Its Beginning to Look Like Christmas Bird Count Season!

Nov 2017 - Jan 2018 By Nancy Howell, Compiler for the Lakewood Circle Christmas Bird Count

Bird Walks & 2 The 118th Christmas Bird Count is more than a birdwalk, it is Citizen Science.
Field Trips..
As this is being written, leaves, rather than snow, are falling. Before long we will be in the
Maps and 4 midst of Christmas Bird Count season with the Lakewood (west side) Christmas Bird
Directions....
Count, sponsored by Western Cuyahoga Audubon, taking place on Saturday, December
Speaker Series. 5 30, 2017. Not familiar with Christmas Bird Counts? Explore our Audubon Christmas Bird
Count Lakewood Circle reports at our Scribd library at https://goo.gl/APBzat to learn
Volunteer Section 6 more.

News.... 7 On this day and this day only, groups or individuals go out part or all of the day to cover
the Circle areas. Any park or green space and even walk around neighborhoods are fair
> CONNECT game. A list of areas that are covered or need coverage are listed in News blog
announcement, 118th Annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count-Lakewood Circle 2017 at
WESTERN CUYAHOGA
goo.gl/ydJp94
AUDUBON SOCIETY
4310 Bush Ave. The Christmas Bird Count is more than a tally of species or out having fun with others in a
Cleveland, OH 44109 group while birding. Certainly the Count should be fun and a great time to socialize, but
> (216) 741-2352
realize that the information that is gleaned is useful data. A recent scan through the list of
> [email protected]
> www.wcaudubon.org scientific publications that are about Christmas Bird Counts or specific research about
birds with data from Counts is long.
> FIND US ONLINE
Population trends, such as the growth of the House Finch population, gulls on Lake Erie,
> f acebook.com/wcaudubon
> t witter.com/wcaudubon
eruptive species and more. In addition, The Ohio Cardinal, a publication of the Ohio
> y outube.com/wcaudubon Ornithological Society, and the Cleveland Bird Calendar from the Kirtland Bird Club, both
> f lickr.com/wcaudubon publish Christmas Bird Count data from Ohio counts.

The data collected may answer questions, such as, have woodpecker populations
increased due to the number of dead ash trees? Questions on West Nile Virus and its
effect on American Crow and Blue Jay populations, or are we truly seeing greater
numbers of certain bird species that have been rare in the past due to warmer winters?
So the 118th Christmas Bird Count is more than a birdwalk, it is Citizen Science.

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Photo: Bank Corner by Alice Merkel at Rocky River Reservation, 24000 Valley Pkwy, North Olmsted, OH 44070.

(Its Beginning to Look Like Christmas Bird Count Season! continued from Pg. 1)

As the compiler for the Lakewood Circle, everyones participation is appreciated; from tallying numbers at feeders, to
birding through whatever weather comes that day. Those participating in the past have done a wonderful job but we
can always use more participants. Every bird sighting is important and we want and need you and the results of your
efforts. Please sign up to assist. Call on friends and family. Stop for some coffee or hot chocolate and make a morning of
it. I hope you can contribute to a great event. Please contact me, Nancy Howell at [email protected] or call
me at 440-891-1710. Thank you - the birds appreciate it!

# # # # # # #

Visit the new Western Cuyahoga Audubon Policy Blog located just beneath the Conserve tab at our website. Well be
publishing news and information pertaining to policy issues affecting birds and habitat conservation. Topics include feral
and roaming cats, wind power, night light building awareness, and bird migration. Well be asking for your signatures and
endorsements of position statements, letters of acknowledgement, and petitions for legislation.

BIRD WALKS AND FIELD TRIPS >>>

Photos (left to right): November Second Saturday Birders, Bradstreet Gulls and Icy Pond by Penny OConnor; River Walker by Alice Merkel.

Second Saturday Bird Walks at Rocky River Nature Center

UPCOMING DATES: Nov 11, 2017 / Dec 9, 2017 / Jan 13, 2018

Ken Gober, Dave Graskemper and Bill Deininger lead walks on the second Saturday of each month at 9:00 AM on trails
around the Rocky River Reservation, home of the Rocky River Important Bird Area. New to birding? Grab some
binoculars and join us. Youll be amazed how fast you can learn birds by sight and sound. Walks begin at the Rocky
River Nature Center parking lot, 24000 Valley Pkwy, North Olmsted, OH.

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> Sunday, Nov 19, 9:00 AM

WCAS and KBC Field Trip to Bradstreet's
Landing
Date & Time: Sun Nov 19, 2017 at 9:00am
Location: Bradstreet's Landing, 22400 Lake Rd, Rocky River,
OH 44116
Target species: Waterfowl, Cave Swallows
Leader: V arious
Bradstreet's Landing in Rocky River, Ohio offers easily
accessible views of Lake Erie waterfowl. Grebes, loons,
scaup, scoters have been seen here, as well as Cave
Swallows. Depending on local sightings, we will either stay
Photo: Franklins gull (Leucophaeus pipixcan) by Chuck Slusarczyk, Jr.
at Bradstreet's landing, or move to other nearby Lake Erie
hotspots.

Saturday, December 30, all day >

118th Annual Audubon Christmas Bird
Count-Lakewood Circle 2017
Date & Time: Saturday, December 30, 2017 All Day
Place: Lakewood, Ohio vicinity and Rocky River Reservation
trails, or " Lakewood Circle"
Targeted Species: Winter Residents
Compiler: Nancy Howell

"Lakewood" count circle includes western areas of

Cuyahoga County, from Lake Erie south into Berea and
Photo: Common Goldeneye (Bucephala clangula) by S. Bern (Wikipedia)
Olmsted Falls, and Lakewood and Cleveland Zoo too. (See
related story page 1 and map page 4.)

> Saturday, January 20, 9:00 AM

Field Trip to Lorain Harbor, with Black River

Audubon
Date & Time: Sat Jan 20, 2017 at 9:00am
Location: Jackalope Lakeside, 301 Lakeside Ave, Lorain, OH
44052
Leader: Tammy Martin
Target Species: Snow Buntings, Waterfowl, Winter Residents
Lorain Harbor and Lorain Impoundment are great spots for
winter birding. We will bird there first, then possibly move
to other spots depending on reported sightings. We will Photo: American tree sparrow (Spizelloides arborea) by Arad Mojtahedi
bird with Black River Audubon Society. Meet by Jackalope (Wikimedia)
Restaurant. (See Field Trip driving directions next page)

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MAPS AND DIRECTIONS >>>

BRADSTREETS LANDING CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT
Directions: Bradstreet's Landing is at 22400 Lake Road, The "Lakewood" count circle includes western areas of
Rocky River, OH. Exit I-90 at Columbia Rd. Go north on Cuyahoga County, from Lake Erie south into Berea and
Columbia a short distance to Sperry Rd. Turn right (east) Olmsted Falls, Lakewood, and the Cleveland Zoo too.
on Sperry Rd. to Clague Rd. Go left (north) on Clague Rd. Birding is in and around the Lakewood, Ohio vicinity and
Follow Clague north to Lake Rd. Or, if you prefer, when you Rocky River Reservation trails from the Rocky River Nature
exit at Columbia, go north toward Lake Rd. Turn right Center, 24000 Valley Pkwy, North Olmsted, OH 44070.
(east) on Lake Rd.

LORAIN HARBOR AND LORAIN

Directions: Take I-90 to exit 151 for Route 611 towards
IMPOUNDMENT (map, left) Sheffield/Avon. Go NORTH on 611. You'll pass gas stations
immediately on the left and a McDonald's on the right.
Continue on Route 611/Colorado Avenue for 6 miles. At
one point, Route 611 will bend to the left (south). There is
a Wendy's on this corner. CONTINUE STRAIGHT through
the light (Colorado Avenue now). Go over railroad tracks.
Not far after, you will dead end at Route 6/Lake Road.
Continue straight through this light. Colorado immediately
takes a hard left turn and turns into Lakeside Avenue.
Hang left at this turn then immediately turn RIGHT into
the Spitzer/Lakeside area. You'll see the restaurant and
Spitzer/Lakeside building on your left and the
impoundment ahead. Note the Lorain Impoundment is
between Lake Erie and the big parking lot behind
Jackalope.

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SPEAKER SERIES >>>

Western Cuyahoga Audubon programs are free and open to the public. Monthly presentations are held the first Tuesday
of each month, September through May, at the Rocky River Nature Center, Rocky River Reservation, 24000 Valley Pkwy,
North Olmsted, OH. Guests are invited to learn about the Audubon mission. View the entire 2017-18 Speaker Series at
https://goo.gl/ZSRy8F

Above (left to right): Jennifer Allison, David Lewis, and Carol Thaler. Photos courtesy of the speakers.

> Tues, Nov 7, 7:30 PM The Annual Potluck Dinner & Silent Auction starts at
6:30 PM and the speaker program at 7:30 PM.
Killer Whales of South Central Alaska
Presenter: Jennifer Allison For the silent auction, please bring gently-used or new
nature themed items. Bring a few bucks and take
South Central Alaska has three ecotypes of killer whales; home some treasures for yourself or for holiday gifts.
resident, transient and offshore. Jennifer Allison, For the potluck, bring a tasty appetizer, side dish or
deckhand on a tour boat and volunteer with the North dessert to share. WCAS provides beverages,
Gulf Oceanic Society (NGOS), identifies pods of killer bird-friendly shade-grown coffee, ham and turkey.
whales that are sighted and her reports go to NGOS
providing information about the identity and the > Tues, Jan 2, 7:30 PM
activity of the whales. Jennifer shares photos and
discusses whale identification, difficulties for killer Great Lakes Biomimicry: Learning From
whales since the Exxon Valdez oil spill, plus new (not just about) Nature
research information gathered this season. Presenter: Carol Thaler, Director of Outreach and
Administration, Great Lakes Biomimicry
> Tues, Dec 5, 7:30 PM
Thinking of nature as a teacher rather than a
Birding in Snow warehouse is a powerful act. Janine Benyus has
Presenter: David Lewis, Photographer and Birder sparked people to learn about biomimicry or
Winter weather in northeast Ohio may be frightful at innovation inspired by nature in Northeast Ohio and
times, but our native birds are adapted to deal with it. It around the world. Nature, through its 3.8 billion year
may be hard to believe how Golden-crowned Kinglets or history of Research and Development, has evolved
Black-capped Chickadees, sprites of the bird world, solutions to many of the problems that humans try to
survive our winters as the snow flies and temperatures solve. By emulating natures time-tested patterns and
dip. Dave Lewis shares photographs of local birds in the strategies, we can innovate to create sustainable
winter. (Continued) solutions. This presentation introduces biomimicry
basics, examples, and solutions.

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VOLUNTEER SECTION >>>

Above: Volunteers Terry Gorges and Tim Colborn, photo by Betsey Merkel. Birds sited on the Backyard Biodiversity Bash Bird Walks: Wood Duck

(Aix sponsa), Eastern bluebird (Sialia sialis), and American goldfinch (Spinus tristis) via Wikipedia.

Thank You Western Cuyahoga Audubon Members and Volunteers

Thank you Second Saturday and Field Trip leaders K en Gober, Dave Graskemper and Bill Deininger, Justin Woldt, Tim
Jasinski, Ken and Helen Ostermiller. Thanks to Backyard Biodiversity Bash, August 26 volunteers B
etsey Merkel, Janet
Bennett, Joanne and Terry Gorges, and Len Zimmer for greeting visitors with conservation education materials,
recruiting subscribers, and promoting Chapter programs. A special thanks to Bird Walk leader Tim Colborn and to
Cleveland Metroparks staff and volunteers for providing support services, healthy snacks, and extra binoculars for our
guest birders!

Volunteer Opportunities!
Do you care about birds and habitat conservation? Do you enjoy public outreach and engagement? Or, maybe youre
a citizen scientist dedicated to our planet Earth? If so, were looking for volunteers like you! Interested? Send us an
email at [email protected]. Check out the list below and more at VolunteerMatch https://goo.gl/BAacrt
Speaker Program, Annual Potluck Dinner & Silent Auction - On Dec 5, 2017 activities start at 6:30 PM
and the speaker program at 7:30 PM. Volunteers are needed at 5:30 PM.
Christmas Bird Count-Lakewood Circle 2017 and Volunteer Thank You Dinner is Sat Dec 30, 2017 from
6:00 PM - 8:00 PM at Rocky River Nature Center, 24000 Valley Pkwy, North Olmsted, OH 44070.
Volunteers are needed at least 2 weeks before the CBC date to update the public listing of peoples
names and areas covered, as well as on Count Day itself. To help in the evening, please arrive at 5:00
PM. To volunteer for any part of the day, send an email to [email protected]
Meet and Greet Visitors and Staff the Chapter Exhibit Display - WCAS hosts an informational exhibit
and distributes educational materials at events and monthly Member meetings Sept through May. Help
us grow public engagement as a volunteer staffer advocating for birds and habitat conservation. Join us!

Welcome New Members!

A warm welcome to Marge Bartick, Janet Bennett, Susan and Brian Bohne, Ed and Sharon Campbell, John and Janet
Czar, Marilyn Doerr, Michael Edgington, Linda Ellis, Roberta Ewaska and Michelle Lindsey, Margaret Glenn, Anne Hill,
Sharon Kanareff, Andy Killian, Fran Lakey, Sarah Morgenstein, Jane Mueller, Lillian Nawalanic, Sharon Oberst, Jay and
Jean Rounds, and Jack Sidor.

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NEWS >>>
time and date, precise location, aspect of building,
building surface, as well as species, age, and sex of each
bird. We hope that this effort will elucidate additional
factors related to building collisions.

The ultimate goal of Lights Out Clevelandand the

other efforts under Ohio Lights Outis to reduce the
number of bird-building collisions. Buildings enrolled in
the program are eliminating or reducing their lighting
during migration and helping us to get others involved.
If you are interested in enrolling a building in Lights Out
or volunteering visit ohiolightsout.org or contact
Photo: Ovenbird (Seiurus), Cleveland, OH by Janice Soos Farral.
Matthew Shumar at [email protected].
Lights Out Ohio Updates-Fall 2017
By Matthew Shumar, P rogram Coordinator for the Mark Your Calendars!
Ohio Bird Conservation Initiative (OBCI)
Event: 11th Annual Ohio Young Birders Club (OYBC) Conf
Many species of birds migrate at night, guided in part by Date & Time: Sat Nov 4, 2017
starfields and lunar paths. Unfortunately, bright lighting Location: Aullwood Audubon Center and Farm, 1 000
in urban centers can disrupt these cues causing fatal Aullwood Rd, Dayton, OH 45414
collisions with buildings, and it is estimated that
between 365 and 988 million birds are killed by The Western Cuyahoga Audubon President
Chapter Newsletter is published four Western Cuyahoga Audubon
collisions each year in the United States (Loss et al. times per year in February, May, is currently Board run.
2014). With support from a wide range of partners, the August and November.
President Emeritus
Ohio Bird Conservation Initiative has created a Western Cuyahoga Audubon Tom Romito
statewide network to help address this threat to programs are free and open to the
migratory bird populations. public. Donations are appreciated. Treasurer
Consult the calendar for dates Nancy Howell
www.wcaudubon.org/calendar
Cleveland and surrounding areas south of Lake Erie Secretary
likely present additional challenges, as they comprise a Email: [email protected] Penny OConnor
Ph: + 216-741-2352
unique and globally important region for migratory Web: www.wcaudubon.org Field Trip Coordinator
stopover. This spring and fall, OBCI, the Lake Erie Nature Penny O'Connor
Like us on Facebook!
& Science Center, the Cleveland Museum of Natural facebook.com/WCAudubon Bird-Friendly Coffee
History, Cleveland Metroparks, and a flock of dedicated Coordinator
Follow us on Twitter! Suzanne Aldrich
volunteers canvassed downtown Cleveland during early twitter.com/WCAudubon
mornings to search for injured birds. To date, more than Directors-at-Large
Interested in Volunteering? Send an Mary Anne Romito
850 birds have been recovered with just over 300 email to [email protected] Tim Colborn
successfully rehabilitated and released.
Visit our Store to download reports, Newsletter Editor
Volunteers are also collecting important information articles, purchase coffee, renew Kurt Miske
membership, and make donations. Webmaster
associated with each recovered bird at the site of www.wcaudubon.org/store Betsey Merkel
detection, including weather, (Continued next column)

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Making a Better Future for Audubon Chapters in Ohio

Council of Ohio Audubon Chapters (COAC). Ever hear of it? Its a real organization and its alive again. Its
mission is to share best practices among Ohio chapters through workshops. WCAS members initiated a
workshop in Parma, Ohio on Oct. 1, 2017. Six chapters attended and we got a lot accomplished! During the
meeting we discussed programming, projects, and ways to gain support for them. The next workshop will be
hosted by the Firelands Audubon Society in March 2018, and will discuss membership involvement and
fundraising. To participate or for more information, email i [email protected]

Bird-Friendly Coffee: Did You Know?

By the time you drink your next cup of conventional coffee, acres of tropical forest will be lost. This includes the
birds and wildlife that depend on it. Bird Friendly coffee plantations play a key role in the conservation of our
global environment and provide sanctuary for migratory birds. How can you help? Take the challenge! Order a
Bird Friendly coffee today and try it for one month. For just a few dollars more a bag, youll be preserving bird
habitat, supporting conservation efforts, sustainable farming and drinking good coffee. Purchase Coffee
online at https://goo.gl/HcbbBi or contact [email protected] at (440) 465-6612. Place orders by
the 10th of every month.

Shop today at AmazonSmile and designate Western Cuyahoga

Audubon as your charitable organization of choice. When customers
shop on AmazonSmile (smile.amazon.com), the AmazonSmile
Foundation will donate 0.5% of the price of eligible purchases to the
charitable organization selected by the customer.