Greetings all -
I've been birding Burke Lakefront Airport in Cleveland, July 29 - Aug 4, religiously. My Cuyahoga County big year spawned a conversation with Gabe Leidy about picking up shorebirds in the Cleveland region, since we nearly completely lack any mudflats or proper beach habitat for shorebirds. Lakewatching from high bluffs during the right weather can surely produce shorebird passerbys, but not nearly as productive as actual mudflat/wetland habitat, which again is nearly completely lacking in the entire county. Scanning from atop a tiny rise on an off ramp overlooking Burke, I've had incredible success looking due north beyond the airport to the impoundments that lie on the north side of the runways. While you cannot view the actual impoundment, there is incredible habitat present for waders and shorebirds alike. Mostly loaded with phragmites and goldenrod, one can set up shop for many hours and scan, back and forth continuously, hoping to see shorebirds and waders moving east/west or flushing from the impoundment.
I spoke with the resident Burke USFW biologist yesterday. His recent (this week) sightings match mine and we happily shared notes. In speaking with him, questioning the habitat types in the impoundments, it turns out that the most northeastern section of the impoundment (towards East 55th) is a CDF - confined disposal facility - and the Army Cor. pumped nearly 25,000 tons of Cuyahoga River dredge mud/water into the CDF this past weekend, which has been a magnet for shorebirds much like Lorain Impoundment. Immediately after they did this, shorebird numbers spiked. The intent for the entire impoundment at Burke, which is over **200 acres** of "wetland" is to fill it completely by next year.
HIGHLIGHTS this week include: 8 (EIGHT) WHIMBREL (over the course of 4 days I logged a flock of 3, a single bird, another flock of 3, and another single bird that landed on the airport grassland strip in the evening), at least one if not (2) AMERICAN AVOCET, Stilt Sandpiper, many Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, a combined total of nearly 200 "peeps", Least and Semipalmated Sandpipers, Pectoral Sandpiper, one if not (2) UPLAND SANDPIPER, Short-billed Dowitcher, Semipalmated Plover, a slew of Killdeer, LEAST BITTERN, a very-likely LITTLE BLUE HERON, multiple Black-crowned Night Herons, Green Herons, dozens upon dozens of Great Blue Herons, and swarms of swallows and blackbirds that would make your head spin. American Kestrel numbers continue to be excellent with anywhere from 6 to 13 kestrels present each day.
Today's shorebird sightings (8/4) included: (2) Short-billed Dowitcher, (4) Lesser Yellowlegs, (40) peep species, many Killdeer. All birds are IN FLIGHT.
**OBSERVERS MUST HAVE A SCOPE** and this is not exactly "easy" observation. It's akin to lakewatching as birds are not very far out but they are indeed at a distance. Birders must also put in the time for observation. A "quick stop" for 20 or 30 minutes may yield something special, but multiple hours are necessary to wait in hopes of good findings.
best of birding - Jen
Jen [log in to unmask]
Cleveland, Ohio
330-701-6452
Bird Illustrator / www.jenbrumfield.com
Birding Tour Guide (Ohio), Local Patch Birding / www.jenbrumfield.com
Birding Tour Guide (worldwide), Tropical Birding / www.tropicalbirding.com
Naturalist/Artist, Cleveland Metroparks / www.clemetparks.com
LEICA Birding Optics Prostaff / http://en.leica-camera.com/sport_optics/NorthNW Lake Erie blog / www.northnw.wordpress.com
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