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Wildlife Sightings

Spot some local wildlife? Tell us about it!

Use the form below – including photos, if you have them – to let us know the date, time and location of your sighting (be it in the parks or in your own backyard), as well as what type of wildlife you spotted and the behavior you observed.

Your regular reports will help populate this page for the enjoyment of your community of fellow Nature lovers and the interests of our Natural Resource Management team. Thanks in advance!

Please note that while this form does collect your name and contact information, those items will not be posted with your sighting, only used in case we need to contact you for additional details.

Report Your Findings

Step 1 of 4 - Sighting Date & Time

  • MM slash DD slash YYYY
  • :

  • Bear

    Date: Apr 29, 2024 at 10:10 am

    Location: Retriever Run, Novelty, Ohio

    Wildlife Seen: 1 Bear

    Behavior Observed:

    Running into woods

  • Sandhill Cranes

    Date: May 01, 2024 at 3:45 pm

    Location: The Maple Highlands Trail

    Wildlife Seen: 2 Sandhill Cranes

    Behavior Observed:

    Soaring above the trail near the Cuyahoga River covered bridge.

  • Bald Eagle (or Golden Eagle?)

    Date: Dec 31, 1969 at

    Location: Chesterland area off of laser Rd in developenent

    Wildlife Seen: 2 Bird

    Behavior Observed:

    Very large birds seem to be nesting pair. The size of eagles or bigger but light in color. Possibly golden eagles? One does appear to have a white head. Have been watching for the past hour. Please let me know if any sightings

    Naturalist's Response

    Hi there!

    You almost certainly observed Bald Eagles, especially because you observed one with a white head. Juvenile Bald Eagles can look remarkably similar to Golden Eagles until about age 4 or 5 when they get their white head.

    Also, Golden Eagles are very uncommon in Ohio, being much more common in the western United States and in Canada. In fact, there have only been a few sightings in the entire state this year.

    On occasion Golden Eagles have been spotted in Northeast Ohio during migration, and I am still waiting (and dreaming) to see one in Geauga County!

    The Bald Eagle population has increased in Ohio dramatically over the past several years, so eagle sightings are becoming more and more common. It’s an amazing experience to see one in the wild! Nice find!

    -Chief Naturalist John Kolar

  • Awesome telescope

    Date: Apr 20, 2024 at 1:10 am

    Location: Nassau Observatory

    Wildlife Seen: one Awesome telescope

    Behavior Observed:

    The Chagrin Valley Astronomical Society sponsored a group study astronomy session at Nassau Observatory. Unfortunately, it was cloudy and we were unable to use the telescopes to observe anything. Nevertheless, the general public was able to tour the Nassau Observatory and see the awesome telescope that the Chagrin Valley Astronomical Society uses to study the skies above and the Universe.

  • Bald Eagle

    Date: Apr 15, 2024 at 11:45 am

    Location: Fairmount Rd East of 306

    Wildlife Seen: 1 Bald Eagle

    Behavior Observed:

    Flew down to the ground on side of road to catch prey

  • Osprey

    Date: Apr 14, 2024 at 3:23 pm

    Location: CHESTERLAND

    Wildlife Seen: 1 BIRD/OSPREY

    Behavior Observed:

    I saw a bird I’ve not seen here, twice today. Very large, coloring matches Osprey photos. Too quick to get a photo.

  • Bald Eagle

    Date: Apr 14, 2024 at 8:30 pm

    Location: Washington St & Wing Rd

    Wildlife Seen: 1 Bald Eagle

    Behavior Observed:

    Flying over my back field did two circles and headed west towards Wing Road.

  • Total eclipse of the sun

    Date: Apr 08, 2024 at 7:15 pm

    Location: Mayfield Heights Public Library

    Wildlife Seen: one Total Solar Eclipse of Sun

    Behavior Observed:

    From a spot in Cuyahoga County not far from The West Woods Nature Center, I observed the total solar eclipse with a simple, inexpensive Shade 14 Welder’s glass, then I photographed it with a somewhat primitive “flap phone” camera. People at The West Woods Nature Center must have seen something identical to what I photographed. This shows people that you can study astronomy on Geauga Park District property with simple equipment.

  • Bald Eagle

    Date: Mar 18, 2024 at 6:10 pm

    Location: Spencer Rd In Aquilla

    Wildlife Seen: 1 Bald Eagle

    Behavior Observed:

    Eagle was perched in a tree on the side of Spencer Road in Aquilla Village (off of Aquilla Rd and near Rt 322)

  • Ring-necked Duck, Bald Eagle & Mute Swan

    Date: Mar 19, 2024 at 8:45 pm

    Location: Auburn rd near LaDue

    Wildlife Seen: 24 Ring-necked duck, 1 Bald eagle, 2 Mute Swan

    Behavior Observed:

    Swimming for the aquatics, pick up fish for the eagle. No photos unfortunately, and they were all seen at the same moment it time! First time spotting & sure ID of ring-necked duck for me. Beautiful Bird-day!