More than 20 people gathered around the picnic pavilion at Frohring Meadows
this evening in hopes of seeing the owls and they were rewarded for their
determination to battle the bitter wind.  Two owls started hunting around
5:05 pm and did so until dark.  They stayed mostly west of the pavilion,
favoring both wetlands.  If there was a third bird it did not appear
tonight.  On Tuesday evening we could hear two Great Horned Owls calling
from the adjacent woods about 4:45pm.



Hopefully they stay through the weekend so more folks can make it out to see
them.



Frohring Meadows is a 298 acre Geauga Park District jewel that was donated
to the Park District by Paul Frohring in 1996.  The website states that the
District intends to protect this natural area in perpetuity.



eBird records show that since It opened to the public in 2007 there have
been 170 species of birds recorded - 140 species in 2014 alone!  Much of
this can be credited to the decision to create a prairie and wetland from
the approximately 100 acres that was agricultural land.  There have been
challenges in that transformation but today we have a unique habitat that
can attract Short-eared Owls, 14 species of sparrow (including Grasshopper,
LaConte's, Vesper and Lincoln'sSwamp), 11 raptor species, many species of
waterfowl and shorebirds that either rest during migration or nest in the
wetland (including Virginia Rail and Sora), and an impressive list of
passerines during the summer.  It's the juxtaposition of varied habitats in
and around the prairie that make for  this wonderful diversity of bird life.



If you see park personnel during your visits let them know how much you
appreciate this jewel of a park.    We hope that they do everything possible
to PROTECT this wonderful environment.



Matt Valencic

Geauga County


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