The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Birding program educates patrons
It doesn’t take a scientific degree to be a birder.
Just ask Geauga Park District naturalist Linda Gilbert, who gave a presentation Nov. 12 called “Armchair Birding,” which is geared toward the fact that we can all enjoy Northeast Ohio’s avian population without having to venture out into the elements.
When asked what people tend to like about the hourand-a-half program, which is capped off with a birdwatching session courtesy of the West Woods Nature Center’s outdoor feeding station and two-story plateglass windows, she said they seem to like the warmth, especially this time of year.
“I think (they like) just the fact that you can enjoy nature from the comfort and warmth of your own home,” she said following the program. “You don’t have to be out in the cold to appreciate all these species.”
During about an hourlong slide — and sound presentation during which she shares views and video from her own back-yard bird-feeding fixtures, Gilbert enlightens the crowd about more than just the birds who call Ohio home. She also shows and tells about the varieties who don’t hang around the Buckeye State each end every year, yet do pay periodic visits.
She calls these “Northern Visitors” during the show. They include species more common in northern states and Canada this time of like the red breasted nuthatch, the American tree sparrow, purple finch and pine siskin, all of which winter here during irruptions, or “dramatic, irregular migration of large numbers of birds to areas where they aren’t typically found, possibly at a great distance from their normal ranges,” according to thespruce.com.
Besides enlightening the crowd of some 20 armchair birders about dozens of species, both residents and visitors, she also used the event as an opportunity to introduce those in attendance to several interactive, studies in which citizen scientists may partake to help researchers learn more about these species’ migratory and other behaviors.
That’s something Chester Township native Sonia Aggarwal, now an Oakland, Calif. resident, said she appreciated about the event.
“I really liked the participatory science parts (of the program),” she said after Gilbert’s presentation. “You can really do it and contribute to something scientific. I like that.”
She said she also appreciated Gilbert’s gusto.
“I think it’s really nice that they do this for the community and I think it was great to watch (Gilbert’s) presentation. It was fun to hear her enthusiasm for birds and it inspires me to pay more attention to what’s going on outside.”
Her mom, Chester Township resident Karen Blackburn, agreed, adding that she appreciated the multimedia aspect of Gilbert’s talk and how it incorporated audio examples of different birds’ calls, photos and even video.
“I like how she incorporated different pieces of technology,” Blackburn said. “I liked that we got to see the different species and actually hear their sounds. I thought that was really neat.”
As the crowd dispersed into the nature center’s lobby and began doing some birding of their own, another pair of Chester Township residents agreed it was a worthwhile experience and they learned a thing or two.
“It was just nice to see the different varieties of birds,” said Bill Roth who, along with wife, Laurie, brought mother-in-law Joanne Chambers — a Newbury Township resident — to the event. “I mean, I can
identify a cardinal and a blue jay. But it was nice to get to see all these other species I normally wouldn’t be able to name.”
Chambers said she learned a thing or two, herself.
“I think this is nice,” she said. “I have a bird feeder out my window, myself. I learned about some of those birds I see out there.”
Chambers said although she has a reference book on birding, she enjoyed Gilbert’s presentation.
Her daughter and son-inlaw added that they’d like to put up some more bird feeders, themselves, after seeing Gilbert’s presentation.
“One thing we’ve gotten really good at is feeding the squirrels,” Bill said as he admired one of the squirrel shields on a feeder just beyond the nature center’s windows.
Along with educating the crowd about the different species — native and otherwise — that can be found around Northeast Ohio heading into winter, Gilbert pointed them toward a few citizen-scientist project web sites, like Cornell University’s Project Feeder-Watch, for which folks can sign up and count birds at their own feeders to help scientists who study them. Then there’s ebird.org, another Cornell University project which track’s birds’ patterns and behavior, and the National Audubon Society’s Christmas Bird Count, which takes place Dec. 31 2017.
Gilbert added that Burton will participate in the Christmas Bird Count this year and she’ll be in charge of all the stats.