwings. read more

The Ohio Bird Sanctuary - Zoos Near Me - Mansfield, Ohio

My boyfriend and I attended here as part of the annual Mohican Wildlife Weekend. The handler walked around with a screech owl, barred owl, and barn owl while the presentor talked about each bird in turn as well as the sanctuary as a whole. There are various birds native to Ohio that could not be returned to the wild for various reasons. Each cage gives the story of the bird, like Winnie having a bad eye and neurological damage from a bad fall during a storm before coming to the sanctuary. Her siblings, and other birds rehabilitated, were/are returned to the wild once able. There are a few walking trails as well as a couple of play areas for the kids. Sometimes wild birds come to visit the birds in the enclosures, like a turkey vulture that visited Elliot. There are also a few crows that spent a while next to the owls so they sometimes say "hi owl" or hoot. You can pick up some bird food in the gift shop to feed the birds or get a souvenir. Be aware that unless there is a specific event, the center is normally only open until 4pm. read more

See all

They let my Herman go after only 3 weeks in the sanctuary!! He was with me safe and sound. He was fed live mice, fish, grasshoppers ect. He never was taught how to hunt on his own and they just let him go! Poor Herman! He was probably terrified! They kept him only 3 weeks when they let him go into the wild!! They didn't even call to invite us down to see him released! I called and spoke with a lady that promised to call me back to see if they had recorded his release but never even bothered to call me back! I'm devasted! She even told me that owls can live up to 20 years in captivity but only 5 years in the wild!!! He was safe with me and was happy!! They took him to release him to die years before necessary! read more

The Ohio Bird Sanctuary - They let my Herman go into the wild only 3 weeks after taking him from my home where he was safe and sound for 4 years! - Zoos Near Me - Mansfield, Ohio

There were more hawks than I expected. The staff were nice and the grounds were well kept. The song bird area was a little disappointing because it was pretty much just pigeons and morning doves that were visible inside the enclosure. read more

See all

The trails are nice and the birds are really cool. I also like the aviary. It is really cheap to get a pass

Love this place, this is my 4th time since may going here. Actually, this time I took a exchange student with me from Ukraine. What a beautiful memory it will make her and I did buy a owl charm for her to keep. This time, I bought a membership through Groupon. I can't wait to go back! Also the student really loves it! read more

See all

This is a real back to nature experience with heavy emphasis on birds their habitat and rehabilitation. The organization works very hard to acquaint visitors with all types of birds and in some cases will show them very close and personal to the visitors. They should now be known for a large treehouse built by the treehouse guys seen on TV. They have a large banquet area and plenty of trails to wander throughout the woods. Be sure to check their hours of operation and call ahead for large groups I think you'll have a wonderful experience here. Sorry I don't have any pictures. read more

This is a fantastic family friendly find. If you're interested in birds I have to recommend. We made a very leisurely visit here. Since the weather was nice, around 75 degrees, we enjoyed the the fact that it wasn't all inside. Actually most of it is outside. So if your visiting during inclement weather, dress appropriately. Some of the sanctuary is free, but since it's so affordable why not do it all. There were two family bathrooms with a baby changing table in at least one of them. There was also a kids exploration room near the entrance. This room had a few toys and I think the main draw was a two foot square table with bones and leaves on it. I really enjoyed seeing an owl up close just before walking outside. I think all the animals (birds) had names and a brief history of how the bird was acquired. Spoiler: Unfortunately, many of them were injured by humans. One of the more interactive features of this sanctuary was a walk in cage. You can pay a small fee to feed the birds special a special diet. If you want to do this, I suggest you ask for advice /techniques to get the birds close to you. I noticed they are quite close to finishing a new building to house new birds. I didn't confirm this, but I can make an educated guess. The trails seem to be mostly in wetlands so be prepared for uninvited bugs flying around your head. There was an extensive wooden walkway built to keep you out of almost all the mud. But, there might be a few locations that need advanced navigation, aka: mini detour. read more

See all

Reasons why OBS is worth five stars: 1) free admission (although donations are welcome) 2) friendly volunteers/staff that are super nice and eager to talk to you 3) very well maintained facility with clean restrooms and a little gift shop 4) you can walk inside an aviary and feed birds (make sure you buy the feed cups) 5) great, well maintained trails that are easy but enjoyable (about ~3miles in total) 6) educational - I'm a former science teacher and learned a great deal about the different hawks and owls around North America 7) beautiful gardens/wild flowers and native birds along the trails that you can spot if you watch and listen 8) there is a pet/imprinted chicken inside the visitors center that is quite fun to pet/interact with 9) excellent place to take kids, if I were a kid I'd love this place 10) close to Mansfield but a pleasant drive out in the country areas I'd highly recommend a visit to the OBS. They are even open on Sunday afternoons which is awesome. Me and the hubby spent alittle over an hour wandering around the aviary and the trails. A great, inexpensive afternoon! read more

See all

This is a great activity for yourself and/or the family. While small(ish), the exhibits are educational, entertaining and engaging. You might be greeted at the door by the cat or one of the resident ducks. They have some really nice programming. We attended the Bird Encounter where our Avian Ambassador introduced us to a screech owl. Finally we went to the songbird aviary and had the opportunity to hand feed some blue jays. Next time would like to explore the acres of trails I heard about. Must visit. read more

The Ohio Bird Sanctuary - Zoos Near Me - Mansfield, Ohio

See all

We visited on a whim because we had a couple of hours to kill in the area and happened to find this listed as a local attraction. Our kiddo says "The chickens are nice," and at least one was perfectly happy being held for a while. Beautiful trails through the woods (though we only went a short way on one). They have doves, bluejays, orioles, cardinals, a woodpecker, an eagle or two, multiple kinds of hawks, a few kestrals, several falcons, multiple kinds of really beautiful owls, and a pair of crows, one of which seems to be a Buckeye fan. Also a really fluffy and gorgeous bunny! Basically free, unless you choose to donate, which they're not pushy about doing. Just enthusiastic staff and volunteers taking care of hard-on-their-luck avian creatures who probably couldn't make it in the wild, and teaching visitors about them. Seems like a great organization and we had a great time seeing and learning about all the different birds. Already thinking about our next visit! read more

Love going here with the kids and seeing all the amazing birds, I especially love the ravens and owls. Staff is really knowledgable and we always learn something new each time we go read more

I had a fun time feeding the birds and even had on sit on my hand for a few seconds very cool place would recommend

Visited this wonderful place yesterday, during a day trip to Mansfield, OH. The staff was super friendly and informative about the place and the birds. Enjoyed walking around to see the different birds of prey and the songbird aviary was fun watching and feeding the songbirds. It was nice to know that there is a place to bring injured birds, that would have otherwise died out in their element. Some of them are released, yet some remain at the sanctary, where they now call home. Also, loved interacting with the brown chicken, Benjamin bunny and the ever so talkative resident cat. Kudos to the staff and avian doctors that are hard at work each and everyday! read more

My wife and i planed a day trip touring various sites in Mansfield to spend the day together checking out different and interesting Mansfield activities. The Ohio Bird Sanctuary was one of these. Excellent time. Very enjoyable. I don't think that you would want to, or could, spend a lenghty amount of time here, but as one stop combined with other plans, as we did, it was fantastic. read more