Photo: Kirby's Mill with Cricket's Corner on the right. At Richfield Heritage Preserve, Crowell Hilaka, the former Girl Scout camp, and the former property of inventor James Kirby. Photo by Tom Fishburn on October 23, 2016.

Richfield Heritage Preserve, formerly Girl Scout camp Julia Crowell Hilaka, was once home to pioneers, inventors, agriculturalists, and campers before becoming a beautiful community park for everyone to enjoy. Join us to learn more about this hidden treasure tucked away in Richfield, Ohio.

Photo: Dr. Hunter King at The University of Akron received an NSF grant to study the collective mechanical interactions of disordered, randomly packed elastic filaments, or slender rods similar to twigs as used in birds' nests. Pictured here are "nest" materials in his lab. CREDIT Dr. Hunter King, The University of Akron

How do distinctive mechanical characteristics relate to structural demands of natural nests? Get your science on as we begin to address these questions through experiments with artificial 'nests', and observations of the construction process.

Photo: A family on Wiencke Island, Palmer Archipelago, off the coast of the Antarctic Peninsula. By Liam Quinn from Canada - Gentoo Penguins with chicks at Jougla Point, AntarcticaUploaded by snowmanradio, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=16175168

The lives of many migratory birds, as well as charismatic wildlife, such as polar bears and killer whales are dependent on an environment that we may consider harsh. This presentation will cover the Arctic environment, Arctic amplification of climate change, and consequences for ecosystems.   ​

Image: Skeletal anatomy and wing shape in rock pigeons.

Across cultures and through history bird wings appear, grafted in their entirety, onto other beings or objects of symbols of speed or flight. Bneath the feathers lies a system of bones, muscles and tendons that governs flight mechanics in a very concrete way. Join us to explore the evolutionary story and anatomy of bird wings.

Above: Purple Martins (Progne subis) at Magee Marsh by Tom Fishburn.

Purple Martins are the largest swallow in Ohio. Nesting in colonies, usually martin boxes or gourds supplied by people, the birds are a sound of the summer. As the martins ready themselves for migration to Brazil, they will gather by the thousands around lakes and wetland habitats. Portage Lakes in Summit County is one of the areas in which the birds congregate. This program shares information about the life history of the martins as well as the importance of the habitats the birds need prior to migration as well as in South America.

Photo: Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus) by Earl Peck, Annual Spring Bird Walk, May 2019

As a photographer and an amateur birder, WCAS member, Earl Peck, will share his photographs of birds in their natural habitats from his travels in many parts of the world. We’ll view hummingbirds in the US and Costa Rica, penguins on the Galapagos Islands, in Argentina, the Falklands, and South Georgia Island, and much more. Relax while we visit places and birds you want to see. ​

Photo: David Lindo by Nina Rangøy.

David Lindo, The Urban Birder, presents "How to Be an Urban Birder" at the Kirtland Bird Club Speaker Series, Wednesday evening, November 6, 2019 at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. David will talk about his urban birding experiences around the world in an effort to raise awareness and educate people on the importance of preservation and conservation of bird and wildlife habitat. ​

Photo: Red-headed Woodpecker in Bay Village, Ohio by Tom Fishburn.

For bird conservation efforts to be successful, conservation organizations in Ohio need to pool resources to maximize efforts to protect habitats and restore bird populations. Wildlife Biologist, Joseph Lautenbach, will discuss conservation partnerships and success stories throughout Ohio.

Photo by Susana Sanroman.

David Lindo, Author and VP Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust, 7th most influential person in Wildlife by BBC Wildlife Magazine, Ambassador for Leica Birding, London Wildlife Trust, and President, Suntrap Forest Education Centre visits Cleveland, Ohio.

Speaker Tom Leiden will share his first-hand experiences as part of the field team with the International Crane Foundation. The Foundation’s work is to study and preserve cranes, especially the habitats the birds need on their breeding sites, wintering sites and migratory routes.

Photo: June 2019 Hotspot Field Trip to Bath Nature Preserve by Tom Fishburn.

Marnie Urso, Policy Director with National Audubon’s Great Lakes Region, will walk us through how any of us can receive notice of issues AND how to become involved. Educating oneself on issues, contacting local representatives, or writing letters to the editor are just a few and easy ways to volunteer and advocate for the environment. ​

Western Cuyahoga Audubon’s Speaker Series, the monthly program meetings from September through May, have been popular and the 2019-2020 Speaker Series will be no exception. We would like to give our members, guests and friends an opportunity to sponsor one … or more, of our speaker’s programs. For just $100.00 per program, you may select from the programs listed below.  ​

One of the biggest success stories in conservation was the reintroduction of the Peregrine Falcon to the eastern U.S. In Ohio, cities, such as Columbus, Toledo, Cleveland and other “urban mountains” became the stronghold of the falcons. Chad and Chris Saladin have been falcon watchers and trackers for a long time and know the history of many of the pairs of birds in and around northeast Ohio. Find out how the falcons are faring on the bridges and buildings of the urban canyons. ​​

Above: 3 Susie Frazier's Mantra Blocks are available: "Listen", "Discover", and "Awaken".

Bid on this beautiful collection of creative masterpieces donated by the artists themselves to fundraise for chapter conservation programs for the birds. Plan to attend the Tue May 7th speaker program hosted at the Rocky River Nature Center and WCAS Peeps, please bid generously!  Proceeds support chapter conservation activities.

Photo: Blackburnian Warbler (Setophaga fusca) by Kathy Murphy.

This presentation uses photographs to help group warblers by appearance, preferred habitat, and behaviors, such as tail wagging, which helps with identification. In addition, songs and ways to remember songs will be provided. This should get us prepared for migration!  ​

Nature has always been a fundamental source of inspiration for work. From nature comes spirituality and an inner emotional vision. My favorite subjects are the things I love from the natural world: People, animals, birds, and spiritual visions and yearning. ~ Beth Nilges-Nehamkin

The American Woodcock is not your typical shorebird. Rather than running on a sand beach or probing a mudflat, the woodcock haunts early successional forests and thickets especially. Many of us are familiar with or have watched the spring “sky dance” of the woodcock, but what about the rest of its life through the year? Biologist, Heather Shaw, will share with us a year in the life of the American Woodcock.  ​

Follow a set of railroad tracks, walk near abandoned industrial sites, check out an old cemetery … birds love these areas and many would be surprised how areas such as these are being used by birds while on migration as a resting/feeding stop, or for nesting.

Photo: Arctic National Wildlife Refuge by Steven Chase, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

The vastness and beauty of the Arctic and the inhabitants of the Arctic, both wildlife and people, will be shared with us by Craig Caldwell, Audubon supporter and Editor of The Ohio Cardinal, a publication of the Ohio Ornithological Society. ​

WCAS hosted the program, “Conservation Stories of Western Cuyahoga Audubon” on November 6, 2018 that featured personal reports by WCAS members who participated in three conservation projects: Donald Gray Gardens (1985-1996), Dike 14/Cleveland Lakefront Nature Preserve (circa 2000-2012), and Rocky River Important Bird Area Surveys (2006-2012).  

Rocky River Reservation by Tom Fishburn.

Western Cuyahoga Audubon has played an active role in Cleveland habitat conservation for nearly fifty years. Join us for a multimedia retrospect of chapter conservation projects that created some of today's iconic northeast Ohio landscapes, often starting with the small actions of one or two people. ​

Photo: Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis) by Scott Martin.

Evidence seems to indicate that these “secretive” sounds are an important part of the bird’s ability to survive and reproduce. ​

What did the forests in Cuyahoga County look like in 1800 and how did they compare to forests today? 

September 4, 2018: “Vegetation in Northeast Ohio: Two Hundred Years of Changes and Challenges” with Kathryn Flinn, Plant Ecologist and Assistant Professor of Biology, Baldwin-Wallace University.

October 2, 2018: “Careless Whispers? Deciphering the Hidden Vocal Repertoire of a Common Backyard Bird, the Dark-eyed Junco” with Dustin G. Reichard, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Zoology, Ohio Wesleyan University.

November 6, 2018: “Connecting People to Nature: Placemaking at Western Cuyahoga Audubon Society” with WCAS Members, Affiliates, and Friends.

December 4, 2018: "To the Edge of the Earth: Nome, Barrow, and Bering Sea Islands" with Craig Caldwell, Editor, The Ohio Cardinal.

January 8, 2019: “Chimney Swifts: Our Amazing & Imperiled Avian Insectivores” with Judy Semroc, Conservation Specialist, Cleveland Museum of Natural History.

February 5, 2019: “One Green Space for All: Areas Significant for Migratory and Breeding Birds" with Jen Brumfield, Naturalist and Scientific Illustrator, Cleveland Metroparks.

March 5, 2018: “The Life and Times of the American Woodcock” with Heather Shaw, Regional Wildlife Biologist, Ruffed Grouse Society ​and American Woodcock Society.

April 2, 2019: “Warbler Warm-up” with Matt Valencic and Kelly.

May 7, 2019: “Peregrine Falcons: Predators of Urban Canyons” with Chad and Chris Saladin. Photo by Clyde Witt.

Sponsor-A-Speaker is a new program to give members, guests, and friends the opportunity to sponsor one or more speakers in the 2018-2019 Western Cuyahoga Speaker Series.

Bird collisions are one of the top three human-related causes of bird deaths and injuries. What can be done to solve the problem, or, at least, reduce the number of deaths?