Birding in the University Circle Area of Cleveland

Presenters: Ken Vinciquerra and Louise Acheson

University Circle contains two riparian corridors, both rich places for birds:the Doan Brook Watershed and the Dugway Brook Watershed. (Read more about these watershed and see them on a map by clicking HERE.)

The Doan Brook watershed hosts a variety of year-round places to bird, including Doan Brook Park, Rockefeller Lagoons Park, and East Cleveland Township Cemetery. Our speakers will discuss some of the interesting adaptations various species have made to successfully raise their young at those site and elsewhere in University Circle. They'll also take us (virtually) to a few of their favorite haunts within the adjacent Lake View Cemetery and nearby Forest Hill Park, both in the Dugway Brook watershed. Lastly, they will share a bit of history regarding these unique green spaces and will highlight some of the organizations and people whose proactive stewardship has allowed these spaces to endure.

Since meeting on the Pierson Creek Trail in Holden Arboretum more than twenty years ago, Ken Vinciquerra and Louise Acheson have enjoyed exploring the region's extensive preserves and parklands together. They agree that some of their favorite birding experiences have been wading through swampy woods and other unique & special habitats while conducting breeding bird surveys on behalf of the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. Louise and Ken live in University Circle.

Ken, a life-long Clevelander and amateur naturalist, has explored the region's abundant rich forests and waterways for over fifty years. Through the mentorship & friendship of a few special individuals, he gradually evolved from being a "birdwatcher" to a "birder" and eBirder. Since 2015, he's conducted weekly bird surveys and spring/summer breeding bird surveys, in the process adding to the existing historical records about bird distribution and breeding success in our area. Ken is a Kent State Emeritus Professor in Computer Technology and volunteers with the Kirtland Bird Club.

Louise is a family doctor at University Hospitals and a Professor of Family Medicine and Community Health at CWRU. She remembers watching ducks, alcids, grebes, and eagles as a young woman in the Pacific Northwest, but refined her skills . over the past twenty years by birding with Ken. She identifies many birds by sound as well as sight and has learned about birds' habitats and behavior through very patient observation and a meticulous approach to citizen science.