New Eastern Pennsylvania Birding and Wildlife Guide Available
Lehigh Gap Nature Center
The new Eastern Pennsylvania birding guide features approximately 90 locations arranged by the county they are found. Each site account includes the following sections: a definition of the location; the owner and contact information; driving directions , access, and parking; a site description; the birding highlights through the seasons; and additional comments about the site. Maps and beautiful pictures of birds and other wildlife serve compliment the text and inspire the reader to explore new areas. Basic information such as wheelchair accessibility, hiking trails, biking trails, restroom availability, and whether dogs are allowed are also indicated with icons.
There is a commendable diversity of locations and ownerships among the many locations selected for this new birding guide. Locations range from city parks to near-wilderness areas of global significance for biodiversity. Among the most notorious locations are the world-recognized Hawk Mountain Sanctuary on Kittatinny Ridge (Blue Mountain) and the John James Audubon Center at Mill Grove. Yet, there also are many obscure sites that deserve visitation not far from busy metropolitan areas. The compendium offers many good reasons to “get out of town” and go birding along a stream, in a swamp, or up in the mountains. You can add birds to your yearly list and add to your list of experiences by visiting someplace new that might not be very far from home. Some spots are easily accessible and hardly require you to leave the comfort of your vehicle while others invite you to walk or bike many miles along trails.
There are some overlooked gems in the southeast, many in and around some of its cities. The Nottingham County Park contains serpentine barrens with a diversity of interesting vegetation and an opportunity to enjoy White-eyed Vireos and Pine and Prairie Warblers. You might even see a Summer Tanager there. Good birding sites include places like Nolde Forest with its conifer plantations, the islands of woods in the suburbs at Evansburg State Park and Tyler Arboretum, and open water at Peace Valley Park or Beltsville State Park. Need to get your toes wet? Check out Quakertown Swamp in Bucks County or Bear Swamp and Minsi Lake in Northampton County. Have you seen a Yellow-throated Warbler lately? If not, you could visit the D&L Trail, Freemansburg in Northampton County, where you also could enjoy Warbling Vireo, Northern Parula, and Northern Oriole.
Some examples of more remote places include Long Pond / Hypsy Gap where there are both oak scrub barrens and native spruce woods. There is a marvelous cluster of good spots in Pike County that includes Promised Land State Park, Bruce Lake Natural Area, and the Shohola Waterfowl Management Area of State Game Lands 180. If you have not seen a Nashville Warbler or a Blue-headed Vireo these are good places to start. The Shohola Falls area also has several breeding Golden-winged Warblers that are increasingly difficult to find elsewhere in eastern Pennsylvania. Some locations Like Hickory Run State Park in Carbon County offer a wide diversity of forest interior birds very close to a turnpike exit. Then, Nescopeck State Park is only a few miles away with a different suite of habitats. And, the scenic Lehigh Gorge State Park offers a variety of birds and the chance to walk in the footsteps of Audubon.
A few locations are so large and accessible at different points so are given multiple entries for each access point that is distinct in its birding opportunities. State Game Lands 110 on Kittatinny Ridge is an example and only a short drive for many southeast Pennsylvania birders. It provides lookouts, forest trails, meadows, and lots of edge habitat that is great for birding. Many locations listed in the guide offer good hawk watching in spring or fall. Others are great for waterfowl observations.
The guide was created through a partnership of two National Heritage Areas, the Schuylkill River Heritage Area (SRHA), Delaware and Lehigh National Heritage Corridor (D&L), and the project was coordinated by the Lehigh Gap Nature Center, Slatington, PA. The Lehigh Gap Nature Center with its Osprey House and wildlife refuge on a reclaimed Superfund site is worth a visit near Slatington and the Lehigh River. The grassland there supports many bird species rarely found elsewhere in the region. Lehigh Gap Nature Center’s Dan Kunkle coordinated the guide. He, his co-authors, and the several birders who nominated sites for inclusion deserve credit for its success and our gratitude for stimulating more birding in the region. For more information about the Lehigh Gap Nature Center, visit its website at: www.lgnc.org
The guide, funded in part through a Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources grant, is being made available at no cost at nature centers and state parks across the region while the supply lasts. It also can obtained at the Osprey House of the Lehigh Gap Nature Area near Slatington. They can also be ordered from the SRHA and the D&L at a cost of $10 to cover shipping and handling. For a list of locations where the guide can be obtained visit the SRHA Web site at www.schuylkillriver.org, or the D&L Web site at www.delawareandlehigh.org.
For easy access to maps to State Game Lands, visit: http://www.pgc.state.pa.us/pgc/cwp/browse.asp?a=480&bc=0&c=69913&pgcNav=|
Visit the Audubon Pennsylvania website for more information about the PA Important Bird Areas.
