News, Photos and Videos

The Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC)

The Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) took off at a record-setting pace this year. As of this writing an incredible 95,480 checklists were submitted reporting 611 species of birds and over 16 million individual bird observations. Of particular note was the snowy owl, observed in 628 reports. The most seen in any previous year was 237. (Those must be some backyards.) To get more info on the count—numbers, maps, pictures, etc.—have a look at www.birdsource.org/gbbc.

2011 Christmas Bird Count Results

The 2011 Willoughby area Christmas Bird Count took place on Saturday, 12/17/2011. It was the mildest weather day we've experienced for this annual effort in a long time. Fourteen folks canvassed the parks, neighborhoods, and green areas of Willoughby plus we had 3 counts from very active feeders. 33 different species were spotted with a total of 576 individuals. The most common species (not counting starlings, pigeons, or house sparrows) were cardinals, blue jays, and black-capped chickadees.  Species of note that were sighted included bald eagle, American kestrel, eastern screech owl, brown creeper, Carolina wren, eastern towhee, and white-throated sparrows.

Lake Metropark's Gully Brook Park Now Open!

Lake Metroparks held the grand opening dedication ceremony for the of the new Gully Brook Park on Aug. 13, 2011. It took over 20 plus years for this project to come to volition. Many organization and people were involved in the Gully Brook Park project including the Burroughs Nature Club. Hugh & Gretta Pallister were honored for the there participation along with many others.

Mentor Marsh Fall Hike 1 - Sep. 24, 2011

Becky Donaldson (Mentor Marsh Naturalist) did a great job of leading the participants on a very pleasant stroll through the wood and along the edge of the marsh. Meany birds were heard and seen including a family of wild turkeys that came close a number of times. With this summer and fall being so wet it has been great for the mushrooms. A large variety of colors, shapes and sizes were discovered. (See slideshow below, click on upper left corner of image)