Time to get outdoors and welcome our migrants back home
Want to get in on the enjoyment, excitement, fascination and joyful outdoor recreation that watching birds has to offer? Once relegated to the domain of eccentrics, bird watching now ranks among one of the most popular pastimes in America, and Geauga Park District is eager to help you make the connection.
Continuing a Greater Cleveland tradition since 1933, the Annual Spring Bird Walk Series returns for six walks throughout April and May.
- April 13 at Burton Wetlands Nature Preserve
- April 20 at Frohring Meadows
- April 27 at The Rookery
- May 4 at Eldon Russell Park
- May 11 at Big Creek Park
- May 18 at Swine Creek Reservation
All are Sundays from 7:30 to 9:30 a.m. and among Nature’s Not to Be Missed opportunities.
Located where there is the best bet for birds at each particular stage in migration, these walks connect experienced bird watchers with novices of all ages for bird observation, identification, and interpretation. Said Senior Naturalist Dan Best, who hosts, “This is a great way to enjoy birds in the company of friendly folks as well as a marvelous means to experience the splendors of spring in your parks.”
For those newly interested in birding, Dan will host a Bird Walk for Beginning Birders on Sunday, May 4, from 1 to 3 p.m. at Eldon Russell Park, providing assistance with binocular use, recommendations for choosing a bird guide, sources of regional birding resources, guided observation and tips for identification.
Another excellent opportunity to spot a diversity of birds will be the Spring Bird Sit on Saturday, May 17, at a select location within Eldon Russell Park. Drop in any time 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and follow the signs to sit a spell with a naturalist and help tally the spring bird life at this park.
Finally, there’s a lot more that goes into bird migration than most of us realize.
“A visit to Central or South America will cost several thousand dollars in airfare, hotels, food and souvenirs, which prevents many of us from taking a vacation there,” said Naturalist Dan. “For some five billion individual birds, though, an annual trip to these continents is an absolute requirement, and a stunning accomplishment.”
These birds, weighing less than your pocket change, hatch in the boreal forest, eat as many insects as possible, and just weeks later find themselves within a tropical forest that is home to competitors and predators they have never seen before – if they survive the journey, of course.
Why do birds undertake this costly annual trip? How do they find their way?
Join Cleveland Museum of Natural History Ornithologist and Director of Science Andy Jones, PhD, for a discussion of Avian Olympics: Bird Migration Explained on Wednesday, April 23, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at The West Woods Nature Center.
For outdoor programs, please dress for the weather and bring a bird guide if you have one. Registration is not required for any of the above mentioned. Park addresses can be found on the website. Call 440-286-9516 with questions.
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