Six attendees came to the walk. It was nice to have a small group so that birds sighted could be easily pointed out. We were not disappointed with bird sightings including some surprises! Twenty-six species were sighted and/or heard as we walked from the parking area to the Scranton Flats fire station. It took 2½ hours to get that short distance!

WCAS Virtual Field Trip to Headlands Dunes State Nature Preserve, September 2021 hosted by Michelle Brosius, WCAS Board Member and Field Trip Coordinator on Wednesday, October 13, 2021.

A little over 20 people attended the walk with Nancy Howell, Michelle Brosius, Allen Rand, and Bill Deininger leading the way. Birds eating berries were the “target species” at this site. Were some birds eating berries? Probably, but I don’t think anyone focused on that. The weather was great and birding was fairly busy with Northern Flicker, Mourning Dove, Blue Jay, American Goldfinch, Chimney Swift, and several warblers moving around before getting through the CLNP turnstile. 

The first of the Western Cuyahoga Audubon evening birdwalks took place on Wednesday, July 21, 2021 on a portion of the Cleveland Metroparks’ Lake to Lake Trail. Three “target species” of birds were on the list for the evening - Common Nighthawk, Eastern Wood-Pewee, and Barn Swallow. ~ Nancy Howell

Beginning in the parking lot we had our usual urban birds, Rock Pigeon, House Sparrow, European Starling, and Ring-billed Gull. As we moved beneath the I-90 bridge to view a field habitat, American Goldfinch bounced along, Song Sparrows sang, Red-winged Blackbirds and European Starlings moved in and out of the grasses, and a lovely male Indigo Bunting perched for everyone to see. 

Highlights seen during the walk include a Lesser Scaup, who is suspected to be injured, and therefore, grounded to Northeast Ohio, Eastern Kingbird, Northern Mockingbird, Yellow Warbler, and Orchard Oriole. High counts include Red-winged Blackbird, Canada Goose, European Starling, Mallard, American Goldfinch, and Tree Swallow.

The first in a series of urban bird walks, co-sponsored by Western Cuyahoga Audubon and Tremont West Development Corporation, took place on Saturday, May 22, 2021. The Towpath Tremont Trail is adjacent to the Cuyahoga River and plenty of “wild” places along railroad tracks, and not-so-vacant, vacant lots. 

Nine warbler species were observed, three Vireo species and four Thrush species. The Yellow-throated Vireo, a regular summer visitor for the last several years, returned this week. Highlights include a group of four Great Egrets flying overhead, and a Red-headed Woodpecker. - Report by Bill Deininger.​

Above: Photo for the Dead Tree Birding Challenge September 11-14, 2020 by Nancy Howell.

Throughout the fall WCAS has had a number of Birding Challenges and a Mask-making Contest to keep our members and guests busy and getting outdoors during the COVID-19 restrictions.

If Bath Nature Preserve, Nimisila Reservoir, and/or the Lake Isaac virtual field trips are of interest to you, you are in luck as all the meetups are recorded and posted online at the wcaudubon.org news blog. You can also use the search feature near the bottom of the home page to locate the recordings. 

"It was a slow day for birding. Weather was cold and windy. We had 6 observers. 38 species were observed. The warblers were disappointing, with only 2 species, the Northern Waterthrush and the Nashville Warbler. We had good looks at the White-throated Sparrow, 20 were counted in several locations. Highlight was a first-of-year Great Crested Flycatcher." ~ Bill Deininger, Bird Walk Leader

"We had 38 species. Highlights were a fly over bald Eagle, both Golden-crowned and Ruby-crowned Kinglets, our resident Barred Owl and a nice look at a female Pintail." ~ Bill Deininger, Bird Walk Leader

Photo: Carolina Wren by Martin Calabrese, Second Saturday Bird Walk Feb 8, 2020 at Rocky River Reservation, Cleveland Metroparks, 24000 Valley Pkwy, North Olmsted, OH 44070.

The day started off with the temperature at 25 degrees and ended at 33 degrees. Clouds kept the sun from shining, but we were fortunate to see some blue sky. The 30 observers were treated with 24 species during the three hour walk.  Most of the regular birds were spotted by all. Highlights were a pair of Swamp Sparrows and five Tree Sparrows. We had a good look at a fly over Red-shouldered Hawk.

Many, many thanks go out to more than 100 birders and friends who helped locate the birds on this list. Whether birding by car, on foot, watching feeders or owling, everyone’s hard work was truly appreciated. Plan ahead and mark your calendar for the Lakewood Circle Christmas Count on Sunday, December 27, 2020. 

Photo: European Herring Gull (Larus argentatus) and Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis) by Anna Julnes

38 birders ventured out on a chilly and overcast morning. At least the snow and rain held off. The birding was a little slow with only 17 species but we had good numbers of individuals. Thousands of Ring-billed Gulls were the most prevalent birds. 

​Tim Colborn led an instructional bird walk for those interested with an appreciation for avian life.

"Our plan was to first walk the roads within several hundred yards of the parking area, looking into the marshes for wading birds and waterfowl. Within the first few minutes, we were observing dozens of swallows around and landing on structures. Mostly Barn Swallows, they were joined by a handful of Tree Swallows and one or two Bank Swallows allowing comparisons of plumage and size." ~ Tim Colborn, Field Trip Leader. ​

Perfect weather for the picnic! About 20 birders and Audubon friends enjoyed the annual picnic and plant exchange. Thanks Don Howell for starting charcoal, and thank Dave Graskemper and Rich Kassouf for leading the walk. - Penny O’Connor ​

Photo: Creek Bend by Alice Merkel at Lake Isaac, Middleburg Heights, OH 44130.

Walking the trail we encountered common birds, American Robin, Blue Jay, American Goldfinch, Northern Cardinal, Red-bellied and Downy Woodpeckers and more. Rounding a bend on the trail with a different view of the lake, a Double-crested Cormorant came in for a landing and later a flock of six cormorants flew over. A Blue-headed Vireo sang and was seen by most, but lighting was terrible due to overcast skies, so the beauty of this early vireo was lost.

We had 27 observers at this 2nd Saturday of the month bird walk for February 2019. The temperature was 18 degrees, with some sun, and very little wind. Some new observers joined us. We had only 23 species. Best bird was a fly over Bald Eagle. Two very colorful Bluebirds sat and were enjoyed by every one. After we just finished filling out the bird list a Brown Creeper appeared at the feeding station for some close up looks. ​

Photo: Merlin (Falco columbarius) by Craig Caldwell, Gulls and Wintering Birds Hotspots Field Trip Saturday, January 26, 2019, Wendy Park, 2800 Whiskey Island Drive, Cleveland, OH 44102​.

As we were pulling up 2 other birders were walking toward the parking area, so I asked if they had seen the Merlin and they had. So our group jumped out of our cars and walked to the pine trees where we had great views of the the Merlin for several minutes before we left for Scranton Flats.

Photo: European Starlings by Kathy Murphy, Christmas Bird Count-Lakewood Circle, 2018

What a difference a year makes. In 2017 Count Day was noted as being “frigid”, but in 2018 Saturday, December 29 the day was relatively mild with temperatures in the mid to lower 30’s, overcast skies and almost no wind. No snow was on the ground and precipitation was hardly noticeable.

WCAS held a third conservation project laboratory on January 5, 2018 at Bethany Presbyterian Church in Cleveland. Fifteen people attended this event. Kurt Miske opened the meeting and Tom Romito facilitated the event.

We had 24 observers on this Second Saturday in December in Rocky River Reservation. It was a brisk 27 degrees, cloudy and a slight breeze. We had 26 different species. The highlights were a pair of Red-breasted Nuthatches that fed out of some of the birders hands. We also had a good look at a Barred Owl, perched high up in a pine tree, observed by all. - Bill Deininger.