Hey Ohio Birders,

    Two weeks ago, more than 115 birders from across the state converged on 
Eastlake, Ohio for the Ohio Ornithological Society’s Sixth Annual Conference 
the weekend of October 8-10. Excellent weather and fantastic birds combined 
for a memorable weekend.  Many attendees chalked up “life-birds” including 
coveted Le Conte’s and Nelson’s Sparrows, Orange-crowned Warbler, and 
Northern Saw-whet Owl.  Funds were raised for two causes: one local and one 
national. Locally, the Smart Light-Safe Light initiative from the Cleveland 
Museum of Natural History which promotes reduction of dangerous nighttime 
illumination of tall buildings during peak migratory times: nationally, the 
American Birding Association’s Gulf Coast Relief Fund to further long-term 
field studies of the impact of the oil gusher.

     Nearly 115 species of birds were observed during weekend conference 
birding excursions.  Weekend field trip sites included Conneaut Harbor, Dike 
14, Headlands Beach State Park, Wake Robin Trail, and a Lake Erie Pelagic 
Tour: no rare birds on the open waters of Lake Erie, but we glassed a lot of 
Bonaparte’s Gulls!  Also, a Sunday-only trip to Wildwood/Villa Angela was 
hosted by the good folks from Western Cuyahoga Audubon Society.  

     On Saturday, long satisfying looks at an openly perched Le Conte’s at 
Headlands Beach State Park allowed field trip participants to study the 
birds’ subtle beauty on field trip co-led by Larry Rosche, Jen Brumfield, 
Drs. Dave and Jill Russell, and Judy Semroc.  A Nelson’s Sparrow taunted at 
Wake Robin but rewarded patient observers. Conneaut Harbor yielded American 
Golden Plovers, White-rumped Sandpipers, Sanderlings, and more.   On Sunday, 
a Northern Saw-whet Owl was found by a local birder at Headlands SP who 
shared the find with grateful conference attendees. On land, it seemed like 
Yellow-rumped Warblers, as well as Golden and Ruby-crowned Kinglets adorned 
nearly every branch. On the water, abundant gulls of predictable species 
were found, but no rarities. Overhead in the darkness, the night flight 
calls of migratory birds were impressive.

     Even if the birds and weather had not cooperated, the speakers at the 
conference could have carried the weekend! Friday evening, the “dean” of 
Cleveland birding, Larry Rosche, entertained and educated with an overview 
of rare birds that have passed through the Cleveland area: 373 species are 
on record with an average of 280 species recorded per year.  Rosche regaled 
with tales of what started out as an ordinary day of birding but finished 
with being at the wrong end of a law enforcement gun.  He shared the tale of 
“Little Orphan Ani” an out-of-range Thanksgiving Smooth-billed Ani in 1993 
courtesy of a cat-kill, the Boreal Owl found on a porch in the spring of 
1997, and the first documentation of Sabine’s Gull molt courtesy of a much-
studied overwintering bird. Also on Friday evening, Bert Szabo, age 89, who 
still recalls his first bird (a wren) at age four, was honored for his 85 
years of birding.

     Saturday afternoon, three speakers graced the podium. Harvey Webster, 
the Director of Wildlife Services at the Cleveland Museum of Natural 
History, spoke on the Smart Light-Safe Flight initiative: special thanks to 
Harvey for delaying his vacation to speak to our group!  John Pogacnik, Lake 
County Metroparks Natural Areas Specialist, presented a talk on sparrow 
identification.  Dr. Andy Jones of CMNH, shared mysteries of migration with 
an overview of the annual journey some five billion songbirds undertake 
between North and Central/South America. 

    Additional kudos to John and Andy for doubling as field trip leaders in 
the mornings! Many thanks to ALL field trip leaders including Tom Bain, Dana 
Bollin, Jen Brumfield, Craig Caldwell, Craig Holt, Andy Jones, Gabe Leidy, 
Jim McCormac, John Pogacnik, Mary Anne Romito, Larry Rosche, Jill and Dave 
Russell, Judy Semroc, Ben Warner as well as ALL field trip participants who 
enjoyed the bounty of Cleveland-area birds.

     Saturday evening, ABA Gulf Coast Coordinator Drew Wheelan shared a 
heavy-hearted presentation of life in the aftermath of the oil spill. He had 
disturbing images of once-pristine but never-cleaned nor never-barricaded 
areas drenched in oil. OOS, as well as birders and conservationists across 
the US, wish Drew success with his ongoing dedication to speaking out on 
behalf of the impacted areas of the Gulf. Don’t forget that 95% of ABA funds 
raised through their Gulf Coast Relief Fund go directly to the gulf.

      Board elections also took place Saturday evening at the annual 
conference. Jim McCormac stepped down as OOS President a year before the end 
of his term. The organization thanked Jim for his years of service with the 
presentation of a hand-carved Black Scoter, created by the talents of Tim 
and Laura Dornan.  

     The new OOS President is Jen Sauter, who previously served as OOS 
Executive Secretary.  Much of the behind-the-scenes success of OOS can be 
credited to Jen: she served as past conference/symposium coordinator as well 
as expedition coordinator for trips to Costa Rica and Guatemala.  Editor of 
The Cerulean Newsletter, Ann Oliver, was elected to the position of 
Executive Secretary. Dr. Jill Russell, from the College of Mount St. Joseph 
and the founder of the Queen City Bird Festival, is the new Southwest 
Regional Director. Former Columbus Audubon President Julie Davis joins the 
OOS board as Director-at-Large.

     OOS is looking forward to 2011! We’ll start with our annual trip to the 
Wilds in January: watch for registration details soon and in the fall OOS 
newsletter.  
     
     Also in the fall newsletter, we’ll share photos from the Eastlake 
Conference: if you have any images to share, please forward for possible use 
in The Cerulean Newsletter. We’re also gearing up some special atlasing 
events with OBBA II in 2011: full details TBA.

Ann Oliver 
OOS Executive Secretary
Editor of The Cerulean Newsletter (quarterly publication of OOS)
Cincinnati, Ohio

p.s. Thanks to uber-birder Jay Lehman for the nudge to post this OOS 
conference summary. Thursday evening at the Cincinnati Bird Club, Jay 
mentioned  that one week ago, when in the Cleveland area, several northern 
birders wondered what happened to the usual conference wrap-up. Laundry, 
grocery shopping, yard work, family responsibilities, and a full-time job 
got in the way a timely posting!

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