Blackbrook Audubon – Geauga Farm Fields Count

Blackbrook Audubon invites birders of all skill levels on a field trip to Geauga County farm country Saturday, February 19. This will be during the weekend of the Great Backyard Bird Count so we’ll refer to it as the Geauga Farm Fields Count. We’ll meet at Walter C. Best Wildlife Preserve, 11620 Ravenna Rd. Munson Twp., about 2 miles south of Chardon Square at 8:30 a.m. Pull into the parking lot right on Ravenna Road, or 44 South. It’s labeled Best Wildlife Preserve, but is north of the actual park entrance. We’ll provide a rough map of our route when we meet at the Best Preserve lot on Rt. 44.

Our first destination will be the Amish farm fields on Hayes Road, just east of Middlefield. We’ll make a pit stop at Swine Creek Reservation and head down to more fields on Soltis Road south of Parkman. In these open spaces, we hope to find Snow Buntings, Lapland Longspurs and Horned Larks foraging on the ground with Rough-legged Hawks, Northern Harriers and American Kestrels overhead. We may even spot Common Redpolls or the Snowy Owl reported on Hayes Road earlier this month.

Please RSVP blackbrookaud@aol.com so our leader, Deb Schuster, knows how many people are coming.

Blackbrook Audubon covers Ashtabula, Geauga and Lake Counties as the local chapter of National Audubon Society. Follow Blackbrook Audubon Society on Facebook.