Photo: Chimney Swift (Chaetura pelagica) in Mentor, Ohio by Tom Fishburn.

Chimney swifts are unique birds. They cannot stand or perch but are adapted to grasping the inside of old hollow trees and masonry chimneys and they catch all their food while in flight. They can eat a third of their body weight in mosquito-sized insects daily, which makes them a great friend to humans.

Above: Amanda Sebrosky, Founder, Northeast Ohio Chimney Swift Conservation Society, provides an introduction to her project for the group at the January 2020 Lab. Photo by Betsey O'Hagan.

The Conservation Project Lab is a forum to generate and bring to fruition projects that promote the well-being of birds (and, therefore, plants and animals including humans) by means of conservation and education. Projects are generally expected to be self-sustainable, although they may need seed money. Now in its second year, the Lab is currently engaged in several projects.

Photo: Lorain County Metro Parks, Sandy Ridge Reservation, 6195 Otten Rd, North Ridgeville, OH 44039 by Alice Merkel.

"My vision is to make Northeast Ohio a chimney swift haven by building hundreds of towers in every park and school in Northeast Ohio as well as in backyards of private residences where open spaces exist. Additionally, I hope to engage citizens to help with monitoring activity at towers helping me keep a database of locations and possibly population counts." - Amanda Sebrosky

Above: Urban Birding with David Lindo November 2019. Photo by Betsey O'Hagan.

During the first week of November, Western Cuyahoga Audubon and David Lindo engaged with not only our valued Audubon chapter members, but also with youth birders and naturalists, including the children of the Boys & Girls Club of Cleveland, East Clark Middle School Bird Nerds, and Ohio Young Birders Club. ​

Photo: Blue-winged Warbler (Vermivora cyanoptera) by Tom Fishburn.

What is the culprit of plummeting bird populations? The usual suspects: habitat loss, pesticides, and climate change. However, a few other offenders are now in the spotlight: outdoor cats, light pollution, and building/window collisions. It seems bird population decline is a complex problem that will require more than one solution. Fortunately, there are many ways in which we can help.

Photo by Michelle Brosius.

Sagan Brosius observing a pair of Common Yellowthroats at Bath Nature Preserve on June 22, 2019. 

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

“Western Cuyahoga Audubon needs your help to assist in protecting the species we enjoy. What is being asked is that anyone reading this become a Western Cuyahoga chapter member. Membership dues go directly to the chapter in support of conservation, education, and advocacy activities.”

It is imperative that Audubon chapters, like Western Cuyahoga Audubon, affiliated organizations, and individuals - “speak in a common voice” and continue to lead the way - as the founders of COAC envisioned.

​What is exciting is that we’re making progress by creating a system to explore and sanctify projects on an ongoing basis.

Photo: Springfield Bog by Tom Fishburn.

With the rapid growth of the human population comes the demand for more land and resources. According to Wildlife Biologist Kevin Kenow of the U.S Geological Survey’s Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, the ideal habitat for migrating birds is disappearing. 

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). This is the accompanying slide show.

​Nature has to confront things, they have enemies who work together to solve a specific problem. What biomimicry does is it teaches collaboration, it teaches systems thinking. And that is different than what we think of as humans most of the time. And once we get our brains together on a cumulative basis, it’s amazing what we can go ahead and solve.

It’s not any less than that, it has to be these like-minds coming together to make change, and to flex our muscles, and to speak so that we can become better informed about the issues, so that we can vote better, so that we can send the message out to the world about what we believe in and - that’s what we can do together to be viable going into the future. ~ Wendy Weirich, Cleveland Metroparks

The Rocky River IBA and the initial data collected over those five or seven year period, provided a point in time, a really good average over some years to give us a really good handle on what birds use that area in those periods when you were surveying. ~ Terry Robison, Cleveland Metroparks

Photo: Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) at Rocky River Reservation by Tom Fishburn.

No matter what mode of transportation, it is great to get as much of our Count Circle covered as possible and tally the number of species present. Everyone’s participation will be appreciated; from tallying numbers at feeders, to birding through whatever weather comes that day.

Photo: American Redstart (Setophaga ruticilla) by David Lewis.

By simply drinking the right coffee, coffee lovers can help preserve over 250,000 acres of prime tropical habitat and biodiversity, save birds, family farms, workers jobs and the Earth we all share.  

On Saturday, November 17th, Western Cuyahoga Audubon will be doing a Hotspot Birding Field Trip at Sandy Ridge Reservation in Lorain County. We’ll be focusing on waterfowl and water birds primarily. It will be the heart of the waterfowl migration, particularly for dabbling ducks. Birds like Northern Shoveler, Northern Pintail, American Wigeon, Green-wing Teal, and Mallards, should all be in good number here in mid-November.

Lukas Padegimas takes us on a tour of Cleveland Lakefront Nature Preserve and some of it's unique areas. In addition, Lukas talks about how he got started as a young birder and future conservationist.

Doug Hardy founded and runs the Norwich Vermont Birds & Beans Coffee Club. Since November 2012 the Club has purchased nearly 6,000 pounds of our Smithsonian certified shade grown, Organic and Fair Trade ‘Bird Friendly®’ supporting migratory birds and family coffee farms.

Photo: Pileated Woodpecker (Hylatomus pileatus) © Ray Burns

Observing by P O'Connor.

Photo: Baltimore Oriole (Icterus galbula) © Ray Burns

Hotspot Birders at Sandy Ridge by Kaoru Tsubone

Volunteers 2018 by B Merkel

Photo: Veery (Catharus fuscescens) © Ray Burns

LENSC Birders Feb 2017 by Penny O'Connor

Photo: Eastern Bluebird (Sialia sialis) © Ray Burns

Christmas Bird Count-Lakewood Circle, Olmsted Falls Area 2017

Volunteers staffing WCAS educational display by Mary Anne Romito

(L to R) Nancy Howell with Julie Zickefoose

Photo: Barred Owl (Strix varia) © Ray Burns

Volunteer Becky Robinson and Members Setup Auction

LENSC Evening Walk 5162018 by Penny O’Connor

Kim Langley, Member drinking bird-friendly coffee Dec 2017

​“Organizations grow with a diversity of volunteers and the abilities, skills and ideas brought by those volunteers. In planning and preparing for the 2018-2019 Western Cuyahoga year, we would like to have additional volunteers come forward and participate.”  

An enterprising teacher at the Cambridge, Ohio school who runs the ‘Bobcat Coffee Company’ uses Birds and Beans coffee for a project that  gives special needs students the opportunity to learn how to run a small business. Projects like this make a difference for birds, habitat, farming families and all youth throughout the Americas.

Photo: Environmental Layers by Alice Merkel at Cleveland Metroparks, Rocky River Reservation, Valley Pkwy, North Olmsted, OH 44070.

Now more than ever, it is imperative Ohio conservation interests connect, communicate, and collaborate as a united front for nature and the environment.

In 2018 Year of the Bird, the Bald Eagle, Kirtland's Warbler, Least Tern, Piping Plover, Rufa Red Knot and the Whooping Crane have been Federally-listed as threatened, endangered, proposed, or candidate species' by the USFWS in 8 midwest states. Here are some simple ways to help protect birds in our area, perhaps your yard, neighborhood, and beyond.

Photo: Natural Landscape by Alice Merkel at Cleveland Metroparks, Rocky River Reservation, Valley Pkwy, North Olmsted, OH 44070

WCAS’s Carbon Offset Project, begun several years ago and modeled after an effort launched at the 2011 Midwest Birding Symposium, is a way for members to make contributions that offset their use of carbon while participating in birding activities (or any other activities) that requires travel. ​