My boyfriend, Brian McCafferty, and I are fascinated by Cleveland's
industrial landscape, and the fact that despite the dirt and dust and
pollution, it consistently harbors interesting wildlife, so today we cruised
the back roads of the Flats, (as well as a few other neighborhoods) to see
what we could see.

We started at 1:30 p.m. at  the old Sidaway Avenue suspenion bridge off
Kinsman Road over Kingsbury Run, where yesterday Brian spotted an active
Red-Tailed Hawk nest in the supports. Sure enough, one of the pair was on
the nest, utterly unpreturbed by the nasty 'hood around it. We did not see
the mate, but it looks like it will be a successful site for these two.

Heading into the Tremont side of the flats, we found a great big mud
puddle/mudflat along the river, behind chain-link fencing at the dead end of
Jefferson Ave. There was a large flock of RB Gulls hanging out, but I was
convinced I could find a shorebird or two mixed in, and I sure did. Working
the edges of the pool was a single WESTERN SANDPIPER. I'm not an expert on
the peeps, but this was unmistakable. The bird's bill was far too long to be
a Semipalmated, and the coloring was wrong for a Dunlin. If you want
directions to try and relocate this one, e-mail me off-list. I doubt it will
stick around long, however, given the ephemeral nature of its feeding
ground.

A little downriver, we found another mudpuddle/flat on another dead end. On
a nameless street, off Mahoning Ave, behind Cleveland's legendary punk-rock
hangout, Pat's in the Flats, there was quite a collection of birds -- mostly
the expected gulls, geese and a Killdeer, but at the back end of the puddle,
Brian spotted something different. I got the scope on it and found myself
looking at a BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER. I know they're pretty common migrants at
this time of year, but it was cool to find one right in the heart of the
city. If you go looking for this one, a word of caution: The road here his
incredibly rutted and potholed, and criss-crossed by railroad tracks -- make
sure your suspension can handle it, and drive with caution.

Elsewhere...

At Collision Bend, behind the Tower City Amphitheater:
Great Blue Heron: 2
Spotted Sandpiper: 1

At Merwin Avenue:
Black-Crowned Night-Heron: 5

We also hit Whiskey Island, but conditions were far too windy for our
unprepared, jacket-less limbs to deal with.

Sick of wind, we hit Elmwood Park in Rocky River, where we were unable to
relocate the Scarlet Tanager reported earlier this week. We did see a pair
of White-Breasted Nuthatches and a Chipping Sparrow, but nothing
particularly notable otherwise.

Not bad for an industrial wasteland. While you are unlikely to find
spectacular numbers of anything (save for the gulls) in the city, you can
and will be rewarded with some great, solitary surprises.

-Leslie Basalla
Cleveland urban birder

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