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Birding News and Features

Pennsylvania Migration Count On May 12

May 10, 2012

Each May, Pennsylvania birders go afield to tally as many migrants as they can in one day. This year the Pennsylvania Migration Count (PAMC) is being held on May 12. The PAMC is a one-day snapshot of bird populations across the state in conjunction with Migratory Bird Day events across the nation and the hemisphere. This is a great opportunity to get out and go birding at the peak of spring migration when many warblers, tanagers, orioles, vireos, thrushes, and shorebirds are making their way through our state in large numbers. The goal of the project is to gain a better understanding of the populations of birds as they migrate through the state. However, since the sightings are lumped together at the county level, only very broad questions can be answered with the data. To take it to the next level, consider entering your sightings into eBird and entering the data by specific locations. It also is much better to include counts of each species to provide a much richer picture of the relative abundance of different migrants across their range. For more information about the PAMC, visit the Pennsylvania Society for Ornithology website.

Louisiana Waterthrush: The Feathered Trout

April 20, 2012

A harbinger of spring and also of good trout fishing, the Louisiana Waterthrush is more than a bird. It is a symbol of quality streams and forests. As Pennsylvania anglers begin knotting the leaders of fly lines and searching their fly boxes to select hand-tied beauties like the Blue Wing Olive or Parachute Adams, the Louisiana Waterthrush is making its way back to its breeding range in eastern North America. It is one of the earliest neotropical migrants to return from wintering grounds to Pennsylvania. Anglers would be wise to learn the haunts and habits of the Louisiana Waterthrush because this stream-dwelling warbler is likely to divulge a high quality stream and with good potential of brook trout waiting below the riffled surface. The songbird’s presence is good sign of a pristine waterway with clean water and rich aquatic life. It has been given the nickname of the “feathered trout” by Pennsylvania conservationists for good reason. Many of the forests where this species thrives have been selected as Important Bird Areas. Your records of where this species thrives help us all appreciate our quality forest streams.

PSO May Meeting: “Falcon-mania” at Lamar

April 12, 2012

The kestrel says it all: charismatic and hard to resist, like all falcons. The same can be said for each PSO meeting - hard to keep away! The state's top birders gather each year at the annual Pennsylvania Society for Ornithology meeting. The 2012 meeting is scheduled on May 18 – 20 at Sieg Conference Center near Lamar --- conveniently located just 3 miles from Interstate 80. Good birding all around. There also is a sense of history with this meeting since PSO started from meetings held at this conference center in 1990 as a result of the 1^st PA Breeding Bird Atlas (PBBA). This time, Dan Brauning will give the banquet speech about the amazing results of the 2^nd PBBA. PSO also will present awards to Laurie Goodrich and the Northcentral Pennsylvania Conservancy. Great field trips are planned plus interesting talks relevant to the mountain birds there. Meet your fellow Pennsylvania birders! Check out details at the PSO website: http://www.pabirds.org/

The Under-reported Counties

March 30, 2012

With the eBird phenomenon growing, the eBird data entries very much reflect the tendencies for birders to go birding and to report on birds near where they live or where bird reports guide them to hot-spots. In colder months, this tendency is especially biased toward southeastern counties and other places where there are lots of birders. As the weather warms up, migration speeds up, and breeding season begins, the distribution of birds changes, too. Any county can have a birding hotspot and many of the rural, unpopulated counties (as far as humans go) are among the most well-populated by birds. Thus, they are very important. Your sightings for these counties are even more valuable than for the well-covered counties. Most of our Important Bird Areas are in rural counties because that is where a lot of bird habitat is located, especially in large blocks. We invite Pennsylvania birders to visit these “undiscovered counties” of Pennsylvania. Bird reports contributed to these counties have high value.

Signs of Spring

March 23, 2012

To add to the sight of crocuses and daffodils and the evening sounds of spring peepers, birders associate many bird sights and sounds with the arrival of spring. The loud “konka-ree!” of a male Red-winged Blackbird. The pre-dawn “cheereo” liquid caroling of an American Robin. The wagging tail of an Eastern Phoebe at your porch. The flying V of honking Canada or Snow geese. The whistling and peenting of a courting American Woodcock. Which is your sign of spring? Everyone has a special sight or sound that marks the season and triggers spring fever. For some, it truly is not spring until the first Ruby-throated Hummingbird visits their garden flowers. This spring seems to have come especially early. Or, perhaps, it’s the winter that never was. Either way, this is an extraordinary season that begs to be recorded for posterity. This year may be a real record-breaker for early arrivals of migrating birds and breeding attempts.