Event Details
Blackbrook got a running start and took off from Granger Pond at Veterans Park in Mentor in August. They will set down at 8:00 am on the Chagrin River at The Rookery in Geauga County September 27. Birders of all skill levels are invited to join this walk on the fourth Sunday of each month, south of Fowler's Mill Golf Course.
The Rookery's proximity to the Chagrin River makes it part of the Chagrin River Corridor Important Bird Area, a designation by the National Audubon Society. High-quality wetlands and a beech-maple forest provide habitats for 179 bird species listed on eBird. Bird species often seen here include Green Heron, Belted Kingfisher, several woodpeckers, Swamp Sparrow, Rusty Blackbird and warblers.
As the group birds the 1.5-mile, gravel Interurban Trail, they’ll follow the same route taken by the Cleveland & Eastern Traction Company's electric-powered trains, which ran from 1899-1925. The Rookery is the site of the C&E Junction between lines serving Cleveland to Chardon and a branch south to Burton and Middlefield. The restroom does not have running water.
Blackbrook Audubon will have binoculars to lend out at this IBA walk. Email blackbrookaud@aol.com for more information. Blackbrook covers Ashtabula, Geauga and Lake counties as a chapter of National Audubon Society.
Photo by Matt Valencic