We will meet at the RTA Westlake Park-n-Ride, at 24800 Sperry Dr. in Westlake. This is the same west-side Park-n-Ride used for some of the Metroparks Magee trips.  It is located north of the Columbia/Detroit Rd. intersection, and just north of I-90 in Westlake.  If you are driving via I-90, exit at Columbia Rd. and go north. Sperry Dr. is on the right very close to I-90. There is another driveway leading to the Park-n-Ride just north of Sperry Rd.

Map and directions are at: http://www.wcasohio.org/sandy_ridge_reservation.htm

Friday, December 30, 2011 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/.

Saturday, January 28, 2012 at 4 p.m.

Lake-to-Lake Trail, Lake Abram, Berea, Ohio
Leader: Terri Martincic

Target: Owls and roosting flocks of winter residents

Meet at the Lake Abram/Eastland Road end of the Cleveland Metroparks Lake to Lake Trail. Wintering birds flock and roost in good numbers here.  We will bird from 4 p.m. until past dusk in order to find owls.  Terri Martincic will be our leader.

Map and directions http://www.wcasohio.org/lake_abrams_to_lake_isaac_trail.htm

Saturday, February 18, 2012 8 a.m.
Field Trip: Gulls and Waterfowl

Leader: Craig Caldwell

Meet at RTA Park-n-Ride lot, Sperry Rd., north of I-90 off Columbia Rd. Westlake, Ohio.

Winter in Cleveland means Gulls and Waterfowl all along the Lake Erie shore.  Bring a scope if you have one, and dress for icy blasts off the lake. We will visit the current winter “hot”spots. Craig Caldwell will lead.

We will meet at the RTA Park-and-Ride lot at 24800 Sperry Dr. in Westlake, OH. It is north of the intersection of Columbia and Detroit Roads, and also just north of I-90. It is the same one used for some of the Metroparks Magee trips.  Participants may carpool from the RTA lot.

If you are driving via I-90, exit at Columbia Rd. and go north. Sperry Dr. is on the right very close to I-90. Turn right on Sperry and drive a short distance. The RTA lot will be on the left.

From Columbia, There is another driveway leading to the Park-n-Ride just north of Sperry Rd.

If you are taking I-480, exit at Great Northern Blvd. going north.  Follow Great Northern to Lorain Rd. Turn right (east) on Lorain Rd. Turn left (north) on Columbia Rd.  Follow Columbia past I-90 and turn right on Sperry Dr. Drive a short distance. The entrance to the RTA lot will be on the left.

A map is at: http://www.mapquest.com/?version=1.0&hk=9-jOL6M5Y5

Saturday, March 10, 2011 10:00 am - dusk
Killdeer Plains
Leader Tim Colburn

Car pool leaves at 7:30 a.m. (see below)

Leader: Tim Colborn

Target Species: Raptors, owls, winter finches, sparrows, waterfowl, and Northern Shrike

Killdeer Plains is about 125 miles from Cleveland.  Allow 2:30 hours of drive time each way. We will meet at in Upper Sandusky at McDonald's on East Wyandot Ave. (Just off U.S. Rte. 30) at 10 a.m. on Saturday, March 10, 2012, and follow the leader 8 miles to Killdeer Plains Wildlife Area.  We will break for lunch so bring food and snacks or plan to get lunch in Upper Sandusky.

Due to the distance from Cleveland, this will be part of our Carbon Offset project. (Click this link for more info, or see info at bottom of page.)  You can donate for habitat preservation based on your mileage.

Car-pooling is encouraged! If you can take a passenger or two in your car,  it will be much appreciated.  If you would like to car-pool (as driver or passenger) please contact Penny O'Connor (216)676-4859 or e-mail pjo@earthlink.net.  Car pool will leave at about 7:30 a.m. from RTA Park and Ride lot at 5575 Great Northern Blvd. North Olmsted, OH 44070 (by I-480 and Great Northern)

Directions to Upper Sandusky McDonald's: Take I-71 to Exit 176 U.S. 30 West toward Mansfield/MidOhio.  Follow U.S. 30 west for 47.2 miles to the E. Wyandot Ave./CH330 exit in Upper Sandusky. Turn left as you exit and watch for McDonald's on the right.

General directions and maps to Killdeer Plains Wildlife Area are at: http://www.wcasohio.org/killdeer_plains_map.htm

Sunday, March 25, 2012 at 8:30 a.m.
Birding at Huntington with Lake Erie Nature and Science Center

Leaders: Mary Anne Romito & Gabe Leidy

Meet at Lake Erie Nature and Science Center, 28728 Wolf Rd. Bay Village, OH 44140 

Head out to Huntington Reservation for a bird walk! The hike will begin at the Center and take us to the Lake Erie shore. Mary Anne Romito and Gabe Leidy from Western Cuyahoga Audubon Society will be our guides. Target species will be: Woodpeckers, Barred Owls, migrating waterfowl and gulls. Following the hike, be inspired by close encounters with the Lake Erie Nature and Science Center resident owl population. 

Saturday, April 21, 2012 8:00 am
Riverside Cemetery

Spring Migrants

Leader: Mary Anne Romito

Join us April 21 at historic Riverside Cemetery, off Pearl Rd. in Cleveland’s Brooklyn Centre neighborhood.  Riverside Cemetery, founded 1876, is 90 tree-lined acres, overlooking the Cuyahoga Valley. Mary Anne Romito will lead.

Riverside Cemetery is located west of downtown Cleveland at Pearl Road and I-71 exit 245.  We will meet near the cemetery office, by the entrance at 3607 Pearl Road Cleveland, Ohio  44109.

Map and directions can be found at: http://www.wcasohio.org/Riverside_and_WestPark_Cemetaries.htm

In April & May,

Audubon Spring Bird Walks (The Spring Bird Walks will occur on the last three Sundays in April and the first 3 Sundays in May)

See the spring migrants during the Audubon spring bird walks. The walks will be held each Sunday from April 15 to May 20, 2012, at 7:30 a.m. A full list of  locations can be found on our web site:  www.wcasohio.org/spring_bird_walks.htm

The following is a partial list of local walks: Lake Isaac in Middleburg Hts. Hinckley Reservation at bridge on State Rd. CanalWay Center in Cuyahoga Hts. Rocky River Nature Center, North Olmsted, Station Rd. Bridge Trailhead, Brecksville. To see a complete listing of all the walks click on this link. Sunday Audubon bird walks.

For all birders, this is a wonderful opportunity to sample the waves of birds moving through some of the top birding spots around Cleveland. New birders, be sure to be out on each of these six Sundays.  It is a great way to start birding.

Audubon Society of Greater Cleveland conducts these walks in cooperation with the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, local park districts and the Holden Arboretum.  Walks are led by expert volunteersm from Western Cuyahoga Audubon Society and other local birding groups. The walks are free to all. 

Carbon Offset WCAS Project

It has been said that if you drive 100 miles to see a rare bird, and you can actually identify that bird, you are a true birder!  Since we love traveling to look for birds, but at the same time, we care about our environment, Western Cuyahoga Audubon offers a way to offset the carbon impact of some of this driving. It is the Carbon Offset WCAS Project, modeled on the effort launched at the 2011 Midwest Birding Symposium.

Here is how it works: Any time we have a field trip where more than 100 miles of travel may be involved (Think Killdeer Plains or Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge) participants may voluntarily contribute to a fund, based on mileage.  Monies generated by carbon offset will go toward habitat preservation in our Rocky River Important Bird Area, or in another area of local interest.

While there are many carbon offset models and calculators, we offer a simple formula.

Compact car: driver only - 10 cents per mile, additional passengers 5 cents each per mile. Multiply these amounts by the total miles and divide by 10.

Mid-sized car: driver only - 20 cents per mile, additional passengers 10 cents per mile. Multiply these amounts by the total miles and divide by 10.

Truck or larger van: driver only - 25 cents per mile, additional passengers 15 cents per mile. Multiply these amounts by the total miles and divide by 10.

For example, if I drive to Killdeer Plains, the round trip will be 250 miles. I usually have two passengers, so I will figure 10 plus 5 plus 5 cents per mile for a total of 20 cents per mile. Twenty times 250 divided by 10 equals 500, so I will put in $5.00 for carbon offset.  Note that rounding to the nearest 50 miles when calculating your trip distance may produce an easier payment amount.

This is completely voluntarily, just another way to help, and of course any donation to the fund is welcome.

You may use this handy form to accompany your donation.