Birding Sites: Cleveland Lakefront
Lakefront
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- Avon Lake:
(Delorme 30 D2). The city
of Avon Lake maintains Miller Road Park at the intersection of Miller
Road and Lake Road (US route 6). The park has a boat ramp, swings and
slides, and a picnic area and concession stand. Of interest to birders
is the excellent view it provides of the lake. In particular, in winter
when most of Lake Erie is frozen, the warm water outflow from the
adjacent electric power plant keeps a large area of water open,
enticing to gulls and waterfowl , and an occasional Bald Eagle. From
Interstate 90 west of Cleveland, exit at SR 611 (Avon-Sheffield) and
proceed west on 611 approximately .5 miles to Miller Road. Turn right
on Miller Road and follow it until it ends at Lake Road . The large
parking area directly ahead is normally closed for the season in early
fall. Turn right on Lake Rd. and park in the small parking lot you will
shortly encounter on your left. Walk out to the fence along the shore
and scope the waters. This location can be particularly brutal in the
dead of winter when strong northerly winds sweep the bluff.
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- Rocky
River Park: (Delorme 40 A4).
The city of Rocky River to the west of Cleveland maintains this park on
Beachcliff Boulevard. From Lake Road (US 6), turn north on Falmouth
Drive and follow it until it crosses Beachcliff. The entrance to the
park will be ahead on the left. This is another great spot to scope
flocks of gulls and waterfowl for rarities in late fall and winter. The
park also features heated restrooms that may be open all year long!
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- Edgewater
Park: (Delorme 41 A5). This
is a unit of the Cleveland
Lakefront State Park located just west of downtown. Drive
west on
the Memorial Shoreway (SR 2) and watch for the Edgewater exit. This is
a large park with a marina, playing fields, breakwalls, beach access,
sheltered picnic tables and a fishing pier. Follow the road that passes
east around the yacht club and park near the boat ramps. A breakwall
extends out into the lake along the west side of the water treatment
plant. Walking out this wall provides a good view of a breakwall
protected portion of the lake excellent for gulls and waterfowl.
Continue west on the shoreway to West Boulevard and turn north.
Shortly, you will enter the upper portion of the park. The bluff to the
left (sometimes called Perkins Beach) overlooks a slightly protected
bend in the shoreline where gulls and waterfowl may congregate. The
upper parking area is an excellent lookout spot for spring hawk
migration.
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- Whiskey
Island: (Delorme 41
A5). Access to this breakwall shielded area just west of the Cuyahoga
River mouth is via
the lower portion of Edgewater Park.
Follow the
road that curves east around the yacht club and keep to the right,
heading south of the waste treatment plant. Continue straight ahead at
the stop sign. The road will end at the Whiskey Island Marina after
crossing a one-lane bridge. Though
this is at present a privately owned facility [now open to the public,
see below], the owners have been
very accommodating to birders. Drive
east of the boat slips to a parking area overlooking the lake near the
volleyball courts. The
undeveloped area east of the marina is a great migrant trap. Check the
breakwall and river mouth for waterfowl and gulls. This area is the
focus of a
struggle between the city of Cleveland and Cuyahoga County, with the
Port Authority also involved for good measure. Various plans have been
proposed, some maintaining/expanding this area as a publicly accessible
park and others trading it to the Port in exchange for land downtown.
In a Dec. 8, 2004, story in the Cleveland Plain Dealer we
learn that the County is in the process of buying the portion of the
area from the marina east and intends to turn this into a park. This in
an apparent attempt to head off the Port Authority's effort to take
over the area under eminent domain. In early 2005, we learned that the
County is now negotiating to sell the propery to the Port Authority.
As of mid July, 2005, the area is designated a public park,
the
area east of the marina being named 'Wendy Park' in honor of the late
daughter of Dan Moore, the local businessman who has been working so
hard to retain the area as a park for the citizens of Cleveland. The
Port Authority has dropped its emminent domain suit to try to grab the
land. Nobody seems able to come up with $2 million to repair/replace
the one-lane bridge over the railroad tracks just before you enter the
area. The County is now trying to get the Metroparks to take over the
park and , incidentally, take back all the lakefront parks since the
state is maintaining them so abominably. Use it while it lasts.
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- Donald
Gray Gardens: (Delorme 31 D
5). As of Nov., 1996, this site is no longer
accessible.
Demolition of the stadium is underway and the Gardens are fenced off to
prohibit entry to the area. Some mention has been made of 'moving' the
Gardens but we question how this could be done.
Sic transit... However, per Marcy Rule, Greater Cleveland Audubon
Conservation chairperson, a group is working with the landscape
architecture firm to reestablish the Gardens in a similar but smaller
site in 1999, so a note of optimism is warranted. As of Sep., 2003, the site no
longer
exists and despite talk of replacing the Gardens, nothing of note has
been done. The
following is
of historical note only. This modest little city park,
with its
terraced plantings and willows and cedars, has seen better days since
its establishment in 1936-37 as a horticultural exhibit for the Great
Lakes Exposition. An oasis of green amidst the concrete and asphalt of
downtown Cleveland, it is located on the north side of the Municipal
Stadium. Take the Memorial Shoreway (SR 2) into downtown and exit at E.
9th Street. Proceed north and turn left on North Marginal Drive in
front of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. Follow this road as
it proceeds west and then swings north around the stadium. Turn left on
Erieside, the Gardens will be immediately on your left. Parking may be
a problem, due to the proximity of the Gardens to recent additions to
the Cleveland scene. Walk the pathways above and through the gardens
and check the cedars and pines carefully. This spot is an incredible
migrant trap. Warblers and sparrows are featured in the spring and
fall, but rails, owls, grouse and nearly anything else that passes
through the region might turn up here.
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- Burke
Airport and E. 55 Marina: (Delorme
31 D 5). Burke Airport occupies a stretch of the downtown
Cleveland lakefront from roughly E 9th Street east to near E 55th
Street. From the Memorial Shoreway (SR 2) exit at E 9th, proceed north
to North Marginal Drive and turn right, or exit SR 2 at E 55th, proceed
north to North Marginal and turn left. Besides the airport itself,
several marinas and the Cleveland Public Power plant provide good views
of protected waters that may harbor interesting waterfowl and gulls. As
you proceed parallel to the airport runways, stop at the gates along
the fence to view the grassy areas and pools of casual water for
shorebirds, Horned Larks and American Pipits, and watch for flocks of
longspurs and Snow Buntings bouncing along the runways. Midway along
North Marginal is a rise of land supporting a crossover to the
Municipal Parking lot. From this elevated spot, scope the grassy spaces
between the runways for shorebirds, Peregrine Falcons and Snowy Owls.
At the eastern end of North Marginal, follow E 55 north and east to a
unit of the Cleveland
Lakefront State Park. Here you will find a marina, concession
stand, picnic tables and a fishing pier. Scan the gulls loafing on the
marina docks for rarities and look for interesting waterfowl in the
protected marina lagoon as well as offshore. In winter, the marina
docks and the offshore breakwall are good places to look for Snowy
Owls.
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- E. 72nd
St. and Gordon Park: (Delorme
31 D5). These adjacent units of the Cleveland
Lakefront State Park provide
lake access as well as some limited
habitat for migrant passerines. The upper portion of Gordon Park, which
houses a park ranger and watercraft licensing station , is an
attractive place for nesting
and wintering Mockingbirds. From the Memorial Shoreway, which has been
joined by Interstate 90 east of downtown, exit at Martin Luther King
Jr. Blvd. and proceed north. The East 72nd street and lower Gordon
portions can be reached by turning west on the marginal road which
parallels I-90. East 72 provides a good view of the lake including
an intake channel for the nearby CEI plant that offers some
sheltered water for waterfowl. Lower Gordon Park contains a marina,
boat ramps and a sheltered lagoon. Upper Gordon Park is reached by
continuing north on MLK Blvd until it turns right, becoming Lake Shore
Blvd. Proceed east as the road curves and goes up a hill. Take the
first left at
the top of the hill and bear left into the park headquarters. Upper
Gordon overlooks an Army Corps of Engineers diked landfill, known as Dike 14,
formerly used to contain dredgings from the harbor channels. This was
formerly an
excellent shorebird spot but has been filled to the point where it no
longer provides suitable habitat, but although rather inaccessible, is
a teriffic place for migrant and resident passerines. Its ultimate fate
is currently under debate although the original plan was to add it to
the State Park. Check the landfill walls for Snowy Owl in
winter
and watch for Harriers, Red-tailed and Rough-legged Hawks. Check the
pines near the headquarters building for migrant Pine Warbler, and walk
the fence along the landfill for sparrows and thrushes.
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- Dike 14: (Delorme
31 D5). This is the
fenced impoundment attached to the north side of Gordon Park. In the
past, keys to locks were available but those days are no more. Its
gates are normally locked but if they are open access is possible.
There are other ways in, some of which may require a certain
dexterity. ( The Federal property to the south and east is decidedly
off limits.) This site was originally a dump formed by sinking two iron
ore boats near shore at the mouth of Doan Brook. Later , in 1976, it
was
diked by
the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to form an 88-acre site for material
dredged from the nearby shipping channels and the mouth of the Cuyahoga
River.
The brook is channeled through the diked area to empty into the lake.
It became a major local birding mecca from its beginning as a dump; as
a
dredge impoundment it is now legendary. Probably due to the scarcity of
suitable habitat along the lake, as soon as shallow muddy areas became
available shorebirds, waterfowl, gulls and terns began using it. Plant
life that sprang up along the edges of the wet areas harbored numerous
passerines, in particular sparrows and warblers. From here we find
Cleveland's records of Sharp-tailed and Curlew sandpipers, Least Tern
and Smith's Longspur. The impoundment has been filled in for some years
now and no longer offers suitable shorebird or waterfowl habitat but is
still remarkably attractive to other birds. Logically, because of
its location, the site should become a part of the Cleveland Lakefront
State Park with at least part of it set aside as a preserve with
limited access. A "master plan for Cleveland Lakefront State Park" is
described in an article in the Cleveland
Plain Dealer, dated December 16, 1979. In the accompanying
drawing we see this site and three islands extending to the west of it
dotted with ponds and picknicking areas, lined with hiking trails and
providing other public use facilities. No timeframes were given but
implications were that the indicated changes would occur over a period
extending into the next century. Another article dated 17 January,
1979, in the same source, shows a similar map with most of the
improvements from the "master plan" but lacking the additional islands.
Nine years later, on October 9, 1988, in an article
in The Plain
Dealer headlined "Gordon
Park addition may be delayed" we read that the park addition, "expected
to be completed by now" will be delayed until the turn of the century
by the Corps because of a lack of alternative sites to hold the dredged
materials. A proposal to build another impoundment north of Burke
Lakefront Airport had apparently been rejected by the
Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority, although one at that location
has been in use for several years now. Other factions involved were and
are the City and the Ohio Division of Natural Resources, which
maintains the state park. More noise has been generated recently by
these parties and other interested groups but nothing constructive has
resulted. More information regarding city of Cleveland
planning that impacts the lakefront can be found here.
On October 2, 2004, Dike 14 was designated an Audubon
Important
Bird Area (IBA) during a ceremony held outside its gates.
Representatives of the coalition advocating retention of the site as a
natural area , including folks from the Shaker Lakes Nature Center and
the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, were on hand. Certificates of
appreciation from the Cuyahoga county commissioners were awarded to
various persons and organizations who promoted the IBA designation, in
particular to Sean Zadar, local birder who has done extensive studies
of the avifauna of Dike 14. Conspicuous by their absence were
representatives from the city of Cleveland, the Ohio Division of
Natural Resources and the Port Authority, the people who will utimately
decide the site's fate. Also absent were representatives from any of
the local media, so the event went little noted. The bird
walk
after the
ceremony was curtailed by rain but gave us an opportunity to view the
habitat and changes that have occurred since our last visit. There is
no apparent wetland habitat and extensive growth of various willows has
produced thickets inviting to warblers and other songbirds. Significant
grassland areas conducive to sparrows still exist between the willow
thickets but will diminish with time unless some management practices
are put in place. Birding-wise, the site is pretty much use-or-lose at
this point. In December, 2005, it was noted that the Audubon IBA sign
has now been posted inside near the gate. It was also noted in a Plain Dealer
article that the City now plans to establish a wetland with hiking and
bike trails and a picnic area on the site. The article didn't say when.
On October 6, 2009, we note an
editorial in the Plain
Dealer entitled Port's
about-face on Dike 14 hurts wherein we learn that a $1
million grant from the state of Ohio was available to upgrade the Dike
14 Nature Preserve by creating trails, removing invasive species and
preparing the site for public access but at the last minute the Port
Authority decided not to apply for it with the excuse that it would be
"premature" for the Port to support such an effort. The editorial
speculates that the Port has a different agenda for the site than "what
the community wants". Indeed the Port is actively pursuing relocating
its facilities from downtown to a site off E. 55th Street that will
require construction of a large landfill to hold dredgings and that
will supplant park facilities and the marina currently there. And the
beat goes
on.
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- Euclid
Beach/Villa Angela/Wildwood
Park:
(Delorme 31 D6). These contiguous sites form the eastern end of the Cleveland
Lakefront State Park. Take Interstate 90 east and exit at E.
152nd
St. Follow E. 152 north until it intersects with Lake Shore Blvd and
follow Lake Shore Blvd. east.. The entrance to the Euclid Beach area
will be on the left in less than one mile. This unit contains picnic
tables, a concession stand and a swimming beach protected by small
artificial islands, and is a good spot for gulls, shorebirds, waterfowl
and migrant passerines. An asphalt bike trail proceeds east along the
shore and connects this unit with the Villa Angela unit. The VA unit,
only recently added to the park, is still fairly wild with small stands
of trees and bushes and some overgrown fields, and is a good place to
look for warblers, sparrows, thrushes and other passerines. The VA unit
also provides a beach where gulls loaf and shorebirds can be found.
Proceed east to the Wildwood unit, located across Euclid Creek from VA.
You can walk over the bridge from VA, or exit Euclid Beach and proceed
east on Lake Shore Blvd for about a quarter mile to the access road for
Wildwood. Wildwood Park contains a marina and boat ramps, and a trail
that follows the shore of Euclid Creek that is excellent for spring and
fall migrants. Check the marina docks and walls for Snowy Owl.
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- Sims Park
and Moss Point: (Delorme 31
D6). Sims Park is a municipal park maintained by the city of Euclid. It
has playing fields, some trees and clumps of bushes, a fishing pier and
a beach. It has been an excellent place for migrant passerines in the
past, but recent "improvements" have eliminated some of the more wild
parts of the park. Check the tall trees for Olive-sided flycatcher and
scour the bushy areas for Connecticut Warbler. In late fall and winter
it is an excellent place to view offshore waterfowl and gulls. From
Interstate 90 east of Cleveland, exit at Babbitt Road, proceed north to
Lake Shore Blvd. and turn right. The park entrance will be on your left
in less than a quarter of a mile. Watch for a sign indicating Kenneth
L. Sims Memorial Park; the entrance is at the east end of the park.
Moss Point is just to the west of Simms Park. Instead of turning right
at Lake Shore Blvd. from Babbitt, proceed straight ahead and enter
Euclid Park. Take the first road to the left and follow it as it winds
north, ending at a parking lot for the Euclid city clubhouse. Walk the
gravel path out to the bluff overlooking the lake and scan the waters
for gulls and waterfowl, and check the beach below the bluff for
shorebirds.
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- Eastlake: (Delorme
31 C7). The
city of Eastlake maintains a park on the Lake Erie shore at the mouth
of the Chagrin River primarily designed to provide fishing access to
the lake. The park provides an excellent view of the lake and the warm
water outflow from the adjacent power plant keeps a portion of the
waters open even in the dead of winter, a feature very attractive to
gulls and waterfowl. From Interstate 90/SR 2 east of Cleveland follow
SR 2 to the left when I-90 splits off to the right and exit at SR 91.
Follow SR 91 north until it ends at Lake Shore Blvd. Turn right on Lake
Shore Blvd. and in less than .5 miles turn left at the first traffic
light you come to onto Erie Road. Follow Erie north; in less than a
mile it will end at the entrance to the upper parking area of the park.
Drive down the slope to the fishing area and scope the waters and docks
to the west for gulls and waterfowl. In winter, weather conditions
sometimes are such that the lower parking area is closed due to ice; in
this event, it is still possible to park above and walk to good vantage
points if you can stand the weather. A good view of the east
side
of the river mouth can be attained by continuing east on Lake Shore
Blvd. After crossing two bridges over the Chagrin River turn left on
Forest Drive and follow it north to Galalina Drive and a levee at the
lake shore.
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Go to Dick & Jean Hoffman's birding page: Birding
from the North Coast
(Dick developed this himself; Jean provided some
solicited
advice)
URL:http://pw1.netcom.com/~djhoff/lsites.html
Please address comments to: djhoff@ix.netcom.com
Changes last made on: Oct. 13, 2009