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.)
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.)
SEPTEMBER 2022 PROGRAM
Program: Member Meeting and Speaker Program “Birdability: Because Birding is for Everybody and Every Body!”
Speaker: Virginia Rose, Founder and Board Chair of Birdability
Date: Tuesday, September 6, 2022
Birding is an activity that can bring so much joy and empowerment to everybody, but not everybody is able to go birding easily. Birdability is a brand new non-profit, based in the US but with a global reach. Through education, outreach and advocacy, Birdability works to ensure the birding community and the outdoors are welcoming, inclusive, safe and accessible for everybody. We focus on people with mobility challenges, blindness or low vision, chronic illness, intellectual or developmental disabilities, mental illness, and those who are neurodivergent, deaf or hard of hearing or who have other health concerns. In addition to current birders, we strive to introduce birding to people with disabilities and other health concerns who are not yet birders so they too can experience the joys of birding.
Learn about why this should matter to you (even if you don't have an accessibility challenge), ways to be a more welcoming and inclusive birder, the Birdability Map (and how to submit a Birdability Site Review) and our resources for birders (and potential future birders) with accessibility challenges... because birding is for everybody and every body! Learn more and find resources at birdability.org or follow @birdability on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
Program: Member Meeting and Speaker Program “Birdability: Because Birding is for Everybody and Every Body!”
Speaker: Virginia Rose, Founder and Board Chair of Birdability
Date: Tuesday, September 6, 2022
Birding is an activity that can bring so much joy and empowerment to everybody, but not everybody is able to go birding easily. Birdability is a brand new non-profit, based in the US but with a global reach. Through education, outreach and advocacy, Birdability works to ensure the birding community and the outdoors are welcoming, inclusive, safe and accessible for everybody. We focus on people with mobility challenges, blindness or low vision, chronic illness, intellectual or developmental disabilities, mental illness, and those who are neurodivergent, deaf or hard of hearing or who have other health concerns. In addition to current birders, we strive to introduce birding to people with disabilities and other health concerns who are not yet birders so they too can experience the joys of birding.
Learn about why this should matter to you (even if you don't have an accessibility challenge), ways to be a more welcoming and inclusive birder, the Birdability Map (and how to submit a Birdability Site Review) and our resources for birders (and potential future birders) with accessibility challenges... because birding is for everybody and every body! Learn more and find resources at birdability.org or follow @birdability on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
OCTOBER 2022 PROGRAM
Program: "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.
Program: "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.
NOVEMBER 2022 PROGRAM
Program: "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.
Program: "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.
DECEMBER PROGRAM
Program: "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.”
Program: "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.”
JANUARY PROGRAM
Program: "Bird Photography: Exploring Nature Through a Lens"
Speaker: Michelle Brosius, WCAS Board Member and Field Trip Coordinator
Date: Tuesday, January 3, 2023
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.
Program: "Bird Photography: Exploring Nature Through a Lens"
Speaker: Michelle Brosius, WCAS Board Member and Field Trip Coordinator
Date: Tuesday, January 3, 2023
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.
FEBRUARY PROGRAM
Program: “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.
Program: “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.
MARCH PROGRAM
Program: “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.
Program: “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.
APRIL PROGRAM
Program: “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.
Program: “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.
MAY PROGRAM
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.
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.
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.
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.
JUNE PROGRAM
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!
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!
JULY
No Member Programs/Speaker Series in July and August. Enjoy your summer and look ahead to September!
No Member Programs/Speaker Series in July and August. Enjoy your summer and look ahead to September!
2023-2024 PROGRAMS
Western Cuyahoga Audubon is excited to announce that our chapter Meetings and Programs will be held in person beginning in September 2023 for the 2023 - 2024 program year. We will be meeting at the Fairview Park Library, 21255 Lorain Rd. on the first Tuesday of each month from September through May. In addition, our meeting times will begin at 7:00 p.m. We just wanted to give our members and those who plan to attend, a heads-up! We will continue to announce the changes every opportunity we get. Please begin to mark your calendars starting Tuesday, September 5, 2023!
Western Cuyahoga Audubon is excited to announce that our chapter Meetings and Programs will be held in person beginning in September 2023 for the 2023 - 2024 program year. We will be meeting at the Fairview Park Library, 21255 Lorain Rd. on the first Tuesday of each month from September through May. In addition, our meeting times will begin at 7:00 p.m. We just wanted to give our members and those who plan to attend, a heads-up! We will continue to announce the changes every opportunity we get. Please begin to mark your calendars starting Tuesday, September 5, 2023!
