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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
  • :

  • Bald Eagle

    Date: Mar 24, 2026 at 9:15 pm

    Location: Thwing Road, Chardon

    Wildlife Seen: 1 Eagle

    Behavior Observed:

    Eating

  • Hawk

    Date: Nov 19, 2025 at 5:50 pm

    Location: Backyard

    Wildlife Seen: 1 Hawk

    Behavior Observed:

    White Hawk was watching over our birdfeeders

  • White bird

    Date: Feb 20, 2026 at 11:30 am

    Location: home

    Wildlife Seen: 1 White bird

    Behavior Observed:

    Thistle feeder in yard. Never have seen a white sparrow. See attached pic. What is it?

    Naturalist's Response

    After review by the naturalists, the best we can say is that it is a leucistic finch — either an American Goldfinch or a House Finch. We just can’t tell which it is from the photo. -Naturalist Denise

  • Snowy Owl

    Date: Jan 10, 2026 at 12:30 pm

    Location: The West Woods

    Wildlife Seen: 1 Snowy Owl

    Behavior Observed:

    Perched on our roof (our property backs up to The West Woods). She has been hanging around all morning. It is currently 1:30 p.m.

    Naturalist's Response

    As I mentioned in our phone conversation, I can confirm that this is definitely a snowy owl that was roosting on your roof!

    Your bird is a juvenile which came down from Canada, within this bird’s typical range.

    In winter in Northeastern Ohio, there are typically a small handful of Snowy Owl sightings each year, most being along Lake Erie. The owls come down to Ohio in the winter when food becomes scarce in the Arctic, venturing south in search of better hunting opportunities. It is a pretty rare occurrence to find one wandering down into Geauga County for the winter — the last eBird report of a Snowy Owl in Geauga County was 2022 — so yours is a unique and special sighting indeed!

    The bird you saw was likely utilizing your roof as a place to rest during the day. I suspect that it has since moved on from your area in search of large open farm fields, which provide good hunting opportunities and resemble the arctic tundra it calls home.

    Congratulations again on a great sighting! I’m so jealous!

    -Chief Naturalist John Kolar

  • River Otters

    Date: Dec 20, 2025 at 1:30 pm

    Location: Home lake in Burton

    Wildlife Seen: 3 River Otters

    Behavior Observed:

    Swimming, fishing

  • Sandhill Cranes

    Date: Oct 26, 2025 at 2:30 pm

    Location: Near bass lake

    Wildlife Seen: 2 Sandhill Cranes

    Behavior Observed:

    Calling and flying overhead toward Bass Lake

  • Black Bear

    Date: Oct 06, 2025 at 7:30 pm

    Location: The Maple Highlands Trail

    Wildlife Seen: 1 Black Bear

    Behavior Observed:

    A small black bear ran across the trail in front of me. Not threatening, it disappeared into the woods. About 1/2 mile NW of the Taylor Wells Road covered bridge.

  • River Otter

    Date: Aug 15, 2025 at 4:00 pm

    Location: The Rookery

    Wildlife Seen: At least one River Otter

    Behavior Observed:

    Snorting. Swimming. Watching me as I took pictures.

  • Scarlet Tanager

    Date: Jun 02, 2025 at 4:15 pm

    Location: Welton's Gorge Preserve

    Wildlife Seen: 1 Scarlet Tanager

    Behavior Observed:

    Noticed in the trees over the trail. I could not get a photo.

  • Black Bear

    Date: Jun 24, 2025 at 3:35 am

    Location: Montville

    Wildlife Seen: 1 Black Bear

    Behavior Observed:

    Walked by our doorbell camera