Please arrive by 7:45 am because we will need to carpool or shuttle people to the Plummer's Hollow trail head.
If you have any questions, please contact me.
Sincerely,
Kathy Bechdel
Sunday, May 18, 2025 (8:00am -10:00am) Plummer's Hollow
Trip Leader: To be announced
Join us on for a 2-hour excursion at Plummer's Hollow Private Nature Preserve slightly east of Tyrone. The location is a nearly 700 acre forested hollow owned by naturalist and author Marcia Bonta and her family. It is home to a biodiverse forest and open field habitat that has an eBird species count of 229 species. In the spring the hollow is alive with many spring ephemerals such as foam flower, trillium, jack-in-the-pulpit, wild geranium, lady slipper orchids, and many others. Birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians all are frequently found by visitors of the hollow. The walk will be along Plummers Hollow Rd which parallels Plummers Hollow Run. The road is gravel and well maintained for easy walking. There is a gentle climb as you proceed up the hollow. From the parking area to the forks (upper extent of the public trail) is about 1 mile. There are a few places to stop and rest along the way. The time of the walk is subject to each walker as there are many sites to take i! n along the way. What to bring: your naturalist eye, binoculars, camera, water bottle, nature journals, and walking sticks if needed. There is cell service for most providers throughout the walk area. I recommend a restroom stop just prior to arriving as the only facilities are at the top of the hollow.
Park at the I-99 Park n Ride or the lot on Rt. 453. Both are located approximately .5 miles from the entrance to Plummers Hollow. Rd off of Rt. 453. Carpool to the entrance where there is a small parking area for only 6-7 cars.
Date: 5/15/25 10:00 am From: Margaret Brittingham <mbrittingham01...> Subject: Centre Gives Wildlife for Everyone Foundation
Hello Birders Please consider donating to the Wildlife for Everyone Foundation for their continued work at Dreibelbis wetland and Soaring Eagle wetlands. Ongoing work includes invasive species management, general maintenance and repairs, educational signage at SEW as well as an expanded trail system at SEW. Donations of any size are greatly appreciated and show that we value these sites.
I've shared this checklist with several of you. If you would like me to share it with you, please send either your eBird name or an associated email address.
Date: 5/14/25 11:49 am From: Grove, Deborah Shuey <dsg4...> Subject: Re: Cerulean Warbler Lower Trail Field Trip
Hi
I started at the Covedale entrance and had 14 singing during a 3/4 mile walk on May 6.
Always fun to hear them!
I hope you have a good outing.
Deb
Deborah S. Grove
________________________________
From: State College (PA) Bird Club <SCBIRDCL...> on behalf of Kathy Bechdel <0000d165c6a818d5-dmarc-request...>
Sent: Wednesday, May 14, 2025 1:38:05 PM
To: <SCBIRDCL...> <SCBIRDCL...>
Subject: Cerulean Warbler Lower Trail Field Trip
Just a reminder that the Cerulean Warbler Field Trip, originally scheduled for today, May 14, has been rescheduled for tomorrow, May 15. All other details remain the same.
Please consider carpooling and parking close together, as the parking lot area is limited.
7:30 - 9:30 am
Search for Cerulean Warblers on the Lower Trail, Blair County
Trip Leader: Nick Bolgiano
Please join Nick Bolgiano for a leisurely walk along a stretch of the Lower Trail in Blair County. The goal of this trip is to find Cerulean Warblers, in the core of their Lower Trail habitat. See keystonefund.org/success-story/a-perfect-habitat/ for more information on Nick Bolgiano's search for Cerulean Warblers. This stretch of the Lower Trail is also great for Acadian Flycatcher, Yellow-throated Vireo, Warbling Vireo, Wood Thrush, Louisiana Waterthrush, Yellow-throated Warbler, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, and Baltimore Oriole.
Meet at the Mt. Etna trailhead parking lot at 7:30am (www.rttcpa.org/index.shtml). Travel West on Route 22 from the intersection of Route 453 at Water Street. Turn Left on Fox Run Rd at 3.3 mi (just after the westbound turns to 2 lanes, making this easier if traffic) or Left on Etna Furnace Rd at 4.6 mile. Continue Right near the river to reach the Mt. Etna trailhead parking lot. There is a modern outhouse available.
From the Mt. Etna trailhead parking lot, the group will walk South along the Lower Trail for 1-2 miles out and back.
Focus on the predicted radar pattern. I would not trust the locations in individual showers, even at very short lead times, but the overall pattern can be useful. You'll have a choice of half a dozen models on this one site, so you can see what the consensus is.
So far, the forecasts range from nothing in the Lower Trail area, to a few showers. Expect any showers that form to move with time, sticking over any one spot for less than half an hour. Trying to outthink them may be a losing proposition, even an hour before the start of the trip.
Just and old meteorologist thinking out loud here, for what it's worth.
Best of luck to all the Cerulean chasers,
George
________________________________
From: State College (PA) Bird Club <SCBIRDCL...> on behalf of Nick Bolgiano <nickbolgiano...>
Sent: Wednesday, May 14, 2025 1:58 PM
To: <SCBIRDCL...> <SCBIRDCL...>
Subject: Re: Cerulean Warbler Lower Trail Field Trip
I suggest that you check radar and weather forecast before heading to the Lower Trail field trip tomorrow. There remains a chance of showers. If the rain is light, the trip will be a go. If it is raining more heavily with a pessimistic forecast, it will be canceled.
On Wed, May 14, 2025 at 1:38 PM Kathy Bechdel <0000d165c6a818d5-dmarc-request...><mailto:<0000d165c6a818d5-dmarc-request...>> wrote:
Just a reminder that the Cerulean Warbler Field Trip, originally scheduled for today, May 14, has been rescheduled for tomorrow, May 15. All other details remain the same.
Please consider carpooling and parking close together, as the parking lot area is limited.
7:30 - 9:30 am
Search for Cerulean Warblers on the Lower Trail, Blair County
Date: 5/14/25 10:58 am From: Nick Bolgiano <nickbolgiano...> Subject: Re: Cerulean Warbler Lower Trail Field Trip
I suggest that you check radar and weather forecast before heading to the
Lower Trail field trip tomorrow. There remains a chance of showers. If the
rain is light, the trip will be a go. If it is raining more heavily with a
pessimistic forecast, it will be canceled.
On Wed, May 14, 2025 at 1:38 PM Kathy Bechdel <
<0000d165c6a818d5-dmarc-request...> wrote:
> Just a reminder that the Cerulean Warbler Field Trip, originally scheduled
> for today, May 14, has been rescheduled for tomorrow, May 15. All other
> details remain the same.
>
> Please consider carpooling and parking close together, as the parking lot
> area is limited.
>
> 7:30 - 9:30 am
> Search for Cerulean Warblers on the Lower Trail, Blair County
>
> Trip Leader: Nick Bolgiano
>
> Please join Nick Bolgiano for a leisurely walk along a stretch of the
> Lower Trail in Blair County. The goal of this trip is to find Cerulean
> Warblers, in the core of their Lower Trail habitat. See
> keystonefund.org/success-story/a-perfect-habitat/ for more information on
> Nick Bolgiano's search for Cerulean Warblers. This stretch of the Lower
> Trail is also great for Acadian Flycatcher, Yellow-throated Vireo, Warbling
> Vireo, Wood Thrush, Louisiana Waterthrush, Yellow-throated Warbler,
> Rose-breasted Grosbeak, and Baltimore Oriole.
>
> Meet at the Mt. Etna trailhead parking lot at 7:30am (
> https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rttcpa.org%2Findex.shtml&data=05%7C02%<7CSCBIRDCL...>%7C3deef136f45640a52aa408dd9310f1f8%7C7cf48d453ddb4389a9c1c115526eb52e%7C0%7C0%7C638828423179427168%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=%2F5SxQYe1SNSebiB0VzzdzKMFd2tS7L2LdVpQcX99%2FKs%3D&reserved=0). Travel West on Route 22 from the
> intersection of Route 453 at Water Street. Turn Left on Fox Run Rd at 3.3
> mi (just after the westbound turns to 2 lanes, making this easier if
> traffic) or Left on Etna Furnace Rd at 4.6 mile. Continue Right near the
> river to reach the Mt. Etna trailhead parking lot. There is a modern
> outhouse available.
>
> From the Mt. Etna trailhead parking lot, the group will walk South along
> the Lower Trail for 1-2 miles out and back.
>
>
Date: 5/14/25 10:38 am From: Kathy Bechdel <0000d165c6a818d5-dmarc-request...> Subject: Cerulean Warbler Lower Trail Field Trip
Just a reminder that the Cerulean Warbler Field Trip, originally scheduled for today, May 14, has been rescheduled for tomorrow, May 15. All other details remain the same. Please consider carpooling and parking close together, as the parking lot area is limited. 7:30 - 9:30 amSearch for Cerulean Warblers on the Lower Trail, Blair County Trip Leader: Nick Bolgiano Please join Nick Bolgiano for a leisurely walk along a stretch of the Lower Trail in Blair County. The goal of this trip is to find Cerulean Warblers, in the core of their Lower Trail habitat. See keystonefund.org/success-story/a-perfect-habitat/ for more information on Nick Bolgiano's search for Cerulean Warblers. This stretch of the Lower Trail is also great for Acadian Flycatcher, Yellow-throated Vireo, Warbling Vireo, Wood Thrush, Louisiana Waterthrush, Yellow-throated Warbler, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, and Baltimore Oriole. Meet at the Mt. Etna trailhead parking lot at 7:30am (www.rttcpa.org/index.shtml). Travel West on Route 22 from the intersection of Route 453 at Water Street. Turn Left on Fox Run Rd at 3.3 mi (just after the westbound turns to 2 lanes, making this easier if traffic) or Left on Etna Furnace Rd at 4.6 mile. Continue Right near the river to reach the Mt. Etna trailhead parking lot. There is a modern outhouse available. From the Mt. Etna trailhead parking lot, the group will walk South along the Lower Trail for 1-2 miles out and back.
Date: 5/14/25 6:53 am From: Judy Sinn <junebugg1910...> Subject: catch a ride to Lower trail
Hi bird clubbers, Is anyone in the PArk Forest vicinity driving to Lower trail tomorrow? If so, could I hitch a ride with you? I live on North Oak. I could come to your departure point in my old truck but don't trust it on the highway. Thanks, Judy Sinn
*Home Tweet Home; Welcoming Backyard Birds to Your Homestead*
10:30-11am Teacher: Beth Clark, Stormshire Homestead
Backyard bird feeding is a lot like hosting a dinner party—you need the
right menu, the perfect setting, and a little hospitality to keep your
feathered guests coming back for more! In this interactive workshop, we’ll
explore the best foods to offer, the types of birds they attract, and how
to create a welcoming habitat on your homestead. From the “lasagna” of the
bird world to the special treats that make your buffet complete, you’ll
learn how to turn your yard into a bird-friendly haven.
Joanna
--
*I realize we are not only helping the birds, but the birds are helping an
awful lot of people enjoy life a little more. *
*~Lawrence Zeleny*
Hello, all, After considering the weather forecast for Wednesday, Nick Bolgiano is rescheduling the field trip for Thursday, May 15, 7:30 -9:30 am. Meet at the Mt. Etna trailhead parking lot at 7:30am (www.rttcpa.org/index.shtml). Travel West on Route 22 from the intersection of Route 453 at Water Street. Turn Left on Fox Run Rd at 3.3 mi (just after the westbound turns to 2 lanes, making this easier if traffic) or Left on Etna Furnace Rd at 4.6 mile. Continue Right near the river to reach the Mt. Etna trailhead parking lot. There is a modern outhouse available.at Etna Furnace, Lower Trail. On May 12, 2025 12:34 PM, KATHLEEN BECHDEL <kmbechdel...> wrote:
Hello, all, I hope you have been enjoying many of the opportunities to look for birds during the spring in Central Pennsylvania. But, it is not over yet; we still have two more spring field trips and two in the summer. This week on Wednesday is the annual visit to the Lower Trail to search for cerulean warblers and this Sunday is the field trip to Plummer's Hollow. A more detailed list of these events is below. I hope to see many of you there. Wednesday, May 14, 2025 (7:30am - 9:30am) Search for Cerulean Warblers on the Lower Trail, Blair County
Trip Leader: Nick Bolgiano
Please join Nick Bolgiano for a leisurely walk along a stretch of the Lower Trail in Blair County. The goal of this trip is to find Cerulean Warblers, in the core of their Lower Trail habitat. See keystonefund.org/success-story/a-perfect-habitat/ for more information on Nick Bolgiano's search for Cerulean Warblers. This stretch of the Lower Trail is also great for Acadian Flycatcher, Yellow-throated Vireo, Warbling Vireo, Wood Thrush, Louisiana Waterthrush, Yellow-throated Warbler, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, and Baltimore Oriole.
Meet at the Mt. Etna trailhead parking lot at 7:30am (www.rttcpa.org/index.shtml). Travel West on Route 22 from the intersection of Route 453 at Water Street. Turn Left on Fox Run Rd at 3.3 mi (just after the westbound turns to 2 lanes, making this easier if traffic) or Left on Etna Furnace Rd at 4.6 mile. Continue Right near the river to reach the Mt. Etna trailhead parking lot. There is a modern outhouse available.
From the Mt. Etna trailhead parking lot, the group will walk South along the Lower Trail for 1-2 miles out and back.
Sunday, May 18, 2025 (8:00am -10:00am) Plummer's Hollow
Trip Leader: To be announced
Join us on for a 2-hour excursion at Plummer's Hollow Private Nature Preserve slightly east of Tyrone. The location is a nearly 700 acre forested hollow owned by naturalist and author Marcia Bonta and her family. It is home to a biodiverse forest and open field habitat that has an eBird species count of 229 species. In the spring the hollow is alive with many spring ephemerals such as foam flower, trillium, jack-in-the-pulpit, wild geranium, lady slipper orchids, and many others. Birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians all are frequently found by visitors of the hollow. The walk will be along Plummers Hollow Rd which parallels Plummers Hollow Run. The road is gravel and well maintained for easy walking. There is a gentle climb as you proceed up the hollow. From the parking area to the forks (upper extent of the public trail) is about 1 mile. There are a few places to stop and rest along the way. The time of the walk is subject to each walker as there are many sites to take in along the way. What to bring: your naturalist eye, binoculars, camera, water bottle, nature journals, and walking sticks if needed. There is cell service for most providers throughout the walk area. I recommend a restroom stop just prior to arriving as the only facilities are at the top of the hollow.
Park at the I-99 Park n Ride or the lot on Rt. 453. Both are located approximately .5 miles from the entrance to Plummers Hollow. Rd off of Rt. 453. Carpool to the entrance where there is a small parking area for only 6-7 cars.
Sunday, June 15, 2025 (8 am - 9:30 am) Penns Prairie at Tri-County Municipal Park, Centre Hall, PA
Trip Leaders: Jon Kauffman and Andrew Bechdel
Penn's Prairie is a multi-purpose park integrating recreation, wildlife conservation, and historical prairie restoration and preservation. The park is located at 2400 Upper Brush Valley Road, Centre Hall, PA 16828.
Join Andrew Bechdel and Jon Kauffman for a leisurely walk throughout Penns Prairie Park outside Centre Hall, Pa. This newly developed, multi-purposed park provides opportunities for a variety of avian life such as nesting grassland sparrows, Red-headed Woodpeckers, and American Kestrels. Although this park has been open to the public since August of 2018, an understanding of avian life is still in the works and we hope to increase community efforts in helping understand the changes throughout the development of the park.
www.pennsprairie.com
Wednesday, July 16, 2025 (8:15 pm – 9:15pm or until the last swift disappears) Sweets and Swifts at Ferguson Township Elementary School, Pine Grove Mills Rain Date: Thursday, July 17, 2025
Come enjoy an amazing evening flight of Chimney Swifts as they circle above Ferguson Township Elementary before they dive one by one into the chimney to roost for the night. The town of Pine Grove Mills and the nearby elementary school can observe dozens of circling swifts during the day. During dusk, one may gain a better understanding how many swifts are actually utilizing the school's chimney during this unique time where swifts finally come to rest. Historical counts range from 97 to 197 individuals!
Bring a lawn chair or blanket and a favorite baked or non-baked sweet dish to share with others while enjoying the evening sunset. Who will bring the best-looking and tasting Chimney Swift themed cookie?
Date: 5/12/25 9:37 am From: KATHLEEN BECHDEL <0000d165c6a818d5-dmarc-request...> Subject: Reminder May 17 Event at Bald Eagle State Park
Hello, all,
Just a reminder that this Saturday, May 17, the State College Bird Club will be sponsoring a table at the Spring Birding and Activity Fair at Bald Eagle State Park from 12 - 4 pm.
We are looking for volunteers to help represent our club at this event. We will be under a tent to protect us from the weather. Please let me know if you can offer an hour or two of your time. For more information about the event, click the link below.
Date: 5/12/25 9:34 am From: KATHLEEN BECHDEL <0000d165c6a818d5-dmarc-request...> Subject: Bird field trips
Hello, all,
I hope you have been enjoying many of the opportunities to look for birds during the spring in Central Pennsylvania. But, it is not over yet; we still have two more spring field trips and two in the summer. This week on Wednesday is the annual visit to the Lower Trail to search for cerulean warblers and this Sunday is the field trip to Plummer's Hollow.
A more detailed list of these events is below. I hope to see many of you there.
Wednesday, May 14, 2025 (7:30am - 9:30am)
Search for Cerulean Warblers on the Lower Trail, Blair County
From the Mt. Etna trailhead parking lot, the group will walk South along the Lower Trail for 1-2 miles out and back.
Sunday, May 18, 2025 (8:00am -10:00am)
Plummer's Hollow
Trip Leader: To be announced
Join us on for a 2-hour excursion at Plummer's Hollow Private Nature Preserve slightly east of Tyrone. The location is a nearly 700 acre forested hollow owned by naturalist and author Marcia Bonta and her family. It is home to a biodiverse forest and open field habitat that has an eBird species count of 229 species. In the spring the hollow is alive with many spring ephemerals such as foam flower, trillium, jack-in-the-pulpit, wild geranium, lady slipper orchids, and many others. Birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians all are frequently found by visitors of the hollow. The walk will be along Plummers Hollow Rd which parallels Plummers Hollow Run. The road is gravel and well maintained for easy walking. There is a gentle climb as you proceed up the hollow. From the parking area to the forks (upper extent of the public trail) is about 1 mile. There are a few places to stop and rest along the way. The time of the walk is subject to each walker as there are many sites to take in along the way. What to bring: your naturalist eye, binoculars, camera, water bottle, nature journals, and walking sticks if needed. There is cell service for most providers throughout the walk area. I recommend a restroom stop just prior to arriving as the only facilities are at the top of the hollow.
Park at the I-99 Park n Ride or the lot on Rt. 453. Both are located approximately .5 miles from the entrance to Plummers Hollow. Rd off of Rt. 453. Carpool to the entrance where there is a small parking area for only 6-7 cars.
Sunday, June 15, 2025 (8 am - 9:30 am)
Penns Prairie at Tri-County Municipal Park, Centre Hall, PA
Trip Leaders: Jon Kauffman and Andrew Bechdel
Penn's Prairie is a multi-purpose park integrating recreation, wildlife conservation, and historical prairie restoration and preservation. The park is located at 2400 Upper Brush Valley Road, Centre Hall, PA 16828.
Join Andrew Bechdel and Jon Kauffman for a leisurely walk throughout Penns Prairie Park outside Centre Hall, Pa. This newly developed, multi-purposed park provides opportunities for a variety of avian life such as nesting grassland sparrows, Red-headed Woodpeckers, and American Kestrels. Although this park has been open to the public since August of 2018, an understanding of avian life is still in the works and we hope to increase community efforts in helping understand the changes throughout the development of the park.
Wednesday, July 16, 2025 (8:15 pm – 9:15pm or until the last swift disappears)
Sweets and Swifts at Ferguson Township Elementary School, Pine Grove Mills
Rain Date: Thursday, July 17, 2025
Come enjoy an amazing evening flight of Chimney Swifts as they circle above Ferguson Township Elementary before they dive one by one into the chimney to roost for the night. The town of Pine Grove Mills and the nearby elementary school can observe dozens of circling swifts during the day. During dusk, one may gain a better understanding how many swifts are actually utilizing the school's chimney during this unique time where swifts finally come to rest. Historical counts range from 97 to 197 individuals!
Bring a lawn chair or blanket and a favorite baked or non-baked sweet dish to share with others while enjoying the evening sunset. Who will bring the best-looking and tasting Chimney Swift themed cookie?
Date: 5/11/25 5:01 am From: Lisa Dziuban <dziubanlisa...> Subject: Catbird, Bucks Co.
I’ve been having a pair of catbirds here for at least two weeks, right after the house wrens began nesting. The catbirds are also eating from my suet feeder. Last year they nested and raised young in a hydrangea shrub right outside my living room window. A funny story is that one day, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a “black” bird with a long white tail fly by the window. I wondered “what was that?!” Turns out it was the catbird with a long piece of cellophane which it wove into its nest. I do not know if this current pair has started nest building.
Lisa Dziuban “People aren’t longing to be impressed; they’re longing to feel like they’re home. If you create a space full of love and character and creativity and soul, they’ll take off their shoes and curl up with gratitude and rest, no matter how small, no matter how undone, no matter how odd.” Shauna Niequist
Here in the park forest area, I’ve got a pair (probably male & female?) that come to get food from the suet feeder. I don’t know if this means their normal insect food menu isn’t yet available?
Seems like they dropped out of the sky at about the same day that the house wrens appeared; maybe May 4th or 5th.
Also, it appeared to me that the dark-eyed juncos left on the same day that the chimney swifts arrived in Bellefonte, at the beginning of May.
Happy birding;Gordon
Sent from Yahoo Mail for iPhone
On Saturday, May 10, 2025, 5:17 PM, Mary MGuire <maryshaymcguire...> wrote:
Hello,
Each year, and for many countless years,I have catbirds come to my yard. So far, I have not seen or heard one.
Are they late this year or have my visitors found a new place? They are one of my favorites.
Thank you,Mary McGuire
Date: 5/8/25 8:17 am From: KATHLEEN BECHDEL <0000d165c6a818d5-dmarc-request...> Subject: May 17 Event at Bald Eagle State Park
Hello, all,
This Saturday, May 17, the State College Bird Club will be sponsoring a table at the Spring Birding and Activity Fair at Bald Eagle State Park from 12 - 4 pm.
We are looking for volunteers to help represent our club at this event. We will be under a tent to protect us from the weather. Please let me know if you can offer an hour or two of your time. For more information about the event, click the link below.
From the Mt. Etna trailhead parking lot, the group will walk South along the Lower Trail for 1-2 miles out and back.
Sunday, May 18, 2025 (8:00am -10:00am)
Plummer's Hollow
Trip Leader: To be announced
Join us on for a 2-hour excursion at Plummer's Hollow Private Nature Preserve slightly east of Tyrone. The location is a nearly 700 acre forested hollow owned by naturalist and author Marcia Bonta and her family. It is home to a biodiverse forest and open field habitat that has an eBird species count of 229 species. In the spring the hollow is alive with many spring ephemerals such as foam flower, trillium, jack-in-the-pulpit, wild geranium, lady slipper orchids, and many others. Birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians all are frequently found by visitors of the hollow. The walk will be along Plummers Hollow Rd which parallels Plummers Hollow Run. The road is gravel and well maintained for easy walking. There is a gentle climb as you proceed up the hollow. From the parking area to the forks (upper extent of the public trail) is about 1 mile. There are a few places to stop and rest along the way. The time of the walk is subject to each walker as there are many sites to take in along the way. What to bring: your naturalist eye, binoculars, camera, water bottle, nature journals, and walking sticks if needed. There is cell service for most providers throughout the walk area. I recommend a restroom stop just prior to arriving as the only facilities are at the top of the hollow.
Park at the I-99 Park n Ride or the lot on Rt. 453. Both are located approximately .5 miles from the entrance to Plummers Hollow. Rd off of Rt. 453. Carpool to the entrance where there is a small parking area for only 6-7 cars.
Sunday, June 15, 2025 (8 am - 9:30 am)
Penns Prairie at Tri-County Municipal Park, Centre Hall, PA
Trip Leaders: Jon Kaufman and Andrew Bechdel
Details and directions are coming!
Wednesday, July 16, 2025 (8:15 pm – 9:15pm or until the last swift disappears)
Sweets and Swifts at Ferguson Township Elementary School, Pine Grove Mills
Rain Date: Thursday, July 17, 2025
Come enjoy an amazing evening flight of Chimney Swifts as they circle above Ferguson Township Elementary before they dive one by one into the chimney to roost for the night. The town of Pine Grove Mills and the nearby elementary school can observe dozens of circling swifts during the day. During dusk, one may gain a better understanding how many swifts are actually utilizing the school's chimney during this unique time where swifts finally come to rest. Historical counts range from 97 to 197 individuals!
Bring a lawn chair or blanket and a favorite baked or non-baked sweet dish to share with others while enjoying the evening sunset. Who will bring the best-looking and tasting Chimney Swift themed cookie?
Date: 5/6/25 8:07 am From: Gyekis, Joseph Peter <j99...> Subject: World Migratory Bird Day
Dear State College Bird Club,
To celebrate World Migratory Bird Day, the borough has declared the holiday for Saturday May 10th and encourages borough residents to sign a Lights Out pledge to protect migrating birds from light pollution (see message from Bird Towns leader and boro sustainability officer Jasmine Fields below).
We're also going to have an evening bird walk at the Arboretum<https://arboretum.psu.edu/events/night-bird-walk-3/> that Saturday at 7:30 pm to celebrate.
Joe
The Borough of State College has declared Saturday, May 10, as World Migratory Bird Day. This years theme is Shared Spaces," highlighting the significant role that city planning plays in supporting migratory birds.
Migratory birds and their habitats are declining in Pennsylvania due to the impacts of urbanization. The State College Bird Town Committee invites you to join the campaign to raise public awareness about human-caused bird mortalities.
Date: 5/6/25 3:41 am From: Constanza Ehrenhaus <cxe1169...> Subject: Re: PNPS festival
Thank you, Merrill, for having us!
It was such a positive experience! I look forward to collaborating again
next year!
Coty
On Mon, May 5, 2025 at 11:04 PM Merrill David <mer22david...> wrote:
> Thank you so much, Coty, Amber, Joe, for presenting and tabling and
> helping to make the Central PA Native Plant Festival such an informative
> and enjoyable success!
>
> Happy Planting!
> Merrill
>
>
> On Mon, May 5, 2025 at 8:29 AM Constanza Ehrenhaus <cxe1169...>
> wrote:
>
>> Good morning, bird club,
>>
>> Last Saturday, we attended the Pennsylvania Native Plant Society Festival
>> at Millbrook Marsh.
>>
>> Joe Gyekis and I tabled at the Bird Town State College stand with Anna
>> from the sustainability office. People were interested and excited about
>> the information we had to share and we even had people from other counties
>> saying they would like to bring this initiative to their municipality.
>>
>> Amber Wievel and I presented about creating habitat for birds by
>> gardening with natives, and Amber did a terrific job explaining how to
>> tackle a project like that at home. We had about 35 attendees.
>>
>> I want to thank the organizers who made this possible despite the
>> tremendous challenges last week; some of them were still lacking
>> electricity and internet. The festival was very successful and people
>> braved the rain to show up.
>>
>> Have a great week!
>>
>> Coty
>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> Constanza Ehrenhaus.
>>
>>
Date: 5/5/25 8:04 pm From: Merrill David <mer22david...> Subject: Re: PNPS festival
Thank you so much, Coty, Amber, Joe, for presenting and tabling and helping
to make the Central PA Native Plant Festival such an informative and
enjoyable success!
Happy Planting!
Merrill
On Mon, May 5, 2025 at 8:29 AM Constanza Ehrenhaus <cxe1169...>
wrote:
> Good morning, bird club,
>
> Last Saturday, we attended the Pennsylvania Native Plant Society Festival
> at Millbrook Marsh.
>
> Joe Gyekis and I tabled at the Bird Town State College stand with Anna
> from the sustainability office. People were interested and excited about
> the information we had to share and we even had people from other counties
> saying they would like to bring this initiative to their municipality.
>
> Amber Wievel and I presented about creating habitat for birds by gardening
> with natives, and Amber did a terrific job explaining how to tackle a
> project like that at home. We had about 35 attendees.
>
> I want to thank the organizers who made this possible despite the
> tremendous challenges last week; some of them were still lacking
> electricity and internet. The festival was very successful and people
> braved the rain to show up.
>
> Have a great week!
>
> Coty
>
>
>
> --
> Constanza Ehrenhaus.
>
>
Date: 5/5/25 5:29 am From: Constanza Ehrenhaus <cxe1169...> Subject: PNPS festival
Good morning, bird club,
Last Saturday, we attended the Pennsylvania Native Plant Society Festival at Millbrook Marsh.
Joe Gyekis and I tabled at the Bird Town State College stand with Anna from the sustainability office. People were interested and excited about the information we had to share and we even had people from other counties saying they would like to bring this initiative to their municipality.
Amber Wievel and I presented about creating habitat for birds by gardening with natives, and Amber did a terrific job explaining how to tackle a project like that at home. We had about 35 attendees.
I want to thank the organizers who made this possible despite the tremendous challenges last week; some of them were still lacking electricity and internet. The festival was very successful and people braved the rain to show up.
Date: 5/2/25 11:01 am From: Wentzel, Doug <djw105...> Subject: Countdown to Birding Cup 2025
Greetings all,
Five hours and counting to the start of Birding Cup 2025! At last tally we have 95 birders on 25 teams that will take to the field this evening at 7 pm to begin the 24 hours of the Birding Cup and the associated categories like the Birding Boot, County Cup, Potter Mug and the Micro Cup. Plus another 20 individuals further afield contributing as Global Birders. All funds raised this year will be used for grassland bird habitat enhancement at Musser Gap! Thanks to all those Bird Club members who are joining the fun this evening and to those that are <https://give.psu.edu/birding-cup-2025>sponsoring a team <https://www.shaverscreek.org/public-programs-and-events/birding-cup/>. We appreciate you!
Hope to see many of you at the Birding Cup finish line tomorrow at Shaver’s Creek to learn what new surprises turned up in Central PA during the event's 24 hours. I’m especially excited for first time “big day” birders — nothing quite like the experience. For those participating in the event, I wish you safe, responsible and joyous birding!
Best wishes,
Doug
Ps. Thanks to those that answered the call to help with the finish line support on Saturday night. We are all set to welcome the teams.
Doug Wentzel
Program Director & Naturalist
Shaver's Creek Environmental Center
The Pennsylvania State University
3400 Discovery Road
Petersburg, PA 16669-2114
Date: 5/1/25 5:02 pm From: Peggy Wagoner Saporito <raven966...> Subject: State College Bird Club meeting minutes, April 23
Hello Everyone,
Sorry for the delay in getting this out. We are still without power and just now able to access wifi. In the meantime, hope you are all enjoying the otherwise sunny spring weather, and for those of us without power, hope you are all faring well.
Here are the minutes from last Wednesday's meeting
Date: 4/29/25 9:27 am From: Wentzel, Doug <djw105...> Subject: Volunteers needed for Birding Cup tally on Saturday evening, May 3
Greetings all,
A special request from Siara for a few extra hands on Saturday evening. I know many club members are birding, or have made a donation <https://give.psu.edu/birding-cup-2025> to support bird habitat at Musser Gap, and this will be one more way to join the greater Birding Cup effort.
Thanks in advance and hope to see you at Migration Morning tomorrow at 7 am!
Best,
Doug
Hello!
Shaver’s Creek is looking for a few volunteers to help with the Birding Cup ceremony! Below are the details of the date, time, and roles we hope to fill.
Ceremony: Saturday, May 3, 7:00 pm
Volunteer arrival time: ~6:15 pm (no later than 6:30 pm)
Commitment: ~3 hours
Roles:
1-2 people – checklist counting
1 person – copy checklists and “run” to the counters (this could be a good job for an older child/teen if their parent/guardian is also volunteering)
Benefits:
Snack food will be provided
Free t-shirt and sticker if interested
Sense of accomplishment for knowing that you contributed to our annual fundraiser, made it a successful event, and helped guide very tired birders through the finish line!
Please let Siara Glenny <mailto:<sjg381...> know if you or someone you know is interested or have any questions.
I appreciate everyone who makes this event successful!
Doug Wentzel
Program Director & Naturalist
Shaver's Creek Environmental Center
The Pennsylvania State University
3400 Discovery Road
Petersburg, PA 16669-2114
Date: 4/29/25 8:19 am From: Constanza Ehrenhaus <cxe1169...> Subject: PA Masters Naturalists program open for the fall.
The PA Master Naturalists are offering a training program for volunteers in Centre County this Fall. They are currently accepting applications for this Fall course. Do you have additional questions? Contact Josie Marino at <jmarino...>[image: Centre County Flyer 2025.png] [image: Fall 25 Application Open General 2.png]
Date: 4/26/25 10:15 am From: Nick Bolgiano <nickbolgiano...> Subject: 2025 Tussey Mt hawk watch summary
2025 was the 25th full season of the spring hawk watch at Tussey Mt,
staffed daily Feb 20-Apr 25. Achieving a 25th season is an excellent
milestone. The watch site is located on the top of Tussey Mt, the second
ridge from the north and west in the western Ridge-and-Valley physiographic
province and near the boundary between Huntingdon and Centre counties. The
watch’s primary focus is monitoring the spring Golden Eagle migration.
The 2025 official counter was Adam Richardson, who has been a raptor
watcher in Montana and New York. The 2025 watch was conducted on 63 days,
with 484 hours of watching, the highest effort since 2012. Watch times were
extended on those April days with particularly favorable S/SE winds. Season
totals are shown in Table 1.
*Table 1. 2025 season totals and 10-year averages (2015-2024). *
*Species*
*2024*
*10-year average*
*2025 Ranking*
*Comment*
Turkey Vulture
290
180
above average
Highest since 2017
Osprey
84
81
average
Bald Eagle
125
72
above average
New site high
Northern Harrier
41
21
above average
Highest since 2011
Sharp-shinned Hawk
232
159
above average
Highest since 2014
Cooper’s Hawk
53
24
above average
Highest since 2011
American Goshawk
0
<1
6th consecutive year without any
Red-shouldered Hawk
46
38
average
Highest since 2015
Broad-winged Hawk
1485
964
above average
4th highest total
Red-tailed Hawk
316
269
above average
Highest since 2021
Rough-legged Hawk
1
2
First in 4 years
Golden Eagle
150
166
below average
American Kestrel
68
42
above average
2nd highest to 166 in 2001
Merlin
10
6
above average
2nd highest to 16 in 2001
Peregrine Falcon
4
2
Total
2981
2063
above average
3rd highest total
There are two aspects about the 2025 count at Tussey Mt that stand out: 1)
an early Golden Eagle flight that ended with 150 total birds, a somewhat
below average number but a value similar to that of several other recent
years; and 2) very good numbers of many raptors that mostly flew past on
days when the wind was particularly favorable from the S or SE.
Golden Eagle was the only species with a below average total, although the
150 total was similar to totals from 2016, 2018, and 2019 (156, 150, 147,
respectively). The overall trend over the last 25 years has been
hill-shaped, with a peak during 2008-2015 when 200 or more Golden Eagles
were counted in six of eight years. Numbers have declined in the last 10
years, with this year’s total being one of the middle values in that span
(Figure 1). I’m not sure why Golden Eagle numbers were lower during the
first seven years, but the observed decline during the last 10 years is
almost certainly real and is likely related to recent winters being milder
than previously. Nevertheless, the Tussey Mt hawk watch continued to count
the most Golden Eagles during spring in the Eastern Flyway; our Golden
Eagle observations are the most important results from our site.
The Golden Eagle cumulative curve shows how the season unfolded for that
species. A record-high February total of 41 moved this season’s total ahead
of any other season by the end of the month. During the 2nd and 3rd weeks
of March, this season’s Golden Eagle total tracked the long-term mean.
There was a steady flight with at least one Golden Eagle counted on 29
straight days, the high count was 18 on March 13, but there were no big
days. Once the main Golden Eagle migration ended around the end of the 3rd
week of March, Golden Eagle numbers dropped off quickly, with most of the
remaining Golden Eagles being counted during favorable S/SE wind days
(Figure 2).
The spring hawk watch season functions like two seasons within one: the
first four weeks when we count most of the Golden Eagles, Turkey Vultures,
and Red-shouldered Hawks and many of the Bald Eagles and Red-tailed Hawks;
and April, when we count most of the Ospreys, Northern Harriers,
Sharp-shinned and Cooper’s Hawks, Broad-winged Hawks, and American
Kestrels. How we do during April depends upon experiencing good S/SE winds.
This season, we experienced good S/SE winds on April 2, 14, 18, and 21 and
those winds moved the majority of April raptors through our region. The
peak was April 14 with 766 birds and the 2nd-best was April 18 with 446
birds.
Above-average numbers were counted for nine species: Turkey Vulture, Bald
Eagle (a new site high), Northern Harrier, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Cooper’s
Hawk, Broad-winged Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, American Kestrel, and Merlin. The
Broad-winged Hawk flight was excellent with a pronounced peak period. The
numbers of Bald Eagles, Sharp-shinned Hawks, Cooper’s Hawks, Red-shouldered
Hawks, and Red-tailed Hawks were sustained throughout their migration
periods. Notable were the 41 Northern Harriers and 68 American Kestrels,
two species with recently-observed declines.
Thanks to our sponsors, Shaver’s Creek Environmental Center, the State
College Bird Club, and individuals. Also, thanks to Adam’s diligence and
to the many people who visited and helped to spot migrating raptors; we
appreciate all the good help.
Date: 4/25/25 4:45 pm From: Wentzel, Doug <djw105...> Subject: Plant Sale tomorrow at Shaver's Creek
Hi all,
I’ll be hosting our annual Native Plant Sale tomorrow at Shaver’s Creek, from 10 am to 5 pm. This is a joint venture with the Penn State Student Farm and the Garden in Centre Hall.
Should be a nice day to do some birding and find some plants to add to your backyard. Hard to anticipate the turn out, but we could sell out quickly, or not.
Below is the plant list of what we have, plus Amy from the Garden will also have additional species to sell.
Hope to see you,
Doug
Lobelia siphilitica Great Blue Lobelia
Lobelia cardinalis Cardinal Flower
Veronicastrum virginicum Culvers Root
Tiarella cordifolia Foam Flower
Packera aurea Golden Ragwort
Eupatorium fistulosum Joe Pye Weed
Aster - novae-angliae New England Aster
Physostegia virginiana Obedient Plant
Vernonia noveboracensis Tall Ironweed
Chelone glabra Turtlehead
Baptisia australis Wild Blue Indigo
Phlox divaricata Wild Blue Phlox
Penstemon digitalis Beardstongue Foxglove
Monarda didyma Bee Balm
Gillenia trifoliata Bowmans Root
Asclepias tuberosa Butterfly Weed
Liatris spicata Dense Blazing Star
Heliopsis helianthoides False Sunflower
Salvia lyrata Lyre-Leaved Sage
Allium cernuum Nodding Onions
Filipendula rubra Queen of the Prarie
Asclepias incarnata Swamp Milkweed
Campanula americana Tall Bellflower
Doug Wentzel
Program Director & Naturalist
Shaver's Creek Environmental Center
The Pennsylvania State University
3400 Discovery Road
Petersburg, PA 16669-2114
SE winds at 12-19kph. Visibility was limited to Warrior’s Ridge due to a
haze in Stone Valley. Mostly cloudy skies for the entire count made for
excellent spotting conditions. Low temperature of 15C at 08:00 and a high
of 22C by noon.
Raptor Notes
OS 2 (82) SS 3 (229) CH 1 (53) BW 3 (1473) ML 1 (10) UB 1 (20) Total 11
(2955)
Any hopes of cracking 3k for the season were quickly dashed by the
lackluster flight. Despite this I enjoyed each and every individual that
passed by the cut this morning. A favorite sighting was a MERL low near the
blinky cell tower at the base of Leading Ridge. I was able to get on it in
the scope and watch the dark mysterious falcon’s wings flapping gracefully
like pistons. It made the flight special by flying right up the cut head on
before blinking out over the canopy.
I thought perhaps the Leading Ridge BW had found a mate as two soared into
view close downhill in the cut at 11:20. However, the one kept climbing
higher before peeling out to the NW. The other returned to its forested
ridge. Perhaps another day soon it will find its mate for the season. At
11:38 the COHA was again performing its wing display over Stone Valley.
Non-raptor Notes
Another nice pulse of COLO in the morning hours. Several flocks of 12 -15
BLJA’s again migrated past the cut. I have enjoyed hearing a call they make
before rallying across the cut or from Leading Ridge onto the Flanks of
Tussey Mountain.
Mourning Dove 3
Killdeer 1
Common Loon 12
Double-crested Cormorant 3
Great Blue Heron 2
Black Vulture 2
Turkey Vulture 11
Red-bellied Woodpecker 1
Pileated Woodpecker 1
Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted) 1
Eastern Phoebe 1
Blue Jay 56
American Crow 1
Common Raven 1
Tufted Titmouse 1
White-breasted Nuthatch 1
Eastern Bluebird 2
American Robin 1
Purple Finch 1
Pine Siskin 1
American Goldfinch 4
Field Sparrow 2
Eastern Towhee 2
Brown-headed Cowbird 6
Common Grackle 3
Ovenbird 3
Black-and-white Warbler 1
Palm Warbler 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) 2
Black-throated Green Warbler 6
Visitors
None
Next Day Forecast
Scattered showers, mainly before 2pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 69.
West wind 5 to 13 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. Chance of
precipitation is 50%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an
inch possible.
Date: 4/25/25 9:50 am From: KATHLEEN BECHDEL <0000d165c6a818d5-dmarc-request...> Subject: Field Trip tomorrow
Just a reminder...
Saturday, April 26, 2025 (9:00am-10:00am) Tudek Park
Trip Leader: Constanza Ehrenhaus
This walk will be designed for beginner birders, especially families with children. Of course, all are welcome. The area is stroller-friendly, and the walk will be kept to one hour to fit younger learners' attention spans. We will meet near the restrooms at the upper parking lot. To get to Tudek park: from Martin St, go down Herman Dr and park in the parking lot near the restrooms or the larger parking lot if the other one is full.
Warm day, but with nice S breezes it didn’t feel as hot as yesterday.
Light, but inconsistent SE winds didn’t help the flight much at 6-11kph.
Visibility was good again like yesterday with views to Stone Mountain
during the entire count. Mostly high cirrus clouds to begin the count, but
these burned off by 11:00. By noon a few low cumulus clouds drifted in from
the SW, but most burned up as the pushed over the ridge. Low temperature of
17C at 08:30 and a high of 30C by 15:00.
Raptor Notes
TV 2 (286) OS 2 (80) BE 5 (123) SS 4 (226) CH 2 (52) RS 1 (46) BW 11 (1470)
RT 1 (314) UR 1 (42) Total 29 (2944)
Another slow day at the cut. The flight looked promising in the 10:00 hour
with BW’s getting moving and a few SS’s. However, by 11:00 the flight had
slowed to a trickle for the rest of the day.
Another BW exhibiting resident behavior was detected at 09:36 with a few
primaries missing. At 09:59 the immature RT flew S along the ridge top. At
11:37 a BW parachuted down onto Leading Ridge to perch in the forest. At
13:18 the SS flew S through cut below the canopy of the forest.
Non-raptor Notes
Several nice size flocks of BLJA migrating through. They seem to stage
together before venturing across the cut which is interesting.
Mourning Dove 3
Chimney Swift 1
Double-crested Cormorant 9
Great Blue Heron 1
Turkey Vulture 11
Broad-winged Hawk 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker 1
Downy Woodpecker 2
Pileated Woodpecker 1
Blue-headed Vireo 1
Blue Jay 54
American Crow 1
Common Raven 1
Black-capped Chickadee 1
Tufted Titmouse 1
Tree Swallow 4
Barn Swallow 1
White-breasted Nuthatch 1
Eastern Bluebird 1
House Finch 1
Purple Finch 3
American Goldfinch 5
Field Sparrow 2
Eastern Towhee 2
Brown-headed Cowbird 5
Common Grackle 8
Ovenbird 1
Black-and-white Warbler 1
Palm Warbler 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) 1
Black-throated Green Warbler 10
Visitors
Jon Kauffman came out to take the sign down. I visited with a nice family
from DE who had spent the morning down at Shavers Creek. I was happy they
got to see a BW while up at the cut.
Jon Kauffman
5 hikers
Next Day Forecast
Showers likely, mainly after 2pm. Increasing clouds, with a high near 74.
Calm wind becoming south 5 to 7 mph in the afternoon. Chance of
precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an
inch possible.
Date: 4/23/25 8:05 pm From: Wayne Laubscher <0000d35f1ba89b38-dmarc-request...> Subject: Red Crossbill, Eastville, Clinton County, 4/21
Jacob and Jesse Kauffman reported a Red Crossbill on Schwenks Road off of McCall Dam Road south of Eastville on April 21. This is the same area where a few sightings were reported in October and November of last year. It is uncertain if a recording was obtained. With all of the western call types apparently having returned out west after the 2023-24 irruption, it is likely that this bird was a Type 1 or 12, both of which are generalist foragers.
Scorcher. Light NW winds at 6-11kph for most of the count. Really good
visibility to Stone Mountain for the entire count. Partly cloudy skies to
begin with, high cirrus. These burned off by 13:00 leaving the blue sky of
death to locate high flying raptors in. Low temperature of 10C at 08:00 and
a high of 27C by 15:00.
Raptor Notes
TV 5 (284) OS 2 (78) BE 3 (118) SS 5 (222) CH 2 (50) RS 3 (45) BW 7 (1459)
RT 3 (313) UB 2 (19) UR 1 (41) Total 33 (2915)
Slow but steady flight that peaked in the 10:00 hour. It is interesting to
note that more than half of the day’s raptors were picked up low moving
down Stone Valley. It wasn’t until 11:20 that I saw my first BW up on the
ridge. Late in the afternoon I lucked out getting on some sky-high BE’s
under a cloud that had formed directly above the ridge. Jacqui McKee also
picked up some extremely high TUVU following the same line which helped the
numbers out to close out the day’s effort.
At 10:12 the resident COHA was performing its wing display over Stone
Valley. At 11:07 three adult BE’s were in a skirmish over Leading Ridge. At
15:30 the first resident OSPR of the season was spotted flying S over Stone
Valley probably enroute for Lake Perez and a tasty trout.
Non-raptor Notes
The resident FISP has secured a mate. I see them together several times
during the day. I also think EATO has secured a mate as I hear some
interesting calls coming from the same shrubbery. A PAWA visited the cute
briefly, possibly migrating through. I heard its call note, then got eyes
on it in time to get a good look. It then flitted off the N side of the
ridge.
Mourning Dove 4
Double-crested Cormorant 2
Great Blue Heron 2
Turkey Vulture 10
Red-bellied Woodpecker 1
Downy Woodpecker 1
Hairy Woodpecker 1
Pileated Woodpecker 2
Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted) 1
Blue-headed Vireo 1
Blue Jay 7
American Crow 1
Common Raven 2
Black-capped Chickadee 3
Tufted Titmouse 1
Tree Swallow 2
Northern Rough-winged Swallow 1
Barn Swallow 1
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 1
White-breasted Nuthatch 1
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 1
European Starling 6
Eastern Bluebird 1
American Robin 1
House Finch 2
Purple Finch 1
American Goldfinch 14
Field Sparrow 2
Eastern Towhee 4
Red-winged Blackbird 2
Brown-headed Cowbird 3
Common Grackle 2
Ovenbird 1
Black-and-white Warbler 1
Palm Warbler 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) 1
Black-throated Green Warbler 15
1 helium balloon, a shiny blue star with some ribbon attached.
Visitors
Jacqui and Dave McKee joined me late in the afternoon to help spot a few
migrating raptors. They gave me a really nice card and gift which I greatly
appreciated. They have been great help late in the survey season helping
spot migrating BW’s. It has been awesome sharing some great flights with
them this season and I hope our paths cross again. Certainly, when I
reflect on my time spent on Tussey Mountain it will include great times
with them and many others.
Jacqui and Dave McKee
Next Day Forecast
Mostly sunny, with a high near 81. Calm wind becoming south around 6 mph in
the afternoon.
Date: 4/23/25 10:29 am From: Peggy Wagoner Saporito <raven966...> Subject: Last week to apply - SCBC Grant money
Greetings Everyone,
Hope you are all enjoying this nice spring weather and have the opportunity to enjoy some of your favorite spring migrants/arrivals. With all of this exciting bird activity, don't forget that there is only one week remaining to apply for State College Bird Club grants to support avian conservation in our area.
The *April 30 deadline* is fast approaching. We encourage everyone to apply who has a project or research or educational activity related to avian conservation.
SCBC has $1416.00 available for distribution from the SCBC Endowment managed by Centre Foundation. These funds will be distributed either as several small grants or one large grant. Activities that could be funded include (but are not limited to): *Projects*: - setting up or maintaining bird boxes at a public park or installing bird safe window treatments in a public building. *Research* : - helping with costs of materials, equipment, transportation or professional conference fees related to conducting avian research. *Education*: - helping with costs of materials, equipment, transportation or professional conference or workshop fees related to avian educational activities.
We look forward to your ideas. Please pass this notification onto students or others who are doing any activities related to bird conservation who may be interested in applying.
Everyone interested in applying for funding should complete the grant application submitted as a PDF attachment by April 30, 2025 to Susan Braun ( <braun3112...>). Applications will be reviewed in May by the SCBC selection committee (Susan Braun, Deb Escalet and Peggy Wagoner).
Applicants will be notified about funding decisions by June 1, 2025. Any questions regarding the funding or application can be directed to selection committee members: Susan (<braun3112...>), Deb (<d5me16...>) or Peggy (<raven966...>). Anyone interested in joining our selection committee, please contact any one of us.
Thank you and we look forward to receiving applications to support birds in our area.
Surprisingly cool in the morning with NW winds at 12-19kph and clouds in
place. Visibility was excellent for the entire count as the air quality was
superb after the rain again last night. Mostly cloudy skies giving way to
partly cloudy high cirrus clouds in the afternoon. Low temperature of 11C
at 08:00 and a high of 20C at 14:00.
Raptor Notes
OS 4 (76) BE 1 (115) CH 1 (48) BW 12 (1452) RT 2 (310) Total 20 (2882)
No lift off occurred which isn’t surprising considering how cool it was
this morning. The flight was slow and steady, peaking in the 09:00 hour
with BW’s and one RT migrating out over Stone Valley.
Resident raptors were quite active during the count. At 08:13 a COHA was
spotted out near Stone Mountain performing its wing display flight. At
08:38 an AK shot through the cut low on the S side of the ridge heading
south. At 13:03 a RSHA was heard putting up a fuss and it eventually
appeared low in the cut heading S. At 14:30 a SSHA shot across the cut from
right behind me.
Non-raptor Notes
OVEN on the walk into the cut this morning. The CATE had me pondering what
they were late in the afternoon. Three of them flying together on the line
the COLO tend to take. A FISP was quite active in the low bushes on either
side of where I stand. At one point I was sitting on my rock seat and I
believe he may have made a friend as they hung out just feet away together.
Later in the day one of them was singing from the EATO’s spot, but became
quiet suddenly. It was giving the bird side eye and was in an alert
posture. Seconds later a SSHA shot though the gap just behind it, never
seeing the FISP.
Mourning Dove 1
Caspian Tern 3
Great Blue Heron 1
Turkey Vulture 8
Downy Woodpecker 1
Hairy Woodpecker 1
Pileated Woodpecker 1
Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted) 2
Blue Jay 1
American Crow 1
Common Raven 2
Black-capped Chickadee 3
Tufted Titmouse 1
White-breasted Nuthatch 1
European Starling 2
Eastern Bluebird 2
American Robin 1
House Finch 1
Purple Finch 2
American Goldfinch 3
Field Sparrow 2
Eastern Towhee 2
Brown-headed Cowbird 2
Common Grackle 4
Ovenbird 2
Black-and-white Warbler 2
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) 2
Black-throated Green Warbler 7 y
Date: 4/22/25 7:20 am From: Julia Plummer <julia...> Subject: Bird Walk at Millbrook Marsh Nature Center -- Apr 22, 2025
This morning, a group of 20 birders joined Susan Braun and I for the
birdwalk at Millbrook Marsh. We saw plenty of evidence that spring
migration is kicking, as well as opportunities to observe birds exhibiting
breeding behaviors (e.g., a cardinal feeding his mate and a robin on a
nest). Most of the group picked the multiple warbler species as the
highlight for the morning. We had an active group of Yellow-rumped
Warblers, Palm Warbler, and Yellow Warbler providing us with excellent
views. Farther down the creek, we heard the song of the Louisiana
Waterthrush though we were not able to see the bird.
Milbrook Marsh bird walks continue next Tuesdsay at 8AM.
Julia
Millbrook Marsh Nature Center
Apr 22, 2025
7:53 AM
Traveling
0.89 miles
92 Minutes
All birds reported? Yes
Comments: Submitted from eBird for iOS, version 3.2.2 Build 3.2.21
3 Canada Goose
3 Mallard
3 Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)
2 Mourning Dove
1 Turkey Vulture
1 Bald Eagle
2 Red-tailed Hawk
2 Red-bellied Woodpecker
1 Downy Woodpecker
2 Northern Flicker
1 Eastern Phoebe
3 Blue Jay
2 American Crow
1 Black-capped Chickadee
3 Tree Swallow
1 Ruby-crowned Kinglet
1 White-breasted Nuthatch
1 Northern House Wren
2 Carolina Wren
3 European Starling
2 Eastern Bluebird
12 American Robin
1 House Sparrow
2 House Finch
1 American Goldfinch
1 Chipping Sparrow
4 White-throated Sparrow
5 Song Sparrow
6 Swamp Sparrow
1 Eastern Meadowlark
30 Red-winged Blackbird
6 Brown-headed Cowbird
2 Rusty Blackbird
4 Common Grackle
1 Yellow Warbler (Northern)
1 Palm Warbler
3 Yellow-rumped Warbler
6 Northern Cardinal
Strong SE winds for the entire count at 29-38kph. Visibility was excellent
for the entire count to Stone Mountain. Mostly cloudy skies for the entire
day made for excellent spotting conditions. Low temperature of 11C at 08:20
and a high of 24C at 13:00.
Raptor Notes
OS 16 (72) BE 8 (114) NH 4 (40) SS 24 (217) CH 5 (47) RS 1 (42) BW 113
(1440) RT 28 (308) AK 5 (68) ML 2 (9) UR 1 (40) Total 207 (2862)
The flight got underway in the 10:00 hour with BW’s beginning to surge
along the ridge top. SS’s and OS got moving as well. A memorable OS came
through at the close of this hour as it had packed a lunch possibly from
Lake Perez of what looked like a nice trout. Good on the OS for planning
ahead when lighting out for new territory. Brief lull in the following hour
then in the noon hour the flight picked up again with excellent diversity.
The flight was steady from noon on and then peaked in the 15:00 – 17:00
hours. The raptors were really pounding the same line which made getting on
them easier. The 16:00 hour saw a total of 9 species of migrating raptor
which may be one of the most diverse hours of the season. Nick peeled out
at 16:30 with the threat of rain and thunder looming. However, as the
official counter at Tussey Mountain the protocol dictates I stay until I
can hear the tower snap and the lines sizzle before I can leave my post.
Fortunately, other than a few droplets on the tablet rain and thunder never
did form and I picked up an excellent pulse of birds in the 17:00 hour to
close out a stellar day.
Resident RT’s on Leading Ridge and Warrior’s Ridge during the count. At
09:57 the Leading Ridge BW got into an incredible skirmish with one of its
kind over Leading Ridge. Pretty impressive as I have yet to see BW’s
dogfight. At 15:39 a COHA was performing its display flight near Stone
Mountain. Towards the end of the 16:00 hour a resident SSHA was gliding to
the S of the cut before moving S along the ridge.
Non-raptor Notes
Nice pulse of COLO in the morning. The usual band of trouble makers made
visits to the forest near the OP. EATO getting his hop scratch on, BAWW
singing briefly and of course BNWA singing later in the day.
Canada Goose 2
Mourning Dove 3
Ring-billed Gull 3
Common Loon 5
Double-crested Cormorant 54
Great Blue Heron 2
Black Vulture 3
Turkey Vulture 8
Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted) 1
Blue-headed Vireo 1
Common Raven 1
Black-capped Chickadee 3
Tree Swallow 1
Barn Swallow 1
American Goldfinch 15
Field Sparrow 1
Eastern Towhee 3
Brown-headed Cowbird 3
Black-and-white Warbler 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) 1
Black-throated Green Warbler 2
1 helium balloon
Visitors
George Young was up bright and early and picked a swell day to experience
migration. He was great company as always and put me on several of the
day’s birds.
George Young
1 hiker
Next Day Forecast
Sunny, with a high near 70. West wind around 7 mph.
Date: 4/21/25 3:01 pm From: Gyekis, Joseph Peter <jpg186...> Subject: Bird Towns PA walk on April 22 at 6:30 pm and ... Dogwoods Available!
Hi All,
Reminder if anyone wants a beginner-level bird walk in the boro and in the evening: this Tuesday at 6:30 at Lederer Park (tomorrow).
Also new news about itthere will be young flowering dogwood trees available for anyone who wants them, free to a good home, thanks to the First Energy/West Penn Power's donation to the borough for their Pollinator Garden Initiative.
If anyone can't make it to the walk but wants a dogwood tree (or five!), they can stop by the Municipal Building during normal operating hours and ask for Jasmine Fields.
Joe
.
________________________________
From: State College (PA) Bird Club <SCBIRDCL...> on behalf of Gyekis, Joseph Peter <jpg186...>
Sent: Monday, April 7, 2025 10:18 PM
To: <SCBIRDCL...> <SCBIRDCL...>
Subject: Bird Towns PA walk on April 22 at 6:30 pm
Hi Everyone,
If you'd like to join some members of the local Bird Town Pennsylvania committee of State College for a gentle evening bird walk at Lederer Park on April 22nd at 6:30 pm, please join us.
We'll look around for birds in the park, talk about what the bird town committee is planning to get involved in, and hopefully enjoy the beautiful spring air if the weather cooperates.
I also wrote the little piece below in my personal capacity to summarize my thoughts on the committee! I'm enthusiastic to partner with the bird club and all kinds of people interested in wildlife and conservation in the area to make State College a great place for birds to live and breed.
Thanks,
Joe
State College joins the Bird Town Pennsylvania movement
Bird Town Pennsylvania works in partnership with local municipalities and like-minded organizations to promote community-based conservation actions to create a healthier, more sustainable environment for birds, wildlife, and people. Under the leadership of Jasmine Fields from the State College Borough Sustainability Office, Richard Novak of the US Fish and Wildlife Service, Joe Gyekis and Coty Ehrenhaus of State College Bird Club, and Laura Jackson of Juniata Valley Audubon, our town has joined this movement.
In the past year, we have begun hosting events to promote bird safe glass, educate students in local schools about birds and bird conservation, collaborated with the Pennsylvania Native Plant Society on educational programs for gardeners, provided bird walks for World Migratory Bird Day, and more.
We hope to continue promoting events to improve habitat and make birds safe in our borough in the years to come, and collaborate with other nearby municipalities interested in becoming Pennsylvania Bird Towns.
We invite allies in wildlife habitat and bird conservation-friendly communities to speak with us about opportunities to collaborate on future initiatives of shared interest by emailing me at <jpg186...> or <gyekis9...> or perhaps attending some of our events such as a Bird Appreciation Walk at Lederer Park on Tuesday April 22nd at 6:30 pm. We are also looking for information about chimneys with active Chimney Swift nests in the State College borough this summer and major Chimney Swift roost chimneys in the borough in the later part of the summer.
Observation start time: 09:00:00 Observation end time: 14:45:00 Total observation time: 5.75 hours
Official Counter: Craig Kochel, Ken Tucker
Observers: Craig Kochel, Ken Tucker, Phil Park
Visitors: Several sightseers
Weather: 100% over cast about 11:30, then partly cloudy til later in afternoon started become overcast again
Raptor Observations: Moderate flight early in the day, then dying in the afternoon. Several Redtails and one Bald Eagle seen several times not counted. Several Turkey And Black Vultures not counted as at least some of them were back and forth on the mountain.
Date: 4/21/25 6:09 am From: KATHLEEN BECHDEL <0000d165c6a818d5-dmarc-request...> Subject: Bird Club field trip this Saturday
Hello, all,
Please see information below for our Saturday event.
In addition to this opportunity, we encourage you to join the following:
Tuesday, April 22 from 8 - 9:30 am at Millbrook Marsh Wednesday, April 23 from 7 - 8:30 am at Shaver's Creek Environmental Center Thursday, April 24 from 8 - 9:30 am at PSU Arboretum
Saturday, April 26, 2025 (9:00am-10:00am) Tudek Park
Trip Leader: Constanza Ehrenhaus
This walk will be designed for beginner birders, especially families with children. Of course, all are welcome. The area is stroller-friendly, and the walk will be kept to one hour to fit younger learners' attention spans. We will meet near the restrooms at the upper parking lot. To get to Tudek park: from Martin St, go down Herman Dr and park in the parking lot near the restrooms or the larger parking lot if the other one is full.
Fairly cool start to the morning which was welcome after yesterday’s
scorcher. 12-19kph NW winds for most of the count. Visibility was really
good during the entire count with views to Stone Mountain and beyond. I
believe it may have rained a little last night as all the haze was gone
today and the air quality was superb. There were high cirrus clouds for the
entire count which made for excellent spotting conditions. Low temperature
of 9c at 08:40 and a high of 23C at 15:00.
Raptor Notes
TV 1 (279) OS 4 (56) BE 2 (106) SS 2 (193) CH 1 (42) BW 11 (1327) RT 3
(280) Total 24 (2655)
Slow but steady flight with BW’s leading the flight. They would surprise me
throughout the day as they were indeed flying on top of the ridge even in
the NW winds. I got lucky in the 09:00 hour as I hadn’t really been looking
to the NW and caught one naked eye trying to sneak by. I then tracked back
on the flight line it took and picked up 3 others that where in tow
streaming out on the same line. Despite frequent scope scanning over Stone
Valley and Stone Mountain that didn’t yield much.
Resident raptors were mildly active during the count. RT’s out over stone,
BE’s in skirmishes on Warrior’s Ridge and the BW on Leading Ridge.
Non-raptor Notes
There were several BAWW up at the OP this morning. Really enjoyed getting
good looks at them. BGGN made it up for a first of the year too.
Mourning Dove 5
Common Loon 1
Black Vulture 1
Turkey Vulture 5
Red-bellied Woodpecker 1
Downy Woodpecker 1
Pileated Woodpecker 1
Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted) 2
American Crow 1
Common Raven 3
Black-capped Chickadee 5
Tufted Titmouse 1
Tree Swallow 3
Barn Swallow 2
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 1
White-breasted Nuthatch 1
Brown Creeper 2
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 1
Northern House Wren 1
Purple Finch 2
Pine Siskin 1
American Goldfinch 8
Field Sparrow 1
Eastern Towhee 2
Brown-headed Cowbird 7
Black-and-white Warbler 2
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) 1
Black-throated Green Warbler 6
Visitors
David Stiemling from Wagoners Gap HW was up in the afternoon and helped put
me on several migrating raptors. His timing was perfect as there was
another pulse while he was up and we got to see a few migrants moving N.
David Stiemling
18 hikers
Next Day Forecast
Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm, mainly after 5pm. Mostly
cloudy, with a high near 68. South wind 7 to 11 mph, with gusts as high as
24 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts of less than a
tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Also in the afternoon bird club members had a nice time talking with members of other conservation-related organizations and visiting members of the public at the Earth Day event in the borough building.
Joe
P.S. If you have a friend who wants to join this bird club email list, the easy way is to get them to send a blank message to
<scbirdcl-subscribe-request...>
There will be another step for them to complete after a message is sent to them with further instructions. There are also instructions on the bird club web page how to do it a more complicated way that often frustrates people.
If anyone ever wants to leave the bird club email, simply send a blank message to
Warm. Light NW winds to start the count shifting to the W by 13:00.
Visibility was limited to a haze for the entire count over Stone Valley
limiting views to Warrior’s Ridge. Clouds came and went, but built steadily
again in the afternoon. Despite a forecast of thunderstorms and rain, all
that weather stayed over the Allegheny Front. Low temperature of 21 C at
08:00 and a high of 29C by 13:00. The count was called off at 15:00 due to
flight tapering off.
Raptor Notes
OS 1 (52) BE 3 (104) NH 1 (36) SS 12 (191) BW 47 (1316) RT 1 (277) AK 1
(63) UR 1 (39) Total 67 (2631)
Arrived early on to mop up the last BW’s of yesterday’s movement. Lift off
didn’t disappoint as my first bino pass I got a SSHA and second pass
yielded a BW. Based on that, I am sure raptors were moving right at dawn as
it was very warm and the winds were good all night. I had 44 of the 67
raptors for the day by 09:30 which is when the count is usually supposed to
start. BW’s led the flight, however there was a nice push of SS’s too. By
noon I couldn’t find a migrating raptor no matter how hard I scanned either
in bins or out over the Stone Valley. I may have been limited on the Stone
Valley side though as a heavy haze had developed.
Resident raptors detected were of course the RT’s and BE’s. The resident BW
was out on Leading Ridge zipping around during the afternoon. I tracked it
down onto the W face of Leading Ridge and got to watch it perch through the
scope.
Non-raptor Notes
On the walk into the cut I was greeted by many BTNW that may have arrived
overnight on the warm S winds. Lots of zee zee zee zee zo zeet going on.
EATO was on territory holding down the fort when I arrived at the cut. He
was belting out his song and could care less as I set up my gear. He then
descended into the bushes to get his hop scratch on. I heard some loud chip
notes directly behind me and got on a BAWW looking sharp. It got its
nuthatch on by foraging under branches upside down.
duck sp. 1
Chimney Swift 1
Double-crested Cormorant 14
Great Blue Heron 1
Black Vulture 1
Turkey Vulture 10
Red-bellied Woodpecker 1
Downy Woodpecker 1
Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted) 2
Blue-headed Vireo 1
Blue Jay 1
American Crow 1
Common Raven 1
Black-capped Chickadee 2
Tufted Titmouse 1
Tree Swallow 1
Northern Rough-winged Swallow 1
Barn Swallow 1
White-breasted Nuthatch 1
Red-breasted Nuthatch 1
Brown Creeper 2
American Robin 2
House Finch 1
Purple Finch 6
American Goldfinch 3
Field Sparrow 1
Eastern Towhee 2
Brown-headed Cowbird 7
Common Grackle 2
Black-and-white Warbler 1
Pine Warbler 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) 2
Black-throated Green Warbler 5
Visitors
None
11 hikers
3 runners
Next Day Forecast
Mostly sunny, with a high near 67. North wind 5 to 8 mph.
Thank you for sharing this information. Amazing and exciting find.
Deb
On Sat, Apr 19, 2025 at 3:25 PM <bluebird6771...> <
<000056793b0161d0-dmarc-request...> wrote:
> Just received a report from the Bird Banding Office that a male Northern
> Cardinal that we banded at the Arboretum at Penn State on 10/19/2013 was
> found along the Bellefonte Rail Trail on 3/29/2025. When banded it was an
> AHY (after hatching year) bird, so makes it at least 12 years old.
>
> Oldest banded NOCA is one banded in PA in1956 and lived to be 15 years 9
> months.
>
> Nick Kerlin
>
Date: 4/19/25 12:25 pm From: <bluebird6771...> <000056793b0161d0-dmarc-request...> Subject: Old Cardinal
Just received a report from the Bird Banding Office that a male Northern Cardinal that we banded at the Arboretum at Penn State on 10/19/2013 was found along the Bellefonte Rail Trail on 3/29/2025. When banded it was an AHY (after hatching year) bird, so makes it at least 12 years old. Oldest banded NOCA is one banded in PA in1956 and lived to be 15 years 9 months. Nick Kerlin
Strong SE winds for the entire count peaking at 29-38 kph at 17:00.
Visibility was excellent to Stone Mountain for the entire day. Clouds came
and went, mostly high cirrus. Fortunately, enough of a haze from the clouds
stuck around all day to provide excellent spotting conditions. Low
temperature of 10C at 08:00 and a high of 26C by 16:00.
Raptor Notes
TV 5 (278) OS (51) BE 8 (101) NH 3 (35) SS 24 (179) CH 4 (41) BW 365 (1269)
RT 17 (276) GE 3 (150) AK 2 (62) ML 2 (7) UB 1 (17) Total 446 (2564)
GE Immature 16:05, Immature 16:33, Immature 17:47
The flight got underway in the 09:00 hour with a total of 30 raptors making
their way past the OP. BW’s led the flight obviously, with all the birds up
on the ridge top in the SE winds. Excellent diversity too, with 6 species
in that hour. In the 11:00 hour the hourly total nearly doubled with a
notable uptick in BW’s. Today was much easier than yesterday as they were
pretty much pounding the same line over the cut, just getting higher and
higher as it warmed up. At 13:00 the flight lulled dropping to about half
the hourly totals prior at 25 raptors coming through. I thought maybe the
flight was going to taper at this point, but was pleasantly surprised when
the biggest push of the day came in the 14:00 hour with 89 raptors coming
through. Again, the BW’s lead this hour with 79 total coming through and
nice diversity as well. From 15:00 – 18:00 the flight was steady at about
25ish raptors per hour. Staying late paid off as BW’s clearly were going to
fly until sunset. In the 18:00 I picked up another 52 BW’s and again the
diversity was good too. I also got an excellent look at the sharpest
looking immature GE of the season with beautiful wing patches. All the GE’s
that flew over the OP late in the day made their way over me effortlessly
without hesitation as I just blend in to the surroundings in the cut. By
the 19:00 hour I was wore out from all the scanning over an 11.5-hour
effort.
Resident raptors were quite active in the favorable S winds. RT’s gliding S
along the RT and Leading Ridge throughout the day’s effort. The BWHA spent
some time low on Leading Ridge and might have gotten chased off by the RT’s
whose territory that is. Late in the count there was 3 BE’s in a skirmish
over Stone Valley.
Non-raptor Notes
The COLO made another excellent push in the morning hours. The DCCO’s were
on the move again as well. There has been a huge gap since my first of the
season detection of CHSW, but got a loner ripping through the cut today.
The first BHVI of the season showed up late in the afternoon and was quite
vocal. Clearly it can belt out its song plenty loud enough over the high
winds. It bounced around in the trees behind me for a bit before flying
directly overhead to the S side of the cut to take up singing again.
Canada Goose 15
Mourning Dove 3
Chimney Swift 1
Common Loon 71
Double-crested Cormorant 16
Great Blue Heron 1
Black Vulture 2
Turkey Vulture 5
Downy Woodpecker 1
Pileated Woodpecker 1
Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted) 1
Blue-headed Vireo 1
Blue Jay 1
American Crow 5
Common Raven 9
Black-capped Chickadee 1
Tufted Titmouse 1
Tree Swallow 3
European Starling 4
American Robin 1
House Finch 2
American Goldfinch 6
Field Sparrow 1
Eastern Towhee 2
Brown-headed Cowbird 2
Common Grackle 3
Visitors
Jacqui and David McKee brought their daughter who is in town along with her
daughter’s boyfriend up to catch a spectacular BW migration. The McKees are
killer spotters and I greatly appreciate their help point out birds as
always. I also had two other visitors whose names I didn’t get, one of whom
studies asteroids. They too got to see a BW a minute during their visit.
Jacqui and David McKee (with their daughter and her boyfriend)
2 more visitors I didn’t get their name
2 runners
12 hikers
Next Day Forecast
A slight chance of showers between 9am and 2pm, then a chance of showers
and thunderstorms after 2pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 81. West wind 8
to 11 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%.
New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts
possible in thunderstorms.
Date: 4/18/25 12:42 pm From: Nick Bolgiano <nickbolgiano...> Subject: Re: April 23rd 7 pm: Bryce Robinson presents “The Red-tailed Hawk Project"
Next Wednesday's bird club topic, The Red-tailed Hawk Project, is timely
because the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's Living Bird magazine's recent
issue has a cover article by Scott Weidensaul on this very topic. There are
generally thought to be about 16 subspecies of Red-tailed Hawk and this
project is a collaboration among researchers to determine where the
different subspecies winter and summer. For example, some of the Red-tails
that winter in the Central Plains are dark - where do they breed? The Hawk
Ridge hawk watch typically records a handful of dark Red-tails every fall -
where do they breed? Do some subspecies that are mostly light-colored have
some dark individuals? Those types of puzzles are why the Red-tailed Hawk
project started.
This topic would be a good one to advertise on the PA Birds listserve,
particularly if the speaker will be presenting via Zoom, as outside
observers will be able to easily follow along.
Nick Bolgiano
On Thu, Apr 17, 2025 at 9:16 AM Thomas, Brady Scott <bst5117...> wrote:
The morning started off cold on Tussey Mountain. NW winds at 6-11kph to
start at 08:00. The NW winds peaked at 20-28kph by 13:00. By the close of
the count the winds had shifted to the SW at 6-11kph which is likely why
the last few hours of the count saw another pulse of migrating raptors.
Visibility was excellent with views for the entire day to Stone Mountain.
Blue skies for the entire day made detecting sky-high BW’s a chore. Low
temperature of -1C at 08:00 and a high of 17C by 16:00.
Raptor Notes
TV 3 (273) OS 5 (39) BE 1 (93) SS 3 (155) BW 83 (904) RT 8 (259) AK 2 (60)
UF 1 (2) UR 3 (38) Total 107 (2118)
Once it warmed up enough in Stone Valley the flight got underway at 09:00
with 16 migrants moving through. BW led the flight with a total of 83
coming through. Almost all of the raptors on the count were picked up by
scope scanning Stone Valley and Mountain. The flight appeared to lull in
the 11:00 hour, but I have a hunch BW’s were going sky high in the blue
sky. This likely made them next to impossible to detect. I completely
lucked out in the 13:00 hour and got on the largest kettle of the day over
Stone Valley. Again, I was scoping Stone Mountain and noticed the kettle. I
then went to the bottom of the kettle and started picking up the BW’s
streaming in from Stone Mountain to the bottom of the kettle so I could get
a good count. Suddenly what seemed to be another slow hour had some good
numbers on the boards. It wasn’t until the 15:00 hour that I started to see
BW’s up on Tussey Mountain. I have found that once the sun is directly over
the ridge it gets more traffic. I was thinking of calling the day at 17:00,
but after picking up another 8 BW’s I decided to close out the count at
17:30 with 4 more raptors.
Resident raptors were quite active making use of the excellent thermals. At
11:20 the adult RT was kiting on Leading Ridge. At 11:54 the Stone Valley
COHA was out performing its display flight over the power line cut in Stone
Valley. At 12:23 the immature RT was spotted moving S along the top of
Tussey Mountain. At 15:27 the first resident BW of the season was detected
to the S of the OP, then it moved down onto Leading Ridge. At 17:05 a local
SS flew the exact same line as the BW noted above.
Non-raptor Notes
The WITU was getting rowdy near the cut. Nice pulse of COLO early in the
morning. DCCO’s got in on the movement as well. First BARS of the season,
aka micro falcon. RCKI started to get riled up, but moved on.
Wild Turkey 1
Mourning Dove 3
Common Loon 26
Double-crested Cormorant 17
Black Vulture 1
Turkey Vulture 5
Red-bellied Woodpecker 1
Downy Woodpecker 1
Pileated Woodpecker 2
Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted) 1
American Crow 2
Common Raven 1
Black-capped Chickadee 7
Tree Swallow 8
Barn Swallow 1
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 1
Golden-crowned Kinglet 1
White-breasted Nuthatch 2
Brown Creeper 1
Eastern Bluebird 1
American Robin 3
American Goldfinch 11
Field Sparrow 1
Brown-headed Cowbird 2
Common Grackle 2
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) 1
Visitors
None
2 hikers.
Next Day Forecast
Mostly sunny, with a high near 76. Light southeast wind becoming south 5 to
10 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 22 mph.
Date: 4/17/25 8:10 am From: KATHLEEN BECHDEL <0000d165c6a818d5-dmarc-request...> Subject: volunteers for Saturday
Hello, all,
This Saturday, April 19, the State College Bird Club will be hosting a table at the Earth Day Celebration at the State College Borough Municipal Building and Sidney Friedman Parklet in downtown State College. The event is from 12 - 4 pm and we are looking for volunteers to help. If you can join us for an hour or more, we would appreciate your help. It would be great if a few representatives of the Bird Club could be at our table to explain what we do, where we bird and how people can join the club. If you would like to help, please respond to this email and let me know when you can be there. Click on the link below to learn more about the Earth Day Celebration.
