Watching and learning about birds are great ways to stay connected to our natural world. Lake Metroparks encourages the growing pastime of birdwatching through bird walks, birdwatching classes, day trips and eco-trips.
Three of our parks have been designated Important Bird Areas by Audubon Ohio for
their role as breeding areas and places of rest and feeding during migration.
A sample of birds that can be seen at specific parks includes:
Eastern bluebirds, dark-eyed juncos, and American goldfinches year-round
at Penitentiary Glen Reservation
Magnolia warblers, black-throated blue warblers, chestnut-sided warblers,
and yellow warblers at Chagrin River Park during spring and fall migration
Bufflehead ducks, ring-necked ducks, and ruddy ducks at Veterans Park
during winter months
Three of our parks have been designated Important Bird Areas by Audubon Ohio for their role as breeding areas and places of rest and feeding during migration.
The IBA program is Audubon Ohio’s
lead conservation initiative with the goal of identifying key areas throughout the state that are critical to the survival of birds, and promoting the conservation of these areas in order to maintain healthy bird populations. The Blackbrook Audubon Society sponsored the dedications and provided the focus for the recognition.
The Chagrin River forms an integral part of the 64 IBAs that have been identified so far in Ohio. They meet the science-based criteria necessary to qualify as IBAs in Ohio. This IBA forms essential habitat for breeding birds as well as migrating songbirds and as such exhibit excellent Neotropical migrant bird diversity.
IBA sites must meet at least one of the following criteria in order to qualify:
a high concentration of birds; birds associated with a unique habitat; one or more species of high conservation priority; or a long history of bird research.
“Lake Metroparks and the Blackbrook Audubon Society have worked together since the founding of the park district to provide activities which promote a better understanding and appreciation of the abundant natural resources of Northeast Ohio”, says Ann Bugeda, Chief of Interpretation Services for Lake Metroparks. As a dedicated club of bird enthusiasts, the Blackbrook Audubon Society worked diligently in 2006 and 2007 to document the diversity and number of birds using the Chagrin River Park as a migration stopover and potential breed habitat. This information is now part of the permanent record of bird activities at this park.
This recognition celebrates the value of green spaces in our suburban communities and in particular, at this riverside park, where birds and other wildlife can successfully co-exist with our many park users (dog walkers, strollers, joggers.) Chagrin River Park is the most visited of the Lake Metroparks with more than 500,000 using the park annually.
We asked visitors to guess when the first hummingbird would be spotted at Penitentiary Glen Nature Center this spring. The person with the closest guess to the actual date and time that
the first hummer is spotted at the Nature Center won a hummingbird feeding station that includes a feeder, ant trap, UV blocker, book, and a nectar recipe.
The first sighting of hummingbird at the Nature Center this year was on May 13 at 3:40 pm
2010 contest winner: Carolyn Schiavone
Corolyn guessed May 13 at 3:00 pm! Congratulations!
Guess when the first hummingbird will
be spotted at Penitentiary Glen Nature Center this spring. If your guess is closest to the date and time that
the first hummer is spotted at the Nature Center, you will win a hummingbird feeding station that includes a feeder, ant trap, UV blocker, book, and a nectar recipe.
ALL ENTRIES MUST CONTAIN:
Your name, address, phone number, and the date and time that you predict the first hummingbird sighting at Penitentiary Glen.
Note: The Nature Center is open and staffed daily from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm.
The first hummingbird must be witnessed by at least two people, one of which must be a Lake Metroparks employee. The hummingbird feeders will be installed at the Nature Center on April 1, 2010. In general, the first hummingbird arrives at the Nature Center anywhere from mid-April through May.
CONTEST RULES
One entry per person
Entries may be dropped in the box at Penitentiary Glen Nature Center
Or entries may be mailed to:
Hummingbird Contest
Penitentiary Glen Nature Center
8668 Kirtland-Chardon Road
Kirtland, Ohio 44094
All entries must be received by May 1.
No phone call or e-mail entries will be accepted
If the first hummer is
sighted, before May 1, only entries already received will be considered
Lake Metroparks staff and their immediate families are not eligible
Whoever guesses closest to the date and time of the first sighting
wins
In the event of a tie, multiple prizes will be awarded
First sighting in 2009 was at 9:30 am
on Saturday, May 3. 2009
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Guess when the first hummingbird will 
