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Blackbrook Audubon History
Blackbrook Audubon
Society Mission:
Blackbrook Audubon Society promotes conservation and
restoration of ecosystems with emphasis on birds and habitat
through education and advocacy within Ohio's Ashtabula, Lake
and Geauga counties and adjacent communities.
Join Blackbrook Audubon Society
Join National Audubon Society
Toner
Cartridge Recycle Program
Blackbrook
Audubon continues to collect used inkjet and
laser toner cartridges to recycle. The
cartridges we need have a manufacturer’s
name on them and have not been previously
recycled. Anything that says
“compatible with” or “not OEM” are not
acceptable.
Please bring
your used cartridges to any Blackbrook
program, bird walk or field trip. We
collect these until we have a minimum of 25
to ship to Collect, Inc. We appreciate
the opportunity to turn “trash into cash” to
benefit Blackbrook’s mission of conservation
and education.
If you have
any questions, please contact Mary Ann
Wagner at maryannelizebeth@aol.com.
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Meetings/Field
Trips/Member Sightings
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Try out the new
Blackbrook Audubon Society Blog!
It's a great place
to share your experiences and photos with other enthusiasts!
Blackbrook Blog
Blackbrook Audubon
Society
Meeting Schedule - 2009-2010
Upcoming Meetings/Fieldtrips/Activities
Click Here for printable Meeting Flyer
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Field Trip: -6:30 a.m.
Conneaut Harbor
For more information, call Jim
440-257-2507
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Program Meeting: – 7:00 p.m.
West Woods Nature Center
Newbury/Russell Township
Andy Jones -“Dead Birds Tell No
Tales”
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Field Trip: -8:00 a.m.
Headlands State Park
For more information, call Jim
440-257-2507
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Field Trip: - 8:00 a.m.
Presque Isle State Park
For more information, call Jim
440-257-2507
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Program Meeting: – 7:00 p.m.
Penitentiary Glen Nature Center
Lake Metroparks Kirtland, OH
Ann Bugeda– “Belize”
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Field Trip: - 8:30 a.m.
Perry Township Park / Arcola Creek
For more information, call
440-257-2507
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Program Meeting: – 7:00 p.m.
The Holden Arboretum, Kirtland, OH
Mike Watson—”Bluebirds”
December 2009
Christmas Bird Count
Check website or call Anders at
440-257-7611 for more information
IBA Monitoring Continues
Blackbrook will hold monthly important bird monitoring
walks at Holden’s Strong Acres (8859 Kirtland-Chardon
Rd.) the second and fourth Sunday at 8:00am and the
third Wednesday at 7:00pm of every month. The drive is
the first left after Booth Rd. Park at the Red Barn. All
skill levels welcome.
Strong Acres Bird Walk Checklist
Strong Acres Trail
Map
All programs are free and open to the public.
Everyone is welcomed!
Check out the
Photo Gallery
On May 10th,
2009 Roger Beuck snapped a picture of this perching Green
Heron at Chagrin River Park.
Roger Beuck photographed
these two pictures of a Prothonotary Warbler at Veteran's
Park during the I.B.A. walk on April 26, 2009.
.JPG)
.JPG)
Sally
Isacco, Chardon Ohio, snapped some great photos in her back
yard April 21, 2009 of a White-Throated Sparrow, Pine
Warbler, Female and Male Purple Finches and a Rufous-Sided
Towhee.
White-Throated Sparrow
Pine Warbler
Purple Finch - Female
Purple Finch - Male
Rufous-Sided Towhee
Barbara Savage
March 15, 2009 -
We're HOOTING and whooping
for joy as after last year's screech owl drought in our
yard, this little rufus has turned up (as of this morning.)
We are keeping our fingers crossed that he/she will make
this permanent.
On a hike with
her great nephew, Sally Isacco observed the three
woodpeckers
(Hairy, Downy and Pileated) above at North Chagrin
Reservation on February 15th.
This White-Winged Crossbill is one of about six individuals
at the Nature Realm today 1-22-09. They prefer the
Douglas Firs right across from the visitor center which is
closed due to construction. Sally Isacco,
Chardon
News and Views
by
Anders Fjeldstadt
I. OSPREY PLATFORM in
Mentor Marsh
In the coming winter months, you might be driving along the
road west of the entrance to Mentor Headlands State Park
(“Headlands Road”) and as you driver on the bridge over
Shipman Pond (that’s the big pond in Mentor Marsh) you just
might notice an OSPREY PLATFORM!
Yes, after a number of years with a number of us in
Blackbrook Audubon wishin' and hopin' for an Osprey Platform
there, it is finally going to happen! A local Boy
Scout ( Matt Vendeville from Perry ) has assembled a
Osprey Nesting Platform and will be putting it on a tall
wooden pole out on the east side of Shipman Pond. Though we
in Blackbrook Audubon gave him a little help, some other
local folks (notable from Mentor Marsh, the State of Ohio,
and the Cleveland Museum of Natural History) also lent a
hand. By the time you read this, there could be articles in
the local papers and perhaps on the websites of ODNR and the
Museum. In any case, we'll have an expansive article about
Ospreys and Osprey Platforms in the next issue of this
newsletter.
II. Spreading the Words
about Birds ( & Nature & Ecology & etc. )
A few weeks ago I went to my Doctor for my annual checkup.
Well, he was running ' a few minutes late' and I had failed
to bring even a newspaper with me (my usual practice).
So here I was in the Doctors Office with time to spare.
Nothing to do but to amble over to the stack of year-old (or
more) magazines to see if I could find one I'd be interested
enough to read. Well, all the magazines were either
Golf Magazines (an activity I have less than zero interest
in) OR the ubiquitous 'Women's Magazines' (not much more
interest there either). Aarrggg ....
Later that day I was home collecting several months worth of
"Audubon", "Bird Watcher's
Digest”,
and a few other magazines we get in order to pass them along
to a few family members and friends and take the rest to the
metal Recycling Dumpster at the local Metropark.
And, just like in the cartoons, a Light Bulb went off in
my head. Why, I should have taken a few of these
Magazines to the Doctor's Office! Imagine if you
and I were to leave one or two old copies of "Audubon"
or
"Bird Watcher's Digest" or some other nature
or birding magazines (copies that you weren't using anymore
and were trying to get rid of!) in the offices of your
Doctor or your Dentist, the Barber or the Beauty Shop, the
Optometrist or your Veterinarian, or any and all of the
other Waiting Rooms you end up waiting in!
Now imagine, if you will, hundreds and thousands (well,
maybe not thousands!) of people introduced to the
wonders of Nature and the joys of Bird Watching and the
incredible Idea that maybe, just maybe, we should do a
little ‘Something’ to keep our Water clean, our Air
breathable, our Birds alive and flying, and our Wildlife
living and breathing! What an easy way to Spread the
Word about Birds!
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Blackbrook Audubon Society
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FROM
the DESK of the PRESIDENT
by
Becky Thompson
btkingfisher@yahoo.com
Happy Spring! Spring is my favorite season. I think
because it is a time for new growth and new adventures.
One of the new adventures this year Blackbrook will be
undertaking is a new location for our IBA monitoring
walks. Starting in May we will be monitoring The Holden
Arboretum which was dedicated as an Important Bird Area
in 2004. Holden is one of my favorite places to bird
watch in Northeast Ohio because of the diversity in
habitats. We will be monitoring every second and fourth
Sunday from May 2009 – April 10 at 8:00 AM. In addition
in the warmer months we will be monitoring every third
Wednesday at 7:00 PM. No experience is necessary, and
admission is waved for all people helping with the bird
walks. One of the exciting parts of the walks during the
summer will be the opportunity to regularly see and hear
field nesting birds like Bobolink, Eastern Meadowlark
and field nesting sparrows. Much of the trail
encompasses the Strong Acre fields off Kirtland-Chardon
Rd. This area was used by Holden to display tree
collection however for many reason the trees have not
done well is the area. A new plan is being put together
to manage Strong Acre. Our bird observations may
directly impact the decisions that are made about the
land. I look forward to seeing many of you once, if not
more, at Holden for the bird walk!
Blackbrook Audubon
Society
Fund Raiser
Help support the
Blackbrook Audubon
Society with your
NEW subscription to
Bird Watcher’s Digest!
Each NEW subscription
sold at just $19.99 (1 year/6 issues) earns $10 for the
Blackbrook Audubon Society.
Click here for form or click the link below to subscribe
online.
Bird Watcher Digest Subscription
Interested in Birding?
Looking to volunteer?
We are a local chapter of the National Audubon Society.
Program meetings are the the third Tuesday of the month. Field
trips are usually held on the third weekend.
Blackbrook
Audubon depends on volunteers to help us carry out our
mission.
To Volunteer contact:
BLACKBROOK AUDUBON SOCIETY
PO Box 1306
Mentor, OH
44061-1306
Email:
blackbrookaud@aol.com
or call
Becky Thompson
President of Blackbrook Audubon Society
440-488-1162
Project FeederWatch
Project
FeederWatch Benefits Birds and People Connection with nature
promotes wellness
Ithaca, NY-More than 100 studies have shown that getting
closer to nature reduces stress and promotes a feeling of
well-being in children and adults. So , filling feeders and
counting the birds that visit may be just what the doctor
ordered! For more than 20 years, that’s what participants in
the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s Project FeederWatch have
been doing-benefitting themselves and the birds.
Continued here...
Take Your
Birding to the Next Level
with “Inside Birding”
It’s May, perhaps bird watching’s
biggest month, as millions of birds return from the tropics,
filling the Northern Hemisphere with summer’s full array of
birds. It’s a great time to go bird watching, and Chris Wood
and Jessie Barry from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology are
inviting you to go out with them—in a new free series of web
videos, “Inside
Birding.”
Jessie and
Chris share their tips, tools, and techniques for
identifying birds with confidence—whether you’re new to
birding or seeking to hone your skills. In the first four
episodes, learn the secrets of the “four keys” to bird
identification. Join Chris and Jessie in the field as they
practice using size and shape to identify common
birds. Learn how to use color pattern and
behavior for critical clues about a bird’s identity.
And travel with Chris and Jessie to the swam ng. Enhance
your bird knowledge by visiting our popular Bird Guide, with
more than 500 species profiles, new photo ID tools, cool
facts, sounds, and video. Peruse the Living Bird section for
articles about travel, science, and conservation. Practice
using the four keys to identification or sharpen your
knowledge about Songs and Calls in the Building Skills
section. Check out the Multimedia theater to watch videos
about birds from the Arctic, coasts, and grasslands—or learn
more about attracting birds right to your own yard.
We hope
you’ll bookmark your favorite pages and visit often. Enjoy
the birds!
Your friends at the
Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Hawk Count is
a site dedicated to tracking and reporting of raptor
migrations.
Check it out!
http://www.hawkcount.org/
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