Buzzards In Bay

It seems there's never a dull moment at Eagle Cliff Road in Bay Village. Our friend Stephen Watterson, who recently shared some great photos of the Bald Eagle that's been frequenting the our "neighborhood" this spring, has some new photos of some other large winged creatures hanging out along Lake Erie: Turkey Vultures. In fact, there is a whole flock of the large birds, also known as Buzzards, resting along the shore.

The resident Turkey Vulture at Lake Erie Nature & Science Center is always a "hit" with kids when he appears at our Meet An Animal programs. That's because these fascinating birds exhibit a host of gross-out behaviors that are "no-no's" in the human world, including nose-picking, “bed-wetting” and vomiting. Turkey Vultures have the distinction of dining on road kill and other carrion and regurgitate the foul-smelling stuff to scare off predators.
Thanks for sharing, Stephen!

New Bay Village Eagle Photo

We have an even better photo to share now of the Bald Eagle that's apparantly been using the Lake Erie shoreline in Bay Village as a spring hunting ground. Thanks again to Stephen Watterson who shared this picture of the majestic bird standing on the ground in his back yard. See our earlier post below for more eagle details!

Bald Eagle Sighting In Bay Village

The road Eagle Cliff in Bay Village, just a few blocks from Lake Erie Nature & Science Center, is living up to its name with the periodic appearances of Bald Eagles. The picture at left was taken and shared with us by Lake Road resident Stephen Watterson who has been marveling at these awesome creatures who've been visiting his backyard.

This is the time of year when Bald Eagle activity becomes more pronounced as their breeding activities take place. Pairs from last year are actively reinforcing their pair bond in preparation for nest building and egg laying. And lone Bald Eagles are trying to impress a bird of the opposite sex to form new breeding pairs.

Last year, there were 184 breeding pairs of Eagles in the state of Ohio, up from 164 pairs the previous year. The only Cuyahoga County nest site in recent history has been in Brecksville, in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, but with the rapidly increasing number of Ohio Eagles, it's only a matter of time before more nesting pairs establish themselves... maybe in your own backyard.

We have also recently received an unconfirmed report of Bald Eagles in the trees by Clague and I-90 in Westlake. So, during your local commutes, keep your eyes to the skies and you might catch sight of these majestic Birds of Prey. -Dave Wolf, Director of Wildlife

P.S. You can read about our resident Bald Eagle at this Kids Corner link.

Look Back At 2008

As we close out 2008 and welcome the New Year, we offer up some fascinating retrospectives from some of our favorite websites for natural discovery and fun.
From the Discovery Channel, you can view the Top Ten Discovery News Videos of 2008 including stories about stunning new species and momentous moon moments.
The moon is also highlighted in NASA's Top Science, Exploration and Discovery Stories of 2008.
NASA's 2008 achievements caught the attention of The Science Channel, which promises to skip tabloid celebrity fodder and political news as they count down the Top Ten Science Stories of 2008.
You can review the year at Lake Erie Nature & Science Center, by browsing back through the entries in this blog or skimming through the announcements in our online newsroom or special events acknowledgements. It was an exciting year for all of us as we welcomed tiny tots, Ohio's Governor and all kinds of folks in between, always working to honor our mission to educate and inspire understanding, appreciation and responsibility for the natural world.
Thanks for joining us in 2008! We look forward to seeing you in 2009!

Baby Birds Babbling

The chirping sounds that fill the air this time of year are actually baby birds learning to "talk" ... just like human babies "babble" as they learn to communicate. That's the conclusion of new MIT research.
The study looked at the brains of baby zebra finches as they learned the unique song of their species by practicing or babbling almost non-stop. Enjoy the music of babbling baby birds this spring and remember Lake Erie Nature & Science Center is a resource if you have questions about baby wildlife in your backyard. Our most Frequently Asked Questions, including queries about nesting ducks and baby birds can be found on the Wildlife pages of our website.

Happy Groundhog's Day

The resident groundhog at Lake Erie Nature & Science Center remains fast asleep this morning. He is not providing a weather forecast on the holiday that made him famous. We help him to hibernate each winter by closing up and creating a burrow-like environment in his outdoor enclosure. It will likely be early March before he naturally wakes up. To read more about groundhogs and hibernation, read the fun fact sheet at our Kids Corner.

By the way, what's the significance of February 2? The Cornell Univerity Chronicle says "Celestially speaking, Groundhog Day on Feb. 2 is a "cross-quarter" day, about halfway between the winter solstice in December and the vernal equinox in March, and is celebrated in some cultures as the mid point of winter. It's not far from the time many groundhogs end their hibernation anyway, around the second week of February."

Of course, the holiday is purely based on folklore and fun and not on science and nature. To separate the fact from fiction, we recommend a great Canadian website called Hinterland Who's Who. It includes illustrations of a groundhog burrow, range and more. Happy Groundhog's Day!

Captivating Kids Nature Photography

The combination of kids, cameras and nature produced some stunning results in the Velvet/ World Wildlife Federation Young Nature Photographers contest in the U.K. A beautiful shot of a frog was the grand prize winner. Britain's Telegraph newspaper has more of the finalists posted online. Details on Lake Erie Nature & Science Center's animal-inspired Art Contest can be found on our website.

Smart, Sneaky Squirrels

A scientific study widely published in Europe purports to show that squirrels are a lot smarter than we thought. The creatures appear to attempt to fake out would-be thieves to prevent them from stealing the stash of nuts that gets a squirrel through winter.
Experts watched the squirrels pretend to bury food into pits in the ground, and cover them over with soil and leaves. The researchers said the squirrels put on a show of hiding non-existent nuts more often when they were being watched by the human observers. The animal experts say their research shows that squirrels understand what stealing is and take action to prevent it. That knowledge doesn't seem to stop the squirrels from swiping the food you intended for the birds, though!
Our wildlife rehab staff fields many calls about squirrel behavior throughout the year. One of the most common questions concerns the surprising behavior of baby squirrels. Find out more in our Wildlife FAQ's.