Sunday, July 11, 2010, 8 a.m.

Plum Creek Park, Medina County

Trip Leader: Terri Martincic

Target Species: Nesting warblers and other summer residents

Plum Creek Park is located at 2500 Plum Creek Parkway, Brunswick Hills Twp. OH

It is part of the Rocky River West Branch watershed, with both mature forest and meadow habitats. We will be birding to help complete a block of the Ohio Breeding Bird Atlas II, looking for summer residents.

Bring a picnic lunch to enjoy following the bird walk.

Directions to Plum Creek Park, from Cleveland area:

Go south on I-71 to Rte. 303. Go right (west) on 303. Quickly turn left (south) on S. Carpenter Road. Turn right (west) on Sleepy Hollow Road. Then turn left (south) on Plum Creek Pkwy. We'll meet at the second parking lot on the right.

Links to maps:

 Yahoo Maps -

http://maps.yahoo.com/#mvt=m&lat=41.212066&lon=-81.807389&zoom=15&q1=2500%20Plum%20Creek%20Pkwy.%20Brunswick%20Hills%2C%20oh

Mapquest -

http://www.mapquest.com/maps?city=Brunswick&state=OH&address=%5B2200-2399%5D+Plum+Creek+Pkwy&zipcode=44212&country=US&latitude=41.21452&longitude=-81.80741&geocode=BLOCK

Description of the park, with trail map from Medina County Parks.

Saturday, August 14, 2010, 7:00 a.m.

Shorebirding with Tom Bartlett, followed by picnic lunch

Meet at 7 a.m. at Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center. We will travel from the Visitor Center to Tom Bartlett’s shorebird banding area.  We are starting early in order to see the best birds! Tom will decide where to band a bit closer to the date.  Likely spots are Winous Point Conservancy or Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge. Following our field trip, we will join Dave Lewis and Laurie Boylan for a potluck picnic lunch.  Everyone who meets us at 7 a.m. at ONWR will get a map to the banding area and to the picnic spot. Don’t forget to bring food. Important! Chocolate Chip Cookies are much appreciated by Bob the chipmunk.

Map to ONWR:

http://www.wcasohio.org/ottawa_national_wildlife_refuge.htm

Saturday, September 11, 2010, 9 a.m.

Enjoy birds in the Rocky River Important Bird Area

Join us at the Rocky River Nature Center’s Monthly Morning with the Birds. The Rocky River Nature Center is a great spot for woodpeckers and other forest birds. 

Map and Directions:

http://www.wcasohio.org/Rocky_River_Nature_Center.htm

Sunday, October 10, 2010, 8:30 a.m.

Wildwood Park and Villa Angela

Leader:  Mary Anne Romito

Wildwood and Villa Angela are part of Cleveland Lakefront State Park.  Expect waterfowl on the Lake and migrating warblers in the woods and fields above the marina.

Directions to Wildwood / Villa Angela.

Take Shoreway (Rte 2) to East 185^th Street.

Go North on East 185^th Street to Lakeshore Blvd.

Go West (left) on Lakeshore.

Lakeshore curves, then passes over Euclid Creek.  Watch on right for the driveway to the park, just after crossing Euclid Creek.  Follow the park drive north to Lake Erie.  Park by creek. 

Map and Directions: http://www.wcasohio.org/wildwood_park.htm

Sunday, December 26, 2010 is the date of our chapter’s Christmas Bird Count.

Our count is part of a three-week, nationwide effort to monitor trends in bird populations. We cover a fifteen-mile diameter circle centered in Lakewood. If  you wish to participate in the count, contact Nancy Howell at (216) 231-4600 ext 3225 (work), (440) 891-1710 (home) or e-mail nhowell@cmnh.org.

You may also monitor you own feeders at home if your home is within the count circle. Contact Nancy Howell if you have questions about the count circle.

We will take a break for a chili feast at 12:30 PM at the Rocky River Nature Center to begin tabulating our species list. Some may choose to go out afterward to get the species we have missed.

We are looking for extra help this year to cover areas which are not always covered and to cover areas where we are short handed. Please contact Nancy Howell at (216) 231-4600 ext 3225 (work), (440) 891-1710 (home) or e-mail nhowell@cmnh.org to help out.

We are also looking for people to bring chili, desserts, etc to our dinner. Again, call Nancy.

The participant fee for the Christmas Bird Count remains the same; $5.00 per field observer aged 19 and older. Participants who pay the fee receive a personal copy of the American Birds - Christmas Bird Count after it is published next year.

The Christmas Bird Count publication is a compilation of this year's Christmas Bird Count for North and South America. This publication is a $25 value. Last year's issue can be obtained through National Audubon's website at http://www.audubon.org/bird/cbc/ if you were not a participant last year.

More information about Christmas Bird Counts, including results of all the counts done in North and South America can be found at http://www.audubon.org/bird/cbc/.

Dike 14, Cleveland, OH

Leader: Nancy Howell

Target Species: Northern owls and other raptors, winter residents, gulls, and waterfowl

Don’t miss this unusual opportunity for a winter visit to Dike 14, the 88-acre wild Important Bird Area just east of downtown Cleveland. January is a great time to bird for northern species on the lakefront. In past years some interesting sightings have turned up near Dike 14, including a Saw-whet Owl.

The trails on Dike 14 are unimproved. Be prepared for uneven terrain and some small hills. Be sure to dress for the weather. There are no facilities inside the fence, though there are porta-potties in the parking lot.

Read more about Dike 14:

http://www.dike14.org/

To get to Dike 14, take I 90 to Martin Luther King Blvd. Turn North on Martin Lutheran King Blvd, then left (or West) on N Marginal Rd. Turn right in the Cleveland Lakefront State Park - Gordon Boat Ramp parking area. Park in the far northeast end of the parking lot. This is the end of the parking lot closest to the gate that surrounds Dike 14.

 Map to Dike 14:

http://www.wcasohio.org/dike_14.htm

 In April & May,

Be sure to join Audubon Spring Bird Walks. See above. To see a complete listing of all the walks click on this link. Sunday Audubon bird walks. The Spring Bird Walks will occur on the last three Sundays in April and the first 3 Sundays in May.

June Picnic 2011
Tuesday, June 7 at 6:00 PM (no rain will fall this evening!)

Summer Picnic and Plant Exchange

Join us for our Summer Picnic at Bonnie Park Picnic Shelter in Strongsville, about   mile east of Pearl Rd. (Rt. 42) on Valley Parkway in the Metroparks. Bring your own dinner. WCAS will provide the charcoal fire for cooking. We will follow the dinner with a bird walk.

We will also have our  annual plant exchange so please bring any orphan plants, seeds, bulbs, cuttings (outdoor or indoor plants are welcome) to share.