Greetings all -
A quick note/suggestion about birding the Richfield Coliseum grasslands. The grassland is a SENSITIVE BREEDING BIRD area, and as it goes with ground-nesting species, walking through a large open field this time of the year puts well-camouflaged sparrow, Bobolink, blackbird, and meadowlark nests/young in immediate danger and causes adults to waste energy in warding off predators/threats (us). Should you desire to view the excellent species (Bobolink, Henslow's and Savannah Sparrows, Eastern Meadowlark) at the Richfield Coliseum (Cuyahoga Valley National Park property), there is a recommended way of going about accessing the grassland to seriously limit foot traffic and disturbance. I would strongly suggest limiting your presence there, and keep in mind that the majority of the birds (Bobolink in particular) can be enjoyed from very near the roadside. Park in the designated "IBA" parking spot or in one of the large gravel pulloffs along Route 303. Instead of walking straight out into the tall grass, walk north along the slight ridge that is vegetated with brush and trees. This mini "hill," with trees and shrubs, creates a sort of "peninsula" that sticks out into the grassland. Hugging this small, sparse treeline as you walk, instead of wandering around the grassland, ensures that you're respecting these uncommon birds' habitat/nests/success.
best of birding - Jen
Jen Brumfield
[log in to unmask]
Cleveland, Ohio
330-701-6452
> Date: Wed, 29 Jun 2011 12:49:52 -0400
> From: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: [Ohio-birds] CVNPCVNP - Colosseum Field - Bobolinks, Meadowlarks, Sparrows
> To: [log in to unmask]
>
> Thanks to Craig Caldwell for advice about when to go.
>
> I stopped by this large field at about 9 am. I walked through three groups
> of bobolinks with at least 10 males in each group:
>
> - One was in the SW corner of the field not too far from the road.
> - One was in the NWW area of the field.
> - One was pretty much in the center of the field.
>
> It was wonderful to walk slowly by or stand there and have the bird fly
> around bubbling. Some of them had a beak full of insects.
>
> I did see four meadowlarks. They were scattered throughout the area.
>
> I also saw two sparrows that could have been Savannah Sparrows. I don't know
> my sparrows. But, from looking online and in a field guide, I can say that I
> did clearly see a yellow eye brow on these birds. And, the birds were much
> smaller than the female bobolinks in the area. The two sparrows were in the
> N Central park of the field just to the NW of a fenced-in area.
>
> (You might want to wear light gaiters or something to cover your shoes. I
> had to empty a lot of grass seeds out of my shoes when I was finished walking.)
>
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Our thanks to Miami University for hosting this mailing list.
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