White-throated Sparrow by Lisa Gerbec

​Did you know that a bird’s eyesight is more than  seven times keener than yours? Birds experience the sights,  sounds, and smells of the world in a radically different way than  we do. Learn about some of the amazing ways birds make sense  of their environment.

Photo: Kaiya Provost

Citizen science initiatives to record bird sounds have been extremely successful, with song uploads to Xeno-Canto numbering in the hundreds of thousands and eBird numbering in the millions. Having all of this data begs the question: what do we do with all of these songs? 

WCAS Member Meeting and Speaker Series, Tuesday, October 5, 2021 hosts speaker Daniel Brown, Co-Founder, Rust Belt Riders presents, “Trash to Treasure: Rust Belt Riders Composting Program”. Programs are open to the public. Donations are appreciated.

Above: Urban residence displays Rust Belt Riders compost signage. Photo by Betsey O'Hagan.

What a story ... Rust Belt Riders creating wonderful soil products from composted waste from homes and businesses! This Cleveland-based company started as a humble project collecting compostable material via bicycle, but has since grown and produces tons of beautiful soil products. 

WCAS Member Meeting and Speaker Series, Tuesday, September 7, 2021 begins with leaders presenting project, program, and fundraising updates. Speaker Sarah Winnicki presents, '“Teaching the Scientific Process: Linking Hypotheses to Data Using Migratory Birds”. Programs are open to the public. Donations are appreciated.

Photo: Sarah Winicki: "We caught two Canada Warblers this morning—my favorite warbler— and I got to hold them!! Birds captured and released with permits."

In this interactive workshop, participants hypothesize about the cause of avian migration and gather data about bird bill morphology, diet, and migratory tendencies. In the end, participants discuss and have questions answered about their data and revisit their hypotheses.

WCAS Member Meeting and Speaker Series, Tuesday, August 3, 2021 begins with a quiz about bird nests, leaders present project, program, and fundraising updates. Speaker, Dr. Jim Tomko, Audubon Society of Greater Cleveland presents, 'Don’t Touch That Nest (or can you?)!'. Programs are open to the public. Donations are appreciated.

Photo: Green Heron Nest by Allan Claybon.

Late summer into autumn is a time when some birds are finishing up nesting and many birds are molting. Did you know that you may be breaking a federal law by disturbing nesting birds or possessing a feather or egg collection? 

WCAS Member Meeting and Speaker Series, Tuesday, July 6, 2021 begins with an expert update and assessment on regional bird disease, leaders present project, program, and fundraising updates. Speaker, Tammi Fierro-Zeis, Audubon Washington and Audubon Miami Valley, presents on “Inclusive Engagement for Everyone 2020+: Encouraging Inclusive Activism and Environmental Engagement in a Virtual World”. Programs are open to the public. Donations are appreciated.

Take the opening bird quiz, learn about chapter updates, and sit back for a fascinating presentation about Japan's Little Tern (Sternula albifrons) listed as endangered due to population declines and habitat loss. The colony in the Awase Tidal Flat is the biggest in Okinawa, but due to dredging and a reclamation project, fewer birds are using it. New approaches to bilingual conservation education can help.

Photo: Little Tern (Sternula albifrons), Little Swanport, Tasmania, Australia by JJ Harrison (https://www.jjharrison.com.au/), CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Japan lists the Little Tern (Sternula albifrons) as endangered due to population declines and habitat loss. Their colony in the Awase Tidal Flat is the biggest in Okinawa, but due to dredging and a reclamation project, the main sandbar on which they nest has eroded and fewer birds are using it. New approaches to conservation education can help.

Gaining a better understanding of Ohio’s owls is a goal of Ohio Dominican University ornithologist Blake Mathys. Last fall he launched the Central Ohio Owl Project, but his research actually extends beyond the title, as Mathys will accept owl reports from anywhere in the state.

Member Meeting and Speaker Program, 'Cute Chicks' with  Carrie Elvey, Senior Naturalist and Community Engagement Coordinator, The Wilderness Center who examines the lives of young birds, survivorship rates and survival strategies April 2021 recording.

Carrie Elvey, Senior Naturalist and Community Engagement Coordinator, The Wilderness Center

Examine the lives of young birds, survivorship rates and survival strategies.

Member Meeting and Speaker Program, 'What Is That Bird Doing?: Feeding Behavior', with Nancy Howell and Bill Deininger March 2021 Recording.

Photo: Bill Deininger at Cleveland Lakefront Nature Preserve by Betsey O'Hagan.

Through the wonderful videos taken by Bill Deininger, we will view many species of birds while feeding, discuss what they are feeding upon, adaptations for feeding, and how using these behaviors can help with bird identification. 

Member Meeting and Speaker Dr. Jackie Augustine, Executive Director, Audubon of Kansas, a behavioral ecologist who studies the mating behaviors of wild birds. 

Recording of the January 2021 WCAS Member Meeting and Speaker, John Hannon, BirdLife International, US Representative  reviews the current state of bird conservation across the globe and how the BirdLife Partnership, which includes Audubon, is working throughout the Americas to combine community development with conservation, protecting the habitats of birds, and bringing awareness of the need for healthy ecosystems.

John Hannon will share the current state of bird conservation across the globe and how the BirdLife Partnership, which includes Audubon, is working throughout the Americas to combine community development with conservation, protecting the habitats of birds, and bringing awareness of the need for healthy ecosystems.

Tomas Curtis, student at Kent State University, will discuss the history of studying lichens including the work and accomplishments happening in Northeast Ohio. ​Listen to this pre-event conversation with Tomas Curtis to learn more!

Birds building this type of nest appear to embody an instinctive understanding of the emergent mechanics of thin, flexible, and frictional grains, one that is currently lacking in the scientific community.

Rosemary Mosco is a wonderful naturalist who puts her naturalist eye into cartoons that are fun and also accurate. You will smile, if not laugh at the antics of birds and other wildlife in her renderings - all based on what she has seen.