Birding is great at Shaker Lakes. We are stop 23 on the Ohio L
Hi Ken,

Birding is great at Shaker Lakes. We are stop 23 on the Ohio Lake Erie Birding Trail. It is very accessible all around the two bigger lakes and though it is in a residential area, there are plenty of very comfortable access point throughout the entire Shaker Parklands. There are also free parking areas. The All People's Trail (APT) at the Nature Center loops through the marsh and over the wooded Doan Brook. This time of year sparrows are abundant in the newly restored marsh and the woodland understory. Warbler migration has tapered off quite a bit, but during spring and fall migration warblers are plentiful. Lower Lake is accessible via connecting trails from the APT at the Nature Center. We've had Common Loons and a variety of waterfowl -- check ebird to see best dates as I think it may be a little bit later. You can walk around the entire lake with ease and there are trails that weave down along the shore. Sometimes they are muddy and typically more
 rugged. Road level paths are generally paved. There are no homes on the shore of Lower Lake. The Doan Brook Gorge beyond Lower Lake has dirt paths and again, there are no homes for the majority of the stretch.  

Horseshoe Lake and Southerly Park connect via trails that are accessible from the Stearns Trail -- the woodland trail behind the Nature Center. Connecting trails are both footpath or paved. There are no homes around Horseshoe Lake but there are at Marshall and Green, so access there is more limited.  
 
Hope this helps! I'd be happy to advise you further with more detail if you wish, or answer any additional questions you may have. 

Good Birding!

Wendy Donkin
Nature Center at Shaker Lakes
(216) 321-5935, ext. 242
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Original post:


I was hoping to visit Shaker Lakes in the near future. I know how to get 
there. I wanted to know where I can walk around the area. There appear to be 
a number of good places to bird. The eBird Hotspots list shows seven spots:

Shaker Lakes--Doan Brook Gorge
Shaker Lakes--Green Lake
Shaker Lakes--Horseshoe Lake
Shaker Lakes--Lower Shaker Lake
Shaker Lakes--Marshall Lake
Shaker Lakes--Nature Center
Shaker Lakes--Southington Park

From zooming in on Google maps of the Lakes I can see that there are trails 
near Horseshoe Lake and the Nature Center. Is it all right to walk around 
Lower Shaker Lake? Are there views from the shore? I don't want to go 
somewhere I'm not supposed to be. I realize that it is a neighborhood. I 
don't want to disturb the residents. I'll bet they're used to seeing birders 
around. I did read the Nature Center's web pages. The FAQ page showed the 
distance from the Nature Center to Horseshoe Lake. Is there a trail or 
sidewalk?

I have seen eBird reports that people are seeing a lot of waterfowl there. I 
recently met a birder in the Cuyahoga Valley who lives in that area. He said 
that there are black-crowned night herons there from time to time.

Any other information/advice would be appreciated. 


Ken

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