February 2021

Virtual Field Trip:

Bradley Woods
Reservation
Bird Walk Leader: Michelle Brosius
WCAS Board Member and Field Trip Co-Coordinator
 Bradley Woods Reservation
“The only swamp forest in Cleveland Metroparks, Bradley Woods
Reservation is full of cultural and natural uniqueness.”

“Nestled off Bradley Road in Westlake sits 795 acres of a little park
gem called Bradley Woods Reservation. A walking path surrounds a
pond called Bunns Lake where ducks and geese are plentiful and the
occasional blue heron has been known to visit as well. The forest is
laden with pin oak, yellow birch, sour gum, red maple and tulip trees.
Along with the path around the lake, there are over two miles of
hiking trails. An open grassy area near the picnic shelter offers space
for informal recreation, and a nearby monarch butterfly waystation
provides these threatened insects a place to rest.”

“Bunns Lake, dedicated in 1986, was created to provide waterfowl

habitat, and serve as a pleasant spot for nature lovers. The
reservation also conserves wildlife habitat with large tracts of
relatively undisturbed woodlands and open areas with a large deer
population.”

“Bradley Woods Reservation…is on a massive formation of Berea

sandstone. The stone is easily seen in the old quarry sites located in
Photo: Bunns Lake Wildlife Area at Bradley Woods Reservation by Tom Fishburn various areas of the reservation. The quarries were in operation over
50 years ago and produced sandstone for building stones.”
– Cleveland Metroparks, Bradley Woods Reservation
Target Species
Black-capped Chickadee
“A bird almost universally considered ‘cute’ thanks to
its oversized round head, tiny body, and curiosity
about everything, including humans. The chickadee’s
black cap and bib; white cheeks; gray back, wings, and
tail; and whitish underside with buffy sides are
distinctive. Its habit of investigating people and
everything else in its home territory, and quickness to
discover bird feeders, make it one of the first birds
most people learn.” – The Cornell Lab of Ornithology,
Black-capped Chickadee

Photo: Black-capped Chickadee at North Chagrin Reservation

by Michelle Brosius
 Species of Honorable Mention
Tufted Titmouse
The Black-capped chickadee was sighted at Bradley
Woods Reservation, but it was not as prevalent as I
had hoped; however, the Tufted Titmouse was
overwhelmingly present and deserves an honorable
mention.

“A little gray bird with an echoing voice, the Tufted

Titmouse is common in eastern deciduous forests
and a frequent visitor to feeders. The large black
eyes, small, round bill, and brushy crest gives these
birds a quiet but eager expression that matches the
way they flit through canopies, hang from twig-ends,
and drop in to bird feeders. When a titmouse finds a
large seed, you’ll see it carry the prize to a perch and
crack it with sharp whacks of its stout bill.” – The
Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Tufted Titmouse

Q&A!
Q: What is the plural of Tufted Titmouse? Is it Titmouses or Titmice? Photo: Tufted Titmouse at Bradley Woods Reservation
A: Both Cornell Lab and Sibley use “Titmice” for the plural form.
by Tom Fishburn
 Michelle Brosius
17 Species

Michelle visited the reservation THREE times!

I visited Bradley Woods Reservation on February 6, 20,
and 27.

February 6
On February 6, I arrived at the reservation at 9:36 a.m.
and concluded my walk at 12:20 p.m. It was a frosty -4°F
with wind chill and didn’t warm up by much throughout
my visit. I started out on the Bunns Lake Loop, where I
was glad I had donned my slip-on cleats as the pavement
was icy, and then I took the Cahoon Creek Loop. I didn’t
see much of anything until about an hour onto the trails,
but once 10:30 a.m. rolled around, the woods seemed to
be full of Red-bellied Woodpecker who had finally come
out of hiding despite the cold. I also saw a Hairy
Woodpecker who was too quick for a photograph.

I then decided to check out the Quarry Loop Trail and

was delighted to see a few Tufted Titmice as I walked
down the main driveway toward the trail entrance.

Photos: Red-bellied Woodpecker at Bradley Woods Reservation

by Michelle Brosius
Michelle Brosius (cont.)

Photos: Tufted Titmouse Against a Brilliant Blue Sky at Bradley Woods Reservation by Michelle Brosius
 Michelle Brosius (cont.)
The Quarry Loop Trail turned out to be my new favorite trail in the reservation and is where I spent my other visits. I wasn’t far onto the
trail on my first visit when I saw two Pileated Woodpecker! Pileated Woodpeckers will stay and defend their territory throughout the year
so I hoped to see them on return visits to the park. I also saw White-breasted Nuthatch and Black-capped Chickadee on this trail.

Photos: Female Pileated Woodpecker (left) and Male Pileated Woodpecker (right) at Bradley Woods Reservation by Michelle Brosius
Michelle Brosius (cont.)

Photos: White-breasted Nuthatch at Bradley Woods Reservation by Michelle Brosius

 Michelle Brosius (cont.)
February 20
I started my visit a little earlier than my first visit at 8:32 a.m. It
was slightly warmer than my last visit at a “feels like” 2°F
temperature and a fresh blanket of snow draped the landscape.
I did not see the Pileated Woodpecker this visit, but I did hear
both of them immediately upon exiting my car. I hurried to the
Quarry Loop Trail, but had no luck finding them though I heard
them calling back and forth on either side of me. Finally, their
calls faded away and I knew they had moved on.

Instead of the Pileated, I saw Downy, Hairy, and Red-bellied

Woodpecker. The Northern Cardinals were amazing with one
male singing a beautiful song. This beautiful and bright bird was
tucked away in a thorn bush though that did little to conceal
him. I switched to pinpoint focus for the first photo until he flew
out into the open for the next two photos in the series.

There was also a gorgeous American Robin, a couple of White-

breasted Nuthatch and Black-capped Chickadee, but the Tufted
Titmice really stole the show as I counted six individual birds of
that species.
Photo: Male Northern Cardinal in a Thorn Bush at Bradley Woods Reservation
by Michelle Brosius
Michelle Brosius (cont.)

Photos: Male Northern Cardinal in the Snow at Bradley Woods Reservation by Michelle Brosius
Michelle Brosius (cont.)

Photos: Downy Woodpecker at Bradley Woods Reservation by Michelle Brosius

Michelle Brosius (cont.)

Photos: American Robin (left) and Red-bellied Woodpecker (right) at Bradley Woods Reservation by Michelle Brosius
Michelle Brosius (cont.)

Photos: White-breasted Nuthatch at Bradley Woods Reservation by Michelle Brosius

Michelle Brosius (cont.)

Photos: Tufted Titmouse at Bradley Woods Reservation by Michelle Brosius

Michelle Brosius (cont.)

Photos: Tufted Titmouse at Bradley Woods Reservation by Michelle Brosius

Michelle Brosius (cont.)
February 27
On the morning of February 27 I went into my visit at Bradley Woods
Reservation with my new lens, a 100 – 400mm! The morning started
out cloudy with light drizzle at 42°F, which made it difficult to take
photos for the first hour of my walk. It's a good thing I consider myself a
birder first and a photographer second as I could still really enjoy the
birds and their song even if I couldn't capture the moments to share
with others. To be clear, my camera and lens are fine in light rain, it was
the lack of light that made photography difficult.

I started out on the Quarry Loop Trail, which was completely flooded in
many places due to the melting snow and I was glad my boots served
me well. In fact, I crossed over a few low bridges that I didn’t even
know were there as they had been completely covered with snow on
my previous visits. I was going to take a picture of one of those bridges,
but then I saw a flash of black and white wing! The pair of Pileated
Woodpecker came into view. I could see the pair just fine with my
binoculars, but they were too obscured by branches and low light to get
a good capture. When the Pileated flew out of sight I followed the
sweet sound of Northern Cardinals and found a beautiful female
perched on a bush.
Photo: Female Northern Cardinal at Bradley Woods Reservation
by Michelle Brosius
 Michelle Brosius (cont.)
As I continued my walk along the Quarry Loop Trail, I discovered I had missed more than a couple of bridges in the deep winter snow of
previous visits, I also had no idea I had been walking right by this rusted out vehicle. The pools were also looking lovely as the ice and
snow were melting.

Photos: Rusted Vehicle Remains and Forest Pool at Bradley Woods Reservation by Michelle Brosius
 Michelle Brosius (cont.)

Another slushy forest pool with some remains of the old

quarry was also a lovely sight along the Quarry Loop Trail.

Photo: Forest Pool with Quarry Remains at Bradley Woods Reservation by Michelle Brosius
Michelle Brosius (cont.)
On the return loop I saw a beautiful Song Sparrow
perched within a leafless bush. There was also a flock
of Dark-eyed Junco hopping about on the ground
underneath the bushes; however, a beautiful female
did fly up to perch on the top of a bush and posed for
me. There were also a few White-throated Sparrow
mixed in with the junco flock. Tufted Titmice and Red-
bellied Woodpeckers were also present, but high in the
treetops on this visit. I also did log two Black-capped
Chickadees in eBird for the visit, but they eluded my
camera. The chickadees at Bradley Woods do seem
shyer than usual.

Photo: Song Sparrow at Bradley Woods Reservation by Shaun Missig

Michelle Brosius (cont.)

Photos: Female Dark-eyed Junco (left) and White-throated Sparrow (right) at Bradley Woods Reservation by Michelle Brosius
 Michelle Brosius (cont.)
The Downy Woodpeckers really stole the show that morning. At the end of my visit I saw two male Downies having a dispute. Birds are
becoming more territorial now that spring is approaching and these two males were no exception. The male on the left landed on a branch
already occupied by the male on the right, and in true Downy fashion they both flared their tails and wagged their beaks at one another. Their
bodies also seemed to go rigid during the display. This went on for a few minutes before one of them finally backed down. It was really
interesting behavior to observe.

Photos: Male Downy Woodpecker Surprised on a Branch (left) and Two Male Downies Having a Dispute at Bradley Woods Reservation by Michelle Brosius
Michelle Brosius (cont.)

Photos: Male Downy Woodpeckers Having a Dispute at Bradley Woods Reservation by Michelle Brosius
Michelle Brosius (cont.)
Bird List
1. Canada Goose 14. White-throated
2. Red-bellied Woodpecker Sparrow
3. Downy Woodpecker 15. Song Sparrow
4. Hairy Woodpecker 16. American Goldfinch
5. Pileated Woodpecker 17. Northern Cardinal
6. Blue Jay
7. American Crow
8. Black-capped Chickadee
9. Tufted Titmouse
10. White-breasted Nuthatch
11. American Robin
12. House Sparrow
13. Dark-eyed Junco

Photo: Tufted Titmouse at Bradley Woods Reservation

by Michelle Brosius
Joanne & Terry Gorges
3 Species

Joanne and Terry birded on February 21.

Terry and I took a walk at Bradley Woods
Reservation today, February 21. It was a sunny day
around 31 degrees and we had a very nice walk
from 12:50 p.m. until 2:15 p.m. However the bird
watching was on the slim side. We tallied one each
of 3 species, Blue Jay, Red-bellied Woodpecker, and
White-breasted Nuthatch. We did tally 2 bird
watchers in the parking lot - Tom and Mary Anne
Romito.

Bird List

1. Blue Jay
2. Red-bellied Woodpecker
3. White-breasted Nuthatch

Photo: White-breasted Nuthatch at Bradley Woods Reservation

by Michelle Brosius
 Mary Ann & John Henderson
12 Species

Mary Ann and John birded on February 23.

We delayed our visit to Bradley Woods until the
weather broke. It was a relatively balmy 40°F today,
and, although the trails were icy, the snow was finally
melting.

We spotted 12 species of winter birds, including 2

Pileated Woodpeckers. Bunns Lake was completely
frozen, so no waterbirds. Unfortunately, we missed the
two owls that have been sighted recently, the Barred
Owl and the Great Horned Owl.

Our star sighting was a mammal: a large raccoon with a

luxuriant brown coat snoozing on a fallen tree.

Nice day for a winter walk! We walked all three loop

trails in the Bunns Lake area.

Photo: Pileated Woodpecker at Bradley Woods Reservation

by Michelle Brosius
Mary Ann & John Henderson (cont.)
Bird List

1. Red-bellied
Woodpecker
2. Downy Woodpecker
3. Pileated Woodpecker
4. Blue Jay
5. American Crow
6. Black-capped
Chickadee
7. Tufted Titmouse
8. White-breasted
Nuthatch
9. American Robin
10. American Goldfinch
11. Dark-eyed Junco
12. Northern Cardinal
Photo: Dark-eyed Junco at Bradley Woods Reservation by Tom Fishburn
Kaoru & Tsugumi Tsubone
Kaoru and Tsugumi birded on February 23.
On February 23rd, it's just a beautiful day. It's
been a while since we could feel sunshine and
see the clear blue sky the last time. The ice of
the creek was partially melted, yet it's chilly.
Many people and dogs out there for this nice
weather, too.

Tsugumi, my daughter and I went on the loop

trail twice. On the first loop, we only heard
birds such as Black-capped Chickadees and
Cardinals. On the second loop, they finally
showed up. A couple of Titmice flew across the
trail from the creek to the trees. Fortunately,
one Titmouse perched on the branch closer to
us. It's just so cute to see her/him opening and
closing its wings. That was too attractive. I had
forgotten to take pictures for a while. After I
only took several shots and it's quickly gone.
This photo is my best shot there, but a bit
unfocused. We enjoyed the rest of the trail
and the day.
Photo: Tufted Titmouse at Bradley Woods Reservation by Kaoru Tsubone
 Allen Rand
13 Species

Al birded at the reservation on February 27.

My schedule this month did not allow me to get
out much. Stopped at Bradley Woods on 2/27.
Temps were mild and the snow was just
about melted, but the pond was still iced over. The
majority of the activity was behind the parking
area. Dark-eyed Juncos and Tufted Titmice were
out in double digit numbers. Managed 13 species
in total while I was there.

Photo: Tufted Titmouse at Bradley Woods Reservation by Michelle Brosius

Allen Rand (cont.)
Bird List
1. Canada Goose
2. Ring-billed Gull
3. Red-bellied
Woodpecker
4. Hairy Woodpecker
5. Blue Jay
6. American Crow
7. Black-capped
Chickadee
8. Tufted Titmouse
9. White-breasted
Nuthatch
10. Eastern Bluebird
11. American Robin
12. Dark-eyed Junco
Photo: American Robin at Bradley Woods Reservation by Michelle Brosius 13. Northern Cardinal
 Shaun Missig
11 Species

Shaun visited the reservation FIVE times!

I visited 5 times - 2/6, 2/7, 2/13, 2/20, 2/27. When
I first arrived to Bradley Woods, the park appeared
small. I only saw the large pavilion and secondary
parking lot a little further ahead. I was a little
confused because I had drove a pretty good
distance up the entrance road to get to the parking
area, and I thought “There has to be more than
this”. Thankfully, I was correct in that thought.
Bradley Woods has many trails within the woods
and you can easily walk for hours with nothing but
trees surrounding you, and that was exactly what I
did! I had originally walked around the pond and
pavilion area until I saw Tom Fishburn on one of
my visits. He told me about the Quarry Loop Trail
just up the entryway, and that changed everything.
This quickly became my favorite trail, as I was able
to capture some gorgeous landscape shots and see
the majority of species on my list. Blue Jays were
very abundant throughout the trail, and they made
their presence known as they patrolled from high
up in the trees.
Photo: Quarry Loop Trail at Bradley Woods Reservation by Shaun Missig
Shaun Missig (cont.)
Red-bellied Woodpeckers also called out from
the treetops as they were looking for their next
meal. Along this path I also was able to capture a
Robin bouncing from branch to branch in a small
tree just off the path. I took many shots of this
Robin and also had a “Lucky Shot” where I
caught the Robin mid-flight and it appeared to
be stuck in the tree! I also found my 1 and only
Black-capped Chickadee on this path as well. It
was bouncing around a lot and did not want its
picture taken!

Photo: American Robin in Flight at Bradley Woods Reservation by Shaun Missig

Shaun Missig (cont.)

Photos: American Robins at Bradley Woods Reservation by Shaun Missig

Shaun Missig (cont.)

Photo: Black-capped Chickadee at

Bradley Woods Reservation by
Shaun Missig
 Shaun Missig (cont.)
After exiting this trail, I found a Fox Squirrel hanging upside down on the side of a tree. It was likely sunning itself and thought it blended in,
but it didn’t escape my camera. I made several laps around the pond each trip, but was not able to capture anything on that path. However,
with all of the snow on the ground, it made for an amazing walk in the park! Over by the large pavilion I saw a few White-breasted
Nuthatches moving up and down the trees as they always do. I was able to get a few shots before they flew off to the next tree in search of
food. The main service road was the other hot spot for me.

Photos: Fox Squirrel at Bradley Woods Reservation by Shaun Missig

Shaun Missig (cont.)

Photos: Fox Squirrel (left) and White-breasted Nuthatch (right) at Bradley Woods Reservation by Shaun Missig
Shaun Missig (cont.)
During my visit on 2/27 I had noticed a female
Cardinal bobbing and weaving on a branch. At one
point, she looked almost like a jet with her wings
and tail spread out. It wasn’t until a male Cardinal
flew in that I understood what she was doing.
They flew off together and I did not see them
again. 2/27 also brought a welcomed sight, 1st
chipmunk of the year! There were quite a few
chipmunks running and playing throughout all of
the downed trees. They also happened to avoid
my camera as well! Though I may not have come
home with 1,000 pictures from each trip, Bradley
Woods was a wonderful location that I will be
visiting throughout the year.

Photo: Female Northern Cardinal at Bradley Woods Reservation by Shaun Missig

Shaun Missig (cont.)

Photos: Male Northern Cardinal (left) and Female Northern Cardinal in Flight (right) at Bradley Woods Reservation by Shaun Missig
Shaun Missig (cont.)

Photos: Snowy Trail (left) and Swamp Forest in the Sun (right) at Bradley Woods Reservation by Shaun Missig
Shaun Missig (cont.)
Species List
1. American Robin
2. American Crow
3. Tufted Titmouse
4. White-breasted Nuthatch
5. Red-bellied Woodpecker
6. Blue Jay
7. Black-capped Chickadee
8. Downy Woodpecker
9. Dark-eyed Junco
10. Chipmunk
11. Fox Squirrel

Photo: Tufted Titmouse with a Peanut at Bradley Woods Reservation by Shaun Missig
Tom Fishburn
Tom visited the reservation THREE times!

Photos: American Robins at Bradley Woods Reservation by Tom Fishburn

Tom Fishburn (cont.)

Photos: Tufted Titmouse at Bradley Woods Reservation by Tom Fishburn

Tom Fishburn (cont.)

Photos: Tufted Titmouse Enjoying a Snack at Bradley Woods Reservation by Tom Fishburn
Tom Fishburn (cont.)

Photos: Downy Woodpeckers at Bradley Woods Reservation by Tom Fishburn

Tom Fishburn (cont.)

Photos: Red-bellied Woodpecker (left), Blue Jay (middle), and White-breasted Nuthatch (right) at Bradley Woods Reservation
by Tom Fishburn
Tom Fishburn (cont.)

Photos: Frozen Bunns Lake at Bradley Woods Reservation by Tom Fishburn

Tom Fishburn (cont.)

Photos: Bunns Lake Wildlife Area (left), Cahoon Creek Loop (middle), and Cahoon Creek (right) by Tom Fishburn
 Thank you!
Joanne and Terry Gorges
Mary Ann & John Henderson
Kaoru & Tsugumi Tsubone
Al Rand
Shaun Missig
Tom Fishburn

&

Cleveland Metroparks for

Bradley Woods Reservation!

Bradley Woods Reservation is located at ​4538

Bradley Rd., Westlake, OH 44145.

Visit wcaudubon.org for more virtual field trip

opportunities!

Photo: Male Downy Woodpecker at Bradley Woods Reservation by Michelle Brosius @WCAudubon #WCAudubon