Blackbrook Audubon Society

BLACKBROOK AUDUBON SOCIETY 

PO Box 1306

Mentor, OH 44061-1306  Email: blackbrookaud@aol.com

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Spring 2009

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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.

 

 

 

 

Meetings/Field Trips/Member Sightings

 

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.

 

 

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!

Blackbrook Audubon Society


  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...

 


Cornell Lab of Ornithology

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

 


 

Welcome to Hawkcount

Hawk Count is a site dedicated to tracking and reporting of raptor migrations.

Check it out!

http://www.hawkcount.org/

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