I got off my bus this afternoon at about 6:00pm and began walking north on Walter Road in North Olmsted.  Within a minute I noticed a large bird flying fairly high in the sky but with relatively slow wingbeats.  I dismissed my first thought (Great Blue Heron) and recognized the bird to be a large raptor.  I had read recent reports of Bald Eagle near the airport and that seemed a likely possibility.  I pulled my travel binoculars from my brief case and had the eye cup protectors out as the bird began moving south east.  Just about the time I actually got my glasses on the bird, I realized it was an Osprey.  It continued in the SE direction and began dropping in altitude until it was out of sight, probably somewhere over toward Clague Road.

I suspect the bird had gotten as far north as the lake before turning around as the daylight and thermals were fading.  I've never seen an Osprey anywhere near Cleveland in my 15 years in the area.  How uncommon are these birds in Cuyahoga County?

Good birding.

Tim Colborn
North Olmsted, OH

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