The Birders of Woodlawn

Male and Female Red Crossbills (S. Plessner)

Way back in February Greg Links told me that I should check out the birding at Historic Woodlawn Cemetery in Toledo.  When he told me this I was a little skeptical.  After thinking about it for sometime however, it totally made sense.  Cemeteries, especially older ones with mature trees, are excellent spots for birding.  I ended up going to Woodlawn several times.  The place produced a great variety of birds, including my lifer White-winged Crossbill.

Greg also mentioned that there was a group of birders that got together every Friday morning for a couple hours of birding at Woodlawn.  Since then, through various gatherings and events, I have met a couple of the people who attend these walks regularly.

The Birds of Woodlawn group was started by Woodlawn's Assistant Director Patty Toneff.  Patty keeps track of who comes to the walks and forwards the daily list of species to anyone who provides an email.  Currently, over 100 people receive the weekly list.

American White Pelicans (T. Thompson)

The group has birders with decades of experience, but also has a handful of newbies.  Relative beginners like Kendra Mock, Kimberli Allan, Brian and Kelly Navarette, and Julie Heitz may not be as quick to identify every bird, but the history and importance of a place like Woodlawn Cemetery is not lost on them.  Julie loves Woodlawn for the variety of habitat, and loves learning about all the influential Toledoens who have found their final resting place on the historic grounds.  When asked about her rarest bird sighting at Woodlawn, Julie sighted her beginner status and stated, "Everything has been rare for me!"

In addition to Greg Links, the more seasoned birders of the group include Sherry Plessner, Tim Thompson, Tim Drewyor, and Tim Haney.  Sherry serves as a volunteer naturalist for the Toledo Area Metroparks.  She is often one of the main leaders of the group.  The three Tims have been given the designations T1, T2, and T3.  Tim Haney (T1) has the most experience birding Woodlawn.  He worked at the cemetery for over 20 years, compiling a list that now stands at 203 species.  Tim has birded with some legendary nature lovers, including The Dean of Toledo birders, Lou Campbell.  Tim Drewyor (T2) has been birding Woodlawn for about 6 years.  Tim is held in high regard by many of the beginners and is one of the people the group depends on for getting on good birds.  Tim Thompson (T3) has only been birding at Woodlawn since January, but he is an avid and knowledgeable individual.  I have run into Tim at Oak Openings and other spots, and I always find myself smiling when I see him.  I think that's because he's one of those people who is always smiling or laughing about something.  Happiness is infectious!

White-eyed Vireo (J. Heitz)

Among the group, there is a wide range of favorite sightings.  Sherry was thrilled to get her lifer Red Crossbills at Woodlawn.  Several others mentioned greatly enjoying the White-winged Crossbills discussed earlier.  T3 got a kick out of the American White Pelican fly over the group was treated to one fortunate Friday.  The Navarette's were partial to two special sightings of a Blackburnian Warbler and an Eastern Kingbird.  T1 has too many great sightings to mention for this post.  I am considering posting all the information he provided me about his experiences at Woodlawn.  It was a wonderful read.  The one sighting that he mentioned that really made me say "Wow!" was one in which he spotted an American Bittern.  It was  perched atop a shrub, and did not move until he actually was able to touch the bird!

A red resident at Woodlawn (J. Heitz)

I asked the group what makes Woodlawn so special.  Many people mentioned the great variety of trees.  After all, the cemetery boasts over 300 different species of trees.  Others mentioned the architecture or the history.  Reading headstones like that of Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court Morrison Waite, the namesake for Waite High School, makes walking around Woodlawn Cemetery all that more interesting.  The most common answer, however, was the people they have met while birding at Historic Woodlawn Cemetery.  Birders are, by nature, amiable and helpful people.  Those that bird this once rural but now urban cemetery are no different.  The rest of their week may be filled with all of the usual responsibilities of life, but on Fridays from 8:30 to 10:30 they are at Woodlawn, helping each other see some really cool birds.

Thank you to everyone who answered my questions about your experiences at Woodlawn Cemetery.  I know there are more members to the group than those that were talked about in the post.  Hopefully nobody gets upset if they were left out.  If anyone does have a beef, they can take it up with me personally next Friday.  Provided everything works out, I plan on joining the group for some birding next week.  I'm really looking forward to meeting all of you.  Thanks again and happy birding!