Birds to Look For – Centre Co, PA (Last week of March)
written by Alex Lamoreaux
This coming weekend marks the beginning of the last week of March. April is so close and beginning in just the first week of April, we will see huge pushes of newly-arriving spring migrants into our area. This last week of March is very important too, however, and I have tried to go through eBird bar charts for Centre County and make some predictions and offer some tips for birding this weekend and coming week.
Northern Shoveler (male in molt) - This week is your last best chance to see this bird in the county until next fall! (Photo by Alex Lamoreaux)
Waterfowl Peaks:
Perhaps the most important event that is happening during this week, is that it is the last big peak of most waterfowl species through the county. American Wigeon, Northern Shoveler, Common Merganser, Green-winged Teal, Northern Pintail, Canvasback, Ring-necked Duck, Lesser Scaup, Bufflehead, and Common Goldeneye are all at their peak levels throughout the county during this week. Most of these species may not be seen again until next November. The next few weeks also mark the peak levels and best chance to find a White-winged Scoter in the county. Horned Grebes are almost at peak levels right now - we had 96 around Bald Eagle SP on the morning of 3/22/12. Any rain and harsh weather events during this week should put down waterfowl and other waterbirds. Drew and I may try to plan out a day or two ahead of a weather event to see if we can have different people check particular bodies of water, that way we can really get total coverage of the county and really see what the weather was able to put down. Our best chance for both Red-necked Grebe and Eared Grebe (both very uncommon in the county) is this coming week - any Horned Grebe should be studied closely. We wont have another chance for those two grebes again until late next fall. On Sunday (March 25th) there is a State College Bird Club trip to Bald Eagle State Park - I highly recommend joining us for that trip.
Horned Grebes - one of the larger groups we saw at BESP on the 22nd; numbers should peak this coming week! (Photo by Alex Lamoreaux)
New Arrivals this Coming Week:
Bonaparte's Gull are going to increase in numbers at our larger bodies of water in the county, these next few weeks. (Photo by Alex Lamoreaux)
A fresh surge of new spring arrivals will hopefully occur this coming week. Osprey and Double-crested Cormorant should show up any day now at local hotspots. Bonaparte's Gull, which just began showing up in decent numbers over the past few days, should continue to build. Most of the overwintering Red-shouldered Hawks have moved out of the county and north to where they will breed. This coming week we should start to see migrant Red-shouldered Hawks passing through the county as well as potentially seeing (or more likely hearing) Red-shoulders staking out their territories. Great Egret is possible this week. Pectoral Sandpipers should become more regular as this week goes on - Tadpole Rd is the best option for finding them right now.
Northern Flickers should continue their invasion into the county this week, reaching peak numbers soon. Drew was already complaining about their constant chattering the other day at Millbrook Marsh. Brown Thrashers and Gray Catbirds should show up at various locations any day now. Yellow-rumped and Pine Warbler as well as Louisiana Waterthrush are all possible this coming week. I plan on checking some good looking waterthrush habitat one morning this week. Also, Ruby-crowned Kinglet should begin showing up in better numbers this week.
A few days ago, some of us saw the county's first Pine Warbler so far this year. I wouldn't be surprised if they started to become commonplace by the end of the month. (Photo by Alex Lamoreaux)
Continuing to Grow in Numbers:
Many spring arrivals that have already returned, seem to grow in numbers every day. Eastern Phoebe, Tree Swallow, Swamp Sparrow, Field Sparrow, Eastern Towhee, and Golden-crowned Kinglet are all growing to larger and larger numbers every day. Most of those species will officially peak during the first half of April. Fox Sparrow, a secretive and often over-looked sparrow in the county is currently at its peak numbers through our area - Scotia Barrens has had the highest numbers the past week, so that is a great place to check. Just walk the road, and listen for their loud and harsh chip note. The song of the Fox Sparrow is also fairly distinct.
Eastern Phoebe - one of my favorites. (Photo by Alex Lamoreaux)
If you have been out birding at all the past few days, you have probably noticed that there are LOADS of Song Sparrows around. Interesingly, this species is not even at peak levels yet! More individuals should arrive this week - I don't know if there is any more room!
Owls:
This week is realistically the last chance to try and hear (or see) a Long-eared Owl in the county, before most birds move north to their breeding grounds. We have heard a bird calling behind Scotia Range and there was also a Long-eared near the airport. Eastern Screech-Owls have begun nesting and so this week is the last good week for going out and hearing or trying to lure in a screech-owl.
Summary:
No matter what happens (rain or sun or whatever) this week should be great for birding. I hope to run in to a lot of you out in the field and if you aren't up to anything on Saturday morning (March 24th) consider joining us for our monthly bird survey of the Rockview Property, we are sure to see some interesting species out in those fields and brush. Drew and I also plan on posting daily updates on weather events in our area, with more tips on where to try birding that day.
With all this warm weather, many butterfly species have been out and about. A few days ago, I spotted my first few Eastern Commas along the trail back to the Tussey Mtn Hawk Watch (picture above). I also saw Mourning Cloaks and American Coppers around the county. (Photo by Alex Lamoreaux)
State College CBC wrap up
written by Drew Weber
Yesterday was the State College CBC which I have been looking forward to participating in for weeks now. I covered a lot of territory this year, starting at Bear Meadows and Alan Seeger Natural Areas with Alex and Steve. These higher elevation sites have extensive conifer stands so the hope was to find some less common species such as Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Red-breasted Nuthatch and finches. We found most of our targets, only striking out on the finches, with only American Goldfinches making an appearance. We also did most of our owling in this area.
red phase Eastern Screech-Owl - Rothrock State Forest
We managed to find two Eastern Screech-Owls, one of which Alex photographed. We were fully expecting to be able to find this bird as we had seen it along with a gray phase several times at this location. The only other species of owl we found in the morning was a single Great Horned Owl hooting it up in the distance. Our best finds in the morning were lots of Brown Creepers everywhere and the immature Bald Eagle that was gliding through Bear Meadows as we pulled into the parking area. This fortuitous timing would characterize our day.
Our next stop was the Rockview fields Penn State just purchased along I-99/220. Our first bird upon pulling in was this big female Cooper's Hawk who was really fluffed up when we first spotted her, making her appear even larger.
immature female Cooper's Hawk - Rockview fields
We met up with Nadia and Justine in the parking lot and then drove over towards the farthest field. As we were about to turn off Benner Pike towards the entrance, I spotted a distant flock of birds winging their way towards us. Probably a flock of geese but I had Justine pull off to we could count them. About the time that I brought my bins up to my eyes, the birds started gliding- a serious strike against my naked eye identification of Canada Goose. My thoughts flashed to Tundra Swan which would be an excellent bird for the count, but then I noticed that these birds had long necks and long legs.
"Um, Alex...what are those?!?"
"It's Sandhill Cranes, it's Sandhill Cranes, it's Sandhill Cranes!"
And they were. Sixteen Sandhill Cranes that happened to fly directly overhead, providing us with a new record for the State College CBC and an almost record count for any Pennsylvania CBC. Apparently the Linesville CBC had flocks of 13 and 19 in 2008-09.
Sandhill Crane flock
Needless to say, Alex sprinted down the road to get directly beneath them as they flew towards us and snapped off hundreds of shots.
Sandhill Crane flock
One of the Sandhill Cranes flew with its legs tucked up, something that Alex and I have never seen before with a flying crane.
Sandhill Crane flock
The rest of the count through Rockview consisted mostly of American Tree Sparrows, White-throated Sparrows and a single Savannah Sparrow. Our next highlight came when a female light type Rough-legged Hawk flew past, leisurely taking its time as it circled nearby and off into the distance. We saw the same bird several different times during our walk.
female light type Rough-legged Hawk
After finishing with the Rockview fields, we made the decision to head back up to Bear Meadows and try for the saw-whet owl I had heard the previous evening. We could get to the spot at about the same time I had it and so I had high hopes of a repeat. We sat in the car for a bit, tallying up our days numbers - 43 species. As it got dark we headed down the path and, with the help of the Sibley app on my iPhone, played some saw-whet toots and winter vocalizations. Just as I played a recording of a 'wailing' saw-whet, an awful screaming wail came out of the brush about 20 feet from us. This was the only sound we could elicit from the owl and soon, freezing cold, we left with our 44th species of the day.
Our goal was to hit 50 species, and while we missed that mark, the birds we saw definitely made for a very enjoyable day. We counted lots of common birds, and got really great looks at some of the rarer species as well.
Rock Pigeons - all species counted, no bird left behind!
First SCCCMA Surveys Complete
written by Justine Weber
Our first surveys of PSU's new Rockview property took place this past Sunday (12/4), and went very well. We had an excellent turnout of volunteers (thanks again to all who offered their time and skills!), and observed some excellent species.
Penn State's piece of Spring Creek Canyon Cooperative Management Area is 452 acres of varied habitat, and in about 3 hours our surveyors counted 42 species. Some of the more interesting birds observed were Rough-legged Hawk, Black Vulture, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Fox Sparrow, Savannah Sparrow, and Field Sparrow. If you are interested in a full list and count of what was seen, or are interested in participating in future surveys, please feel free to contact me. For more general information on the land being surveyed, check out this post. Below are some photos taken by Alex Lamoreaux during the survey.
American Tree Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Black Vulture
Cedar Waxwing
Spring Creek Canyon Cooperative Management Area: An Introduction
written by Justine Weber
Most avid birders have a repertoire of favorite birding spots: hotspots where they are likely to find a high diversity of species, or seasonally unique species, or even just an easily-accessed spot that will consistently provide a good list. In an area that is birded frequently (say, Centre Country), that list of spots, though still worthwhile, tends to remain stagnant. It isn’t often that a new, extremely valuable birding area shows up. But in Centre County, that is precisely what has happened.
In 2007, the Pennsylvania State Legislature passed a bill ordering the divestment of all land north of I-99 belonging to the State Correctional Institution at Rockview in Centre County. This land (just over 1800 acres) includes the notable ecological landmark, Spring Creek Canyon, an area with a high diversity of habitats and species. As many central-Pennsylvania residents know, the bill caused some public objection, primarily with respect to the proposed recipients of the land. The original bill called for the vast majority of the land to be sold to Penn State University for use as agricultural cropland. Local residents understood the ecological and cultural gem that the area represented, and wanted it to become public land available for recreational use. Emphasis was also placed on the importance of protecting the riparian areas of Spring Creek, as well as the many other habitats present (mixed forest and successional fields, for example). Much discussion, debate, and compromise from all parties ensued.
In the end (and almost four years later), PSU purchased 452 acres of land directly north of I-99, with the intention of using the land for agricultural purposes; most of this acreage is already agricultural fields, previously used by the Correctional Institution. The Pennsylvania Game Commission now owns 1211 acres of mostly forested areas which is now known as State Game Lands 333. Benner Township is responsible for designated recreational areas around the creek itself, including a 4.4 mile trail that allows hikers to travel down a stretch of Spring Creek Canyon previously unavailable to the public. And finally, the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission obtained easier access to two of their fish hatcheries on Spring Creek (the Benner Spring and Bellefonte hatcheries). The entire 1800-odd acres is known collectively as the Spring Creek Canyon Cooperative Management Area (SCCCMA).
And of course, the good news for birders, hunters, and general outdoorsy types alike, is that almost all of the land is open for public use. And look at how much land 1800 acres is:
Spring Creek Canyon Cooperative Management Area (SCCCMA)
At any rate, I’m sure a lot of local birders are itching to see what SCCCMA has to offer. Birding this area from a tiny parking lot on Shiloh Road last year resulted in high numbers of sparrows as well as some less common species such as Short-eared Owl (endangered in PA) and Rough-legged Hawk. (Check out this link for a list at what's been seen - from afar - in the area.) And I have an opportunity for you to both bird some of the area AND contribute to Penn State’s plan on how to use the agricultural land while still maintaining critical habitat. You should probably keep reading, as that seems like a pretty excellent combination. (Who wouldn’t like birding for a good cause?)
Penn State’s acreage is a mixture of habitats, including agricultural fields that will be used for sustainable biofuel and organic crops. Because of the circumstances surrounding land assignments, Penn State would like to proceed with as much ecological caution and foresight as possible. With that in mind, Dr. Margaret Brittingham’s wildlife habitat lab at PSU will be performing a variety of bird surveys throughout the year to determine which birds are using the area, their general abundance, and the habitat components that seem to be most critical to their needs. With these results in hand, we will be able to provide recommendations to the University on how to incorporate important habitat needs into their agricultural landscape.
Your opportunity comes here: we need some volunteers to participate in general bird surveys during the winter season. The first one is being scheduled for Sunday, December 4th at 8am. If you are interested in participating (and contributing!) please contact me for more information. This is an excellent opportunity for anyone interested in a new birding hotspot, or for anyone who has followed the Spring Creek Canyon story. I look forward to hearing from you!
Our favorite apps
birding shirts
blogs we read
- The Birdchaser
- Julie Zickefoose
- Sibley Guides Notebook
- Jeffrey A Gordon
- Words About Birds
- Utah Birders
- ABA blog
- Of a Feather
- Speed Birding
- Birding is Fun!
