After enduring a seemingly-unending, gruesome Ohio winter, it is refreshing to see flowers blooming and the sun shining and to hear the birds chirping. One can annually judge the arrival of spring and warmer weather by the return of one bird in particular.
Every year the Blue Herons migrate back to their nests located in the Valley. When traveling along Bath Road, one cannot help but notice the multitude of onlookers wrenching their necks to observe the majestic creatures taking flight and fishing in the swamplands near the Cuyahoga River. There are over 100 heron nests located in the trees on this road along with a diminutive pavement viewing area opposite the birds.
This local natural occurrence has become an Akron tradition to the many who capture the birds through their camera lenses, and those who take time out of their days to make a pit stop at the viewing area. Some see this as a beautiful natural happening, while others view this as a dangerous hindrance to the local Akronite traffic.
As a weekly traveler along Bath Road, I find it easy to glance at the birds taking flight and truly appreciate the grace and beauty that the initial weeks of spring and nature have to offer; however, these dedicated bird enthusiasts seem to go to great lengths in the name of obtaining a picture of a bird.
When mothers tell children to “go outside and get fresh air” they are correct. It is always beneficial to pry oneself away from the television and soak up some vitamin D from the sun while enjoying nature, but at no point in time did they say to play in traffic and partake in risky behavior to achieve this.
While the birdwatchers mean no harm, they can cause many issues to the motorists passing by on the 35 miles per hour road. Oftentimes a committed heron fanatic will dart across traffic to get a close-up of a bird while cars pile up, and locals hear the sound of screeching brakes. Not only are car accidents very narrowly avoided, but the once smooth flowing traffic seems to swell in that area and either come to a screeching halt or proceed at a fraction of the suggested speed limit.
Akron resident Halle Marchetta travels along the road weekly.
“It’s so annoying to try and get to work when I have to dodge a plethora of bird watchers scattered in the road,” she said.
I do not believe that giving a Blue Heron its shot at fame is worth risking the lives of many. These devoted blue heron viewers mean well, but they tend to cause traffic jams, distractions, and potential danger to many of the people just trying to travel along Bath Road.
These bird lovers can even take their viewing as far as watching from within a canoe on the side of the road to setting up a dining room table complete with a tablecloth and binoculars to watch the birds from the opposite side. These objects can provide distractions to travelers along with interferences to the steady flow of traffic.
To maintain a higher level of safety and respect to the interests of the drivers, the Blue Heron viewers should stay on their designated pavement viewing area and stick to the traditional binoculars and cameras as opposed to filling the area with extravagant moonlit, bird-filled meals and recreational flotation devices meant for the water.