Are you a nerd for birds? Better pack your binoculars and ginormous camera lenses, because, with its prime perch on Lake Erie’s shore, Cleveland is a surprisingly sweet spot to scope our feathered friends. Arrive in The Land during the peak weeks of spring migration (typically late April to mid-May), and you might even tack a few new species onto your life list without ever leaving the city limits.
Wendy Park
Start your urban avian adventure at Wendy Park. This compact (just 22 acres) oasis at the mouth of the Cuyahoga River packs a ton of birds for your buck with a variety of habitats in a small footprint. The causeway out to the historic Coast Guard Station is where to go for gulls and waterfowl, and the grassy knolls flock with Barn Swallows (and the occasional American Kestrel) performing dazzling feats of aeronautics, but it’s the diminutive woodlot in the middle of the park that truly punches above its weight. During migration, it teems with warblers, vireos, sparrows, thrushes and just as many birders “oohing” and “aahing” at the unparalleled close-ups on display.
Erie Street Cemetery
If you’re staying Downtown, make time to stroll through Erie Street Cemetery. The city’s oldest burial ground is a baseball’s toss from Progressive Field and the final resting place of some of Cleveland most famous early settlers. A tiny, green dot in the concrete jungle, it’s also a resting place for migrating songbirds and shorebirds that drop in to refuel before or after flying non-stop across the lake. Chirping Sparrows hop amid the headstones, while Eastern Phoebes and other flycatchers dart in and out of the ginkgo trees. Along the base of the sandstone walls surrounding the graveyard, sharp eyes are sure to spot American Woodcocks, probing through the leaf litter for a wormy snack.
Cleveland Lakefront Nature Preserve
Once a dumping site for dredged silt, the Cleveland Lakefront Nature Preserve has evolved into a thriving bird habitat filled with woodlands, wetlands and meadows. Near the entrance, a trickling brook draws in warblers like American Redstarts during spring migration. Just downslope, a boggy patch becomes a playground for Swamp Sparrows splashing through puddles. On the leeward side of the preserve, you might catch diving ducks, loons and grebes fishing in the open waters of Lake Erie. Trails weaving through the preserve’s interior are just as productive, revealing Eastern Towhees, Wild Turkeys, woodpeckers and thrushes along the way.
Scranton Flats Trail
Back on the banks of the Cuyahoga, the Scranton Flats Trail (a segment of the much longer Ohio and Erie Canal Towpath Trail) is a nature walk in the shadows of the city. Winter brings hundreds of ducks and gulls to the open waters of the river, but come spring, the native wildflower fields flanking the path twitter with American Goldfinches, Tree Swallows and Northern Mockingbirds. Be sure to scan the arches of the Hope Memorial Bridge soaring high above the valley 一 it’s home to one of the city’s several nesting pairs of Peregrine Falcons.
Metroparks & CVNP
Venture further afield, and you’ll check even more target species off your list. In the Cleveland Metroparks, waterfowl and waders thrive at Lake Isaac, while the trails around Rocky River Nature Center wind through diverse bird habitats 一 from upland woods to swampy ponds. In Cuyahoga Valley National Park, visit the Station Road Bridge trailhead to witness resident Bald Eagles and a Great Blue Heron rookery, trek The Ledges trail for deep forest songbirds and arrive at The Beaver Marsh early in the day 一 along with the birds, you might catch a glimpse of its namesake rodents, as well as the family of playful river otters that call it home.
Final Word: Get Out and Bird
Grab your gear, follow the calls and see how many species you can spot right here in The Land. For more things to do in the outdoors, click here.