Western Cuyahoga Audubon - Speaker Series 2022-2023

June 2023 Event

6/6/2023

June Program: Picnic, Bird Walk, and Plant Exchange
Date & Time: Tuesday, June 6, 2023 at 6:00 p.m.
Location: Meeting in person at the Lagoon Picnic Shelter/Picnic area
Description: As we have been doing for the past couple of years, WCAS members and guests are gathering for an evening picnic, bird walk and plant exchange. The picnic is - bring your own dinner - homemade or purchased, to enjoy in the company of other members and guests. An outdoor, charcoal grill will be started to heat or cook food items. While having dinner, peruse the selection of indoor or outdoor plants brought by members and guests. Seedlings, transplants, seeds, bulbs, small trees and shrubs, vegetable and flower plants may be available. You do not need to bring plants in order to take home plants, everything is free and ready for a loving yard. After dinner, a short bird walk around the Lagoon area will be done. Let’s see how many species we can tally. Plan to attend this event!

May 2023 Program

5/2/2023

“Bird Communities as Bellwethers for Habitat Quality and Disturbance”
Presenters: Tim Krynak, Cleveland Metroparks Natural Resources Manager and
Dr. Nathan Byer, Cleveland Metroparks Research and Database Manager
Date & Time: Tuesday, May 2, 2023 at 7:30 p.m.
Location: Zoom. Members will be sent the link; nonmembers should register on Eventbrite.
Description: As natural systems become increasingly fragmented and degraded, there is a pressing need to understand the capacity of altered habitats to support native species. In this presentation, we leverage a district wide breeding bird survey with nearly 13,000 bird observations with a long-term vegetation monitoring program to demonstrate how migratory and non-migratory bird species vary in habitat preferences. Using a multispecies occupancy model, we demonstrate the importance of high-quality habitat for sensitive bird species and how modern quantitative approaches can be used to better prioritize bird species of conservation concern and assist in land management decisions for these species.

Spring and Summer Member Programs

4/14/2023

May Program: “Bird Communities as Bellwethers for Habitat Quality and Disturbance”
Presenters: Tim Krynak, Cleveland Metroparks Natural Resources Manager and Dr. Nathan Byer, Cleveland Metroparks Research and Database Manager
Date & Time: Tuesday, May 2, 2023 at 7:30 p.m.
Location: Zoom. Register on Eventbrite: https://birdcommunities.eventbrite.com

June Program: Picnic, Bird Walk, and Plant Exchange
Date & Time: Tuesday, June 6, 2023 at 6:00 p.m.
Location: Meeting in person at the Lagoon Picnic Shelter/Picnic area

July
No Member Programs/Speaker Series in July and August. Enjoy your summer and look ahead to September!

Continue reading for full details!

April 2023 Program

4/4/2023

“The Magic of Merlins”
Presenter: Kathy Mock, birder, gardener and birding volunteer
Date & Time: Tuesday, April 4, 2023 at 7:30 PM
Location: Online/virtual.

Description: What began as a serendipitous observation of a Merlin through Kathy L. Mock's window, during the 2017 Great Backyard Bird Count, has turned into a 5-years-and-counting obsession with these fascinating falcons. One overwintering bird has grown to eight through the years, and in April 2022 this led to the first documented nesting attempt by Merlins in Summit County. Kathy described her discovery in an article published in the Spring 2022 issue of The Ohio Cardinal, the quarterly publication of the Ohio Ornithological Society. North of Knox County, they have so far only been confirmed Ohio breeders in Lake County. Join us as Kathy shares photos taken during these 5+ years and countless hours of observation, culminating in this nesting attempt. Due to abandonment, most likely due to harassment by crows and the probable subsequent selection of an unknown site, she was not able to confirm fledging in 2022. But she hopes to explain why she finds these birds so remarkable, and why she will remain a willing victim of their magical spell as she tries again to document nesting in 2023.

March 2023 Program

3/7/2023

“The Many Faces of Conservation”
Presenter: Judy Semroc, naturalist, educator, photographer
Date & Time: Tuesday, March 7, 2023 at 7:30 PM
Location: Online/virtual.

Description: This unique program illustrates the connection between people, land usage and the creatures that share our world. Learn how our actions impact the natural history around us – from the use of pesticides & herbicides to land development and gardening techniques – these practices are addressed and connections are made as to how our actions can harm the “Faces of Nature.” In addition, ideas are discussed outlining positive changes we can make to help our natural world.

February 2023 Program

2/7/2023

“Loons and Lakes Stewardship: Building a National Loon Center”
Presenter: Natasha Bartolotta, Communications and Outreach Coordinator
Date & Time: Tuesday, February 7, 2023 at 7:30 PM
Location: Online/virtual

Description: The Common Loon is an iconic symbol of northern wilderness breeding on freshwater lakes of our northernmost states and Canada and migrating to coastal waters during the winter. Protecting this beloved species requires national and international efforts. In the Midwest, a new center to celebrate loons, and the groups working to protect them, will open in 2024 in Crosslake, Minnesota. With the largest population of Common Loons in the lower 48 states, Minnesota is the Land of 10,000 Lakes and 12,000 loons. The National Loon Center, a proposed state-of-the-art facility, will connect loon and freshwater research, education, and conservation to a wide audience. Learn more about the behavior and biology of the Common Loon, as well the four other species of loons.

January 2023 Program

1/3/2023

“Bird Photography: Exploring Nature Through a Lens”
Speaker: Michelle Brosius, WCAS Board Member and Field Trip Coordinator
Date: Tuesday, January 3, 2023

Description: Join us as Michelle Brosius, WCAS Board Member & Field Trip Coordinator and Ohio Certified Volunteer Naturalist, shares her experiences with nature through photography. Michelle took up wildlife photography in 2020, focusing mostly on birds, in an effort to document her experiences with nature and donate her photographs to WCAS and other conservation organizations. Michelle has captured beautiful bird images and will describe her experiences as a photographer and viewing the natural world.

December 2022 Program

12/6/2022

“Going for the Gold: Three Decades of Prothonotary Warbler Husbandry”
Speakers: Dan Best, former naturalist with the Geauga Parks, and Rachel McKinney, volunteer
Date: Tuesday, December 6, 2022
This program presents the trials and triumphs of providing artificial nest cavities, notably the use of converted fiber supplement jars, to bolster the nesting success of Prothonotary Warblers on the Upper Cuyahoga River in Geauga County. Measures to contend with - tree swallow competition, cowbird nest parasitism, predators, and flood waters - will be shared along with breeding biology and findings on longevity, pair bonding and multi-year nest site faithfulness through the use of banding. Climate-related habitat change on nest jar use in recent years will be addressed in this summary of a 30 year project to promote the “golden swamp warbler.”

November 2022 Program

11/1/2022

“Volunteer for Climate Watch: It’s All About Birds!”
Speaker: Mary Anne Romito, Western Cuyahoga Audubon's Climate Watch coordinator
Date: Tuesday, November 1, 2022
National Audubon Society’s Climate Watch is an important resource for tracking changes in bird populations as the climate, and habitats, change. Birders, new and seasoned, are needed to monitor bird species two times each year, one day in the winter and one day in the summer. Mary Anne Romito, Audubon’s Cleveland Climate Watch coordinator, will share information on what Climate Watch is about, where the survey takes place, and a few easy steps as to how to participate. This will bring actual data to determine, in the long run, how habitats are changing and how bird species are faring. We love birds and the enjoyment they bring, so your help with collecting data is crucial.

October 2022 Program

10/4/2022

“Tracking Trumpeter Swans”
Speaker: Dr. Laura Kerns from the Ohio Division of Wildlife
Date: Tuesday, October 4, 2022
Trumpeter Swans were reintroduced in Ohio in the mid-1990s, and although they are still state-listed, the population continues to increase and expand in the state. Ohio is currently participating in a multi-state project evaluating the movement ecology of the Interior Population of Trumpeter Swans and what factors determine migratory behaviors of the swans throughout the region. This talk will provide an update on the current status of Ohio’s trumpeter swan population and a preliminary report of 20 swans tracked in Ohio compared to other Trumpeter Swans in the Great Lakes region.

Western Cuyahoga Audubon Member Meetings and Speaker Series 2022-2023
Western Cuyahoga Audubon monthly speaker programs are free and open to the public. Member Meetings begin at 7:30 p.m. and are followed at 8:00 p.m. by a speaker. Programs are presented the first Tuesday of each month on Zoom. WCAS Members will be sent the link the week of the meeting; non-members may register via Eventbrite. Programs are free and open to the public. Guests are invited to learn about the Audubon mission. Donations are appreciated. (Programs are subject to change.)

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