This winter a male Northern Pintail has taken upresidence with Mallards at Highland Park in

Pittsburgh Photo by Mike Fialkovich

The

PSO Pileated

March 2018 The Newsletter of the Pennsylvania Society for Ornithology Volume 29 Number 1

From the Presidentrsquos Desk

Winter Birding Traditions

Itrsquos deep in winter as I write thisAfter a recent chase to see the Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch in CrawfordCounty I birded on the way home atseveral Western Pennsylvanialocations that offer great winterbirds Most non-birders with whom Italk express how much they dislikewinter with its gloomy skies andinclement weather While I dislikedriving in snowstorms andparticularly ice storms for me winterhas a lot to offer to birding Manyspecies are found here only in winterand their numbers depend upon environmental conditions

One thing I like to do is check small ponds in local parksfor waterfowl When lakes and rivers freeze these pondswhere Mallards gather often attract the odd notable duckor two These Mallard-filled ponds offer some open water(kept open by the activity of the birds) that attractswaterfowl that seem to come from nowhere Where asingle Northern Shoveler for example comes from isanyonersquos guess but there always seems to be somethinginteresting to find The nice thing is the ldquowilderrdquo speciesoften become at ease with people probably due to thetameness of the Mallards This winter a male NorthernPintail has taken up residence with Mallards at HighlandPark in Pittsburgh An American Black Duck is also aspecial guest of the Mallards Irsquove seen nearly everyexpected duck species over the years at small ponds inparks during the winter as Irsquom sure many of you also haveWhen the Great Lakes freeze it is even more excitingbecause in Pennsylvania we can find numbers of scotersand Long-tailed Ducks In addition to that we had three

memorable Red-necked Grebeinvasions which occurred in 19942003 and 2014 because of LakeOntariorsquos freezing over

The second tradition is searchingfarm fields for open country birds Istopped at the Amish farms in Law-rence County recently searching formanure spreads Have you evermentioned spending a weekendsearching for manure spreads to anon-birder A puzzled look is oftenthe response to something that

makes perfect sense to a birder The rewards of such aquest are Horned Larks with a sprinkling of LaplandLongspurs Snow Buntings and American Pipits If thereis snow cover all the better because the birds areconcentrated

Other open country birds that I enjoy are Rough-leggedHawks and Short-eared Owls Rough-legged Hawks arewelcome winter visitors and some locations are home tonumerous individuals The dark morph birds are stunningwith their jet black bodies and silvery under-sides to thewings Short-eared Owls are best found at dusk just as thetemperatures are dropping on winter days Irsquom oftenpuzzled by their behavior Some days they areconspicuous and easy to observe while other days they failto make an appearance And there have been days Irsquoveseen them in flight hours before sunset Irsquove read they canbe active in the middle of the day on overcast days butIrsquove also seen them active on bright sunny days

The Winter Raptor Survey started by Greg Grove in 2003has become another winter tradition for many of us in the

-1-

state I ran a survey in Butler County from 2003-2010 andcontinue a route in Allegheny County I read every WRSpost to the PA Birds listserv to see what other observershave recorded Irsquom often amazed at the numbers of raptorssome of you report as they always vastly outnumber whatI see

Gulls are another group of winter birds that are sought They concentrate at such scenic sites as landfills andparking lots but they are also found on rivers and lakes inwinter As with waterfowl their numbers are dependentupon frozen water to the north A lot of people associategulls with summer visits to the beach but I often associategulls with frigid temperatures near inland bodies of waterWhen I was new to this activity searching through flocksof gulls for ldquothe different onerdquo was a confusing exercisebut with experience and spending time with more experi-enced observers learning what to look for gull watchingdeveloped into an enjoyable and exciting activity Thiswas particularly true when one of the white-winged gullsor other less common species came into view In Pitts-burgh the local birders have been searching for gulls with

excellent results for the past several years ndash a newtradition on a local level I still have great memories ofsearching for the Mew Gull in Berks County in 1992 thenumbers of gulls at the nearby pig farm were astounding Ihave old slides of the masses of birds

Northern finches and Snowy Owls are always high on abirderrsquos winter wish list This winter Snowy Owls havebeen fairly widespread but winter finches are scarce Afew Pine Siskins seem to be scattered around this winterThe memories of the two great crossbill invasions in 2009and 2013 are still part of birder conversations When willit happen again Will the current spruce budwormincrease bring Evening Grosbeaks back to the East innumbers Time will tell

See Winter isnrsquot so bad I hope you have been able to getout and enjoy these winter birding traditions this season

Mike Fialkovich PSO PresidentAllegheny Countympfialverizonnet

2018 Birding Trips Excursions Surveys and More

More trips may be added later or at the last minute We continue to work with local groups and clubs to bird with them intheir favorite spots by joining their existing field trips or creating new ones Please contact any PSO board member formore information Details will follow in the June newsletter and on line

May 4-5 ndash Shaverrsquos Creek Birding Cup This annualfundraiser for Shaverrsquos Creek Environmental Center is anattempt to find as many species as possible in a 24-hourperiod There are various categories See their website(wwwshaverscreekorg) for more information

May 12 ndash PA Migration Count (PAMC) The secondSaturday in May is a great time to get out to count birds See article on page 10

June 15 - 18 ndash Breeding Bird Blitz This will be thefourth year of this organized count with the goal ofgetting reports of breeding birds entered on eBird Do theBlitz See article on page 12

September 8 ndash Blue Spruce Co Park in Indiana Co ledby members of the Todd Bird Club This is one of thebest locations in southwestern PA for fall warblers

September 14-16 ndash PSO Annual Meeting in MeadvilleCrawford County A great variety of field trips are in theplanning stages Details will follow in the June issue

October 13-14 ndash The Big Sit sponsored by BirdWatcherrsquos Digest You may join or create your own circleand count what you see in a 24-hour time frame

November 3-4 ndash Waggonerrsquos Gap Hawkwatch This isusually the peak for migrating Golden Eagles

Kevin McGowan to Speak

The Penn State Arboretum Avian Education Seminar willbe held Wednesday April 4 at 500 pm in Room 112Forest Resources Building Researcher author andeditor Kevin McGowan of Cornell will be discussing hislong-term research on crow behavior survival and familydynamics His talk is titled To Know the Crow Insights

and Stories from Over a Quarter Century of Crow StudyHe will discuss all aspects of their behavior includingtheir home and family life flock life creativity and crow-human interactions

The seminar is free and open to the public

-2-

state I ran a survey in Butler County from 2003-2010 andcontinue a route in Allegheny County I read every WRSpost to the PA Birds listserv to see what other observershave recorded Irsquom often amazed at the numbers of raptorssome of you report as they always vastly outnumber whatI see

Gulls are another group of winter birds that are sought They concentrate at such scenic sites as landfills andparking lots but they are also found on rivers and lakes inwinter As with waterfowl their numbers are dependentupon frozen water to the north A lot of people associategulls with summer visits to the beach but I often associategulls with frigid temperatures near inland bodies of waterWhen I was new to this activity searching through flocksof gulls for ldquothe different onerdquo was a confusing exercisebut with experience and spending time with more experi-enced observers learning what to look for gull watchingdeveloped into an enjoyable and exciting activity Thiswas particularly true when one of the white-winged gullsor other less common species came into view In Pitts-burgh the local birders have been searching for gulls with

excellent results for the past several years ndash a newtradition on a local level I still have great memories ofsearching for the Mew Gull in Berks County in 1992 thenumbers of gulls at the nearby pig farm were astounding Ihave old slides of the masses of birds

Northern finches and Snowy Owls are always high on abirderrsquos winter wish list This winter Snowy Owls havebeen fairly widespread but winter finches are scarce Afew Pine Siskins seem to be scattered around this winterThe memories of the two great crossbill invasions in 2009and 2013 are still part of birder conversations When willit happen again Will the current spruce budwormincrease bring Evening Grosbeaks back to the East innumbers Time will tell

See Winter isnrsquot so bad I hope you have been able to getout and enjoy these winter birding traditions this season

Mike Fialkovich PSO PresidentAllegheny Countympfialverizonnet

2018 Birding Trips Excursions Surveys and More

More trips may be added later or at the last minute We continue to work with local groups and clubs to bird with them intheir favorite spots by joining their existing field trips or creating new ones Please contact any PSO board member formore information Details will follow in the June newsletter and on line

May 4-5 ndash Shaverrsquos Creek Birding Cup This annualfundraiser for Shaverrsquos Creek Environmental Center is anattempt to find as many species as possible in a 24-hourperiod There are various categories See their website(wwwshaverscreekorg) for more information

May 12 ndash PA Migration Count (PAMC) The secondSaturday in May is a great time to get out to count birds See article on page 10

June 15 - 18 ndash Breeding Bird Blitz This will be thefourth year of this organized count with the goal ofgetting reports of breeding birds entered on eBird Do theBlitz See article on page 12

September 8 ndash Blue Spruce Co Park in Indiana Co ledby members of the Todd Bird Club This is one of thebest locations in southwestern PA for fall warblers

September 14-16 ndash PSO Annual Meeting in MeadvilleCrawford County A great variety of field trips are in theplanning stages Details will follow in the June issue

October 13-14 ndash The Big Sit sponsored by BirdWatcherrsquos Digest You may join or create your own circleand count what you see in a 24-hour time frame

November 3-4 ndash Waggonerrsquos Gap Hawkwatch This isusually the peak for migrating Golden Eagles

Kevin McGowan to Speak

The Penn State Arboretum Avian Education Seminar willbe held Wednesday April 4 at 500 pm in Room 112Forest Resources Building Researcher author andeditor Kevin McGowan of Cornell will be discussing hislong-term research on crow behavior survival and familydynamics His talk is titled To Know the Crow Insights

and Stories from Over a Quarter Century of Crow StudyHe will discuss all aspects of their behavior includingtheir home and family life flock life creativity and crow-human interactions

The seminar is free and open to the public

-2-

The

RavenReporter

Tales ofDiscovery aboutPennsylvaniaBirds

Iconic Snowy OwlFeatured on Working Together for Wildlife 2018

The February issue of the Pennsylvania Game News coverstory was about the Snowy Owl certainly the ldquoSpectac-ular Visitorrdquo to Pennsylvania and anywhere else it roamsConsidering the name of the agencyrsquos magazine this is asignificant demonstration of the appeal of this winterraptor Although they are characteristic denizens of theArctic Snowy Owls visit our state fairly regularly espe-cially in ldquoinvasion yearsrdquo like 2013-14 and this winter of2017-18 Many were fortunate to get good looks at aSnowy Owl this year and take great photographs of themthanks not only to the numbers of the birds but modernsocial and digital media A full story about the WorkingTogether for Wildlife (WTFW) and the Snowy Owl patchand art print can be found on the PA eBird pagehttpsebirdorgpanewsiconic-snowy-owl-featured-on-working-together-for-wildlife-2018

Pennsylvania may be far from the heart of the SnowyOwlrsquos range but it is decidedly at the center of energy andactivity for recreational birding and research on its wan-derings We have appreciated the support of the statersquosbirding community for Snowy Owl observation and theresearch projects associated with Project SNOWstorm For up-to-date news about Snowy Owls and researchersstudying this species check out the Project SNOWstormwebsite at httpwwwprojectsnowstormorg There youwill find opportunities to contribute sightings photos anddonations

Given the fascination with this bird it is appropriate that itis the newest wildlife icon for the WTFW program to raisefunds for wildlife diversity projects of the PennsylvaniaGame Commission (PGC) The painting by Linda MHilgert features a Snowy Owl perched on a fence postwith a classic Lancaster County farm scene with red barnand fields in the background That is the kind of placewhere birders often go to see birds of the open countrySales of a reproduction of this painting and a matchingpatch fund the WTFW program To support WorkingTogether for Wildlife visit httpwwwtheoutdoorshopstatepausFBGgameGameProductSelectaspShopperID=56256E0BD2BB411D92B3AB2E1A6AD616

Wildlife watching is a growing movement in America andPennsylvania with more in their ranks than hunters andanglers combined It is unfortunate that a wildlife watcherwho does not purchase a hunting license in Pennsylvaniadoes not contribute directly to the statersquos wildlife agencyfinancially even if that person cares about such programsand participates as a volunteer ndash contributing valuable ldquoinkind servicesrdquo that are appreciated by the agency and birdconservationists everywhere The WTFW patch and printare among the best ways for birders photographers andother wildlife watchers to contribute to the PennsylvaniaGame Commissionrsquos Wildlife Diversity programs andsupport the wildlife they love

During the Snowy Owl incursions we have learned a lotabout this mysterious Arctic bird Contrary to beliefs ofmany it is humans not starvation that are one of thebiggest causes of Snowy Owl mortality Like otherraptors Snowy Owls are prone to collisions with vehiclesand aircraft especially since the open landscape of largehighways and airports mimic their breeding groundsSeveral owls were hurt or killed by vehicles in recentirruptions The feeding of owls especially near roads andairports is very discouraged for many reasons Otherhuman-related sources of mortality are rodenticidepoisoning and electrocution Recent research has sug-gested that the nomadic Snowy Owl has a much lowerpopulation and is at greater risk than previously thought For more information about Snowy Owls please see postsabout it on the Pennsylvania eBird portal We havepreviously discussed the possible Snowy Owl invasion ina PA eBird story httpsebirdorgpanewsanother-snowy-winter

That Game News Snowy Owl issue may still be availableon many magazine stands in grocery stores and anywhereperiodicals are sold If you cannot find it there the mainGame Commission office in Harrisburg often offers copiesof older issues for months after publication

Northern Goshawk Update and a Request thatReports Are Still Needed

The Northern Goshawk is one of the statersquos rarest breed-ing raptors and an appropriate symbol of Pennsylvaniarsquoswildest forests The PA Game Commission is one of thepartners in a PA Goshawk Project that also involves PennState the PA Biological Survey (OTC) Hawk MountainSanctuary Allegheny National Forest the Central Appa-lachian Goshawk Project DCNR Bureau of Forestry andsome falconers Chelsea Demarco a graduate student inDr Margaret Brittinghamrsquos lab at Penn State has beencollecting goshawk nesting season records and conductingsearches for goshawk territories in various parts of the

-3-

state that have recent historiesof goshawk breeding seasonactivity As I have written inpast columns the NorthernGoshawk seems to be decliningin the state not only in numbersof breeding pairs but also in thesize of its breeding range Thisis of great concern to bird con-servationists and an emergingissue for most states in theNortheast

The project made significantoutreach to the public includingan article in PA Game NewsThe PSO Pileated PA birds listserv PA eBirdorganization publications and hunting and falconrygroups We really got the word out which was madeeasier by establishing a website for the project

The PA Goshawk Project team worked hard to cover therecent goshawk territories in forested counties The effortand cooperation were quite impressive This is especiallytrue since most observers consider goshawk informationas confidential so we really worked at sharing informa-tion on an ldquoas neededrdquo basis protecting confidentialityand avoiding any possible conflicts between the observercontributor and the research team members If our sourcesput limits on information dispersal we respected thoseconcerns But even with that extensive effort the 2017season results were pretty dismal There were five basicapproaches that included the usual Central AppalachianGoshawk Project (led by Dave Brinker) and AlleghenyNational Forest searches the two agencies doing searchesin areas of interest (Doug Gross of PGC and Aura Staufferof DCNR) a Kittitinny Ridge search led by LaurieGoodrich of Hawk Mountain and the Penn State crewcovering many locations with more formal surveys Manyof these surveys were area searches of locations withrecent history of goshawk territorial behavior (nestscalling birds attacks) including reports from the publicbut there also were more technical surveys using estab-lished protocols and audio-lures

The goal of the 2016 PA Goshawk Project was to conducttwo protocol surveys at each targeted site There were 60sites that fell in the region that the ANF crew was cover-ing and 76 were divided between Hawk Mountain andPenn State Due to the late start only eight sites outside ofthe ANF were surveyed twice and 56 sites were surveyedonce but that is a very big list of sites to survey for a deepforest raptor In total 10 active territories were reportedthis last season Around 352 hours were spent using thedirected search method to locate nests in recently active

territories Eight nests werefound between April and Mayby surveying historic nest sitesusing the directed searchmethod Five were found onthe ANF two by falconers andone by a goshawk enthusiast(Most nests had been active in2016 and the oldest record wasactive in 2012) Two additionalnests were found through con-tacts in the birding and wildlifecommunity We suspect that2017 was a particularly pooryear for Northern Goshawk a

species whose presence is known to vary on a year-to-yearbasis for a variety of reasons Wet spring weather lowprey populations human interference the cumulativeeffects of forest fragmentation nest predation and WestNile Virus are all suspected factors Some territories areoccupied with a nesting pair one year and not occupied thenext even when the sitersquos condition seems the same andthe birds are closely watched

On the brighter side goshawk team observers found manyother forest raptors in these surveys A total of 84 forestraptor detections were recorded with 12 active nests and 3territories located Most detections were Red-shoulderedand Broad-winged Hawks This demonstrates that theobservers did have success finding forest raptors and thatthese species are doing comparatively well in the statersquosbig woods We are trying to determine how the goshawkis doing and why it is not doing as well as the other forestraptors Each good observation helps the research andalso increases protections for nesting pairs We cannotprotect a nesting goshawk if we do not know exactlywhere that nest is located

The Pennsylvania Goshawk Project will continue in 2018with some adjustments Chelsea Demarco plans to com-plete a GIS analysis of historic nest sites In addition weare currently discussing options that would provide uswith some solid data on goshawk abundance and distribu-tion within its apparent remaining core habitat in PA Thenorthwestern counties will probably get the most attentionbut we also will be surveying historic goshawk sites in thenorthcentral and northeastern counties We urge Pennsyl-vania birders to check old goshawk areas that they knowabout and report their results to the PA Goshawk Project For more background I previously wrote about theNorthern Goshawk in Pennsylvania in a Raven Reportercolumn and at httpsebirdorgpanewsnorthern-goshawk-reports-needed-for-the-ultimate-forest-raptor

For more information about the PABS goshawk

-4-

committeersquos research visit the PA Goshawk Projectwebsite at wwwpabiologicalsurveyorggoshawk Thereyou can find images and audio to aid identification as wellas forms instructions and contact information Goshawkreports can be e-mailed to goshawkpsuedu Anygoshawk observations during the breeding season fromlate March to June on game lands should be sent topgcgoshawkpagov or to me at dogrosspagov ordagross144verizonnet Reports to either the Pennsyl-vania Goshawk Project or the Game Commission will betreated as confidential We do share information ifallowed by the conditions set by the contributor of theobservation We want to assist the goshawk throughresearch and cooperation whenever and wherever we can

Rare Boreal Birds Persist in Some PlacesDecline in Others

At the very fringe of Pennsylvaniarsquos forested landscapeseveral boreal forest birds are found regularly and in goodnumbers My long-term studies of Yellow-belliedFlycatcher and Blackpoll Warbler have generated a lot ofinformation about these species and also protections forlocations where we have documentation of nestingbehavior I continue to study these species even thoughthey have apparently declined in number and in range However both Yellow-bellied Flycatcher and BlackpollWarbler have demonstrated their ability to colonize newbreeding areas in recent decades So searching for newsites watching and listening for evidence of breeding isworthwhile

After many years of working mostly alone I have reallybenefited from the assistance of Eric Zawatski a PennState student and excellent field observer and DavidYeany a first-rate ornithologist at the WesternPennsylvania Conservancy With David Yeany I havebeen conducting point counts in peatland and highelevation conifer forest sites for the last two years Thisaccumulated data set will better inform us about the birdcommunities of headwater forested wetlands and borealforests in the state

We are fortunate that these birds are much more adaptablethan generally given credit For instance although it hasdeclined in most of its southern range the Olive-sidedFlycatcher has been found breeding in the mountains ofWest Virginia There have been some reports of Olive-sided Flycatchers in June at various locations in Pennsyl-vania Nesting is not out of the question given the historyof this species in the state as a fairly widespread breeder inmountain forests and the boreal swamps Another borealspecies the Swainsonrsquos Thrush is now fairly common inAllegheny National Forest conifers and has made some

slow but steady range expansion into the Northeastrsquosforests at higher elevations Before the great timbering ofthe statersquos forests it was much more widespread in theBlack Forest of the northcentral counties and the NorthMountain region The well-shaded trails of Ricketts GlenState Park are some of the better places to find it in theNortheast Even Evening Grosbeaks visit the state in thebreeding season now and then perhaps nesting withoutbeing observed We encourage birders to visit these areasand the Poconos where spruce pine hemlock and balsamfir stands may harbor northern species found rarelyelsewhere in the state

More reports of these and other boreal forest species arewelcome It is worth the extra effort to search out spruceand hemlock woods at higher elevations to make yourown discoveries I provide a lot of additional informationabout some of these birds and their habitats on the PGCwebsite in the Endangered Species section the Birds ofNorth America species account for Yellow-belliedFlycatcher and in a publication by the Forest Service onAppalachian Mountain spruce forests

The Cone Crop May Trigger Nesting by BorealSongbirds

With a record red spruce cone crop and a very goodhemlock cone crop there are plenty of conifer seeds outthere for boreal conifer birds to find With days gettinglonger and the air warming up some of these songbirdsmay feel the urge to pair up and nest This is the timewhen this is most likely to occur I advise taking treks toconifer woods and looking around for Red Crossbills PineSiskins and White-winged Crossbills even if you havenot found them close to home The migration of thesecone-loving birds continues through the winter months They keep wandering south into new areas as they con-sume their commodities farther north

Pine Siskins nest readily where there is a ready cone cropto harvest with their pointy little beaks They may visityour niger seed feeder and fly to a nest tucked away in aconifer somewhere nearby But they also may nest in ahemlock grove or a spruce swamp where cones are abun-dant They can be found in places where Red-breastedNuthatches and Golden-crowned Kinglets dwell in springand summer Red Crossbills are another possible nestingspecies in our state that may ldquonest at any timerdquo but aremore likely to nest as the days get longer in spring andwhere there is an abundant cone crop that would supportfeeding nestlings In fact they may nest multiple times ata location with sufficient seeds These incidents tend notto involve large numbers of crossbills but only a few pairsthat can be quite vocal as they sing and display with males

-5-

singing loudly from high atop pines and spruces Thechallenge is to go to the many conifer groves and searchthem out With the enormous red spruce cone crop foundlast year and the good hemlock cone crop in many woodsthere are many possibilities for such rarities to appear

Next on the agenda the trouble with our aerial insecti-vores which are declining dramatically as a group nomatter their taxonomy Thatrsquos it for now

Good Birding

Doug Gross

Nominations for the Conservation and Earl Poole Awards

Nominations are now being sought for the ConservationAward and the Earl Poole Award which will be given atthe PSO Annual Meeting in September

The Conservation Award is presented to an individual ororganization that has had a positive impact on birdconservation in Pennsylvania The award is most oftengiven to an organization or individual from the area wherethe Annual Meeting is being held this year the meeting isin Crawford County A list of previous winners can befound on the PSO website

The Earl Poole Award is presented annually to a person orpersons who have made significant contributions toPennsylvaniarsquos ornithology This may be in the form ofresearch volunteer efforts publications field work or any

other pursuit that has increased our knowledge andunderstanding of the birdlife in Pennsylvania A list ofprevious winners can also be found on the PSO website

Nominations for the Conservation Award should includethe name of the organization or individual along with thecontribution that the organization or individual has madeto conservation in PA Please include the organizationrsquoswebsite address if it is applicable

Nominations for the Earl Poole Award should include thename of the person and his or her contributions to PAOrnithology

Please send all applications no later than May 31 toverngauthier14gmailcom

2018 Festival of the BirdsHosted by Presque Isle Audubon Society and PA DCNR

May 18 19 amp 20Keynote Speaker Drew Lanham

Dr J Drew Lanham is a birder naturalist and hunter-conservationist He is a Clemson University MasterTeacher and Alumni Distinguished Professor in wildlifeecology with research interests in songbird ecology andconservation integration of game and nongame wildlifemanagement the African American land ethic and its role

in natural resources conservation The title of hispresentation is Ornitherapy --Confessions of a LapsedLister and a Life Saved by Birds

For more information go towwwpresqueisleaudubonorgfestivalhtml

Richard Crossley to Visit Penn State

RSVP by April 2 (infowildlifeforeveryoneorg or 814-238-8138) to attend a program entitled There andBack a reception and book signing at Nittany Lion Innrsquos Alumni Fireside Lodge on April 7 beginning at 11am Richard Crossley awoke one morning in Cape May and decided to drive to the Arctic Ocean He willdiscuss his16000-mile adventure living in his car the inspiring people he met and the places he visited Hewill be signing his most recent bird guide The Crossley ID Guide Waterfowl

-6-

Young PA BirderSpotlight

The PSO Education Commit-tee is pleased to announce a

Young PA Birder Spotlight This feature article willbe a recurring column in The Pileated

In an effort to recognize the many contributions toornithology birding and conservation that many ofour PA young birders are making we will spotlight ayoung birder from the Commonwealth in this news-letter If you know a young PA birder you thinkshould be spotlighted please send an email to theemail address below

Some birders have a spark moment which opens the doorto the world of birding and others are lucky enough to beborn into it This editionrsquos young birder Kristen Johnsonof Montgomery County was born into it

I first met Kristen Johnson as an infant who attended theRose Tree Park Hawkwatch with her mom Sheryl Myearliest memories of Kristen were as she sat quietlyplaying with toys on a blanket

Fifteen years later Kristen has grown into a birder whopossesses a knack for bird identification as well as superbskills with a camera And shersquos now one of the best hawkspotters at the Rose Tree Park Hawkwatch

This story does not start with Kristen It begins a genera-tion before her Sheryl Johnson PSO compiler forMontgomery Co and a birder since her teens did not letmotherhood put her love for birding on the shelf until herkids grew up Instead it was quite the opposite Sherylcontinued to actively bird count hawks for two hawk-watches do CBCs and volunteer at banding sites alwayswith her two young daughters in tow I think that a lot ofus who were birders before becoming parents arenrsquot luckyenough to have a kid whorsquos become an active birder ButSherylrsquos passion has become Kristenrsquos too In fact itrsquosKristen who is now begging Sheryl to take her to rare birdstakeouts or to the National Wildlife Refuge

When she was around 5 years old Kristen began to learnthe process of bird banding from PSOrsquos own DorisMcGovern Master Bander at Rushton Farms BandingStation near Newtown Square PA Under Dorisrsquos carefulguidance and tutelage Kristen has grown into a highlycapable banding volunteer who continues to help atRushton Farms with their Northern Saw-whet Owlbanding project and songbird banding to this day Insummer she also volunteers for the Wings Island BandingStation on Cape Cod

Besides banding Kristen is devoted to many other birdcensus projects and citizen science efforts Some of theseinclude helping to run the Haverford College NighthawkWatch in August every year and participating in theGlenolden CBC and the Philadelphia Midwinter CensusKristen is also a passionate eBirder who has submittedover a thousand checklists to eBird She has also con-tributed over 400 photographs to Cornell Labrsquos MacaulayLibrary See some of her fine contributions herehttpsebirdorgmediacatalogmediaType=PhotoampsearchField=userampincludeUnconfirmed=trueampuserId=USER533253ampregionCode=ampsort=upload_date_desc

Kristenrsquos photography is spectacular Her keen eye forcomposition and documentation is commendable Herphotographs were recently featured in the AmericanBirding Associationrsquos (ABA) Birding magazine article ldquoATale of 2 Bird Campsrdquo p 38 which appeared in Vol 49No 5 October 2017 accompanying her friend MadelyneRayrsquos fine article

In 2014 Kristen was the recipient of the Delaware ValleyOrnithological Clubrsquos (DVOC) Adam Sabatine scholar-ship which sent her to the ABA young birder camp CampAvocet to explore the Delmarva Peninsula In 2016 shewas awarded the Audubon Ambassador Scholarship andattended the Hog Island Camp for teens Coastal MaineBird Studies where she had the opportunity to photographAtlantic Puffins and Black Guillemots at close range

Itrsquos amazing that Kristen can find time for much elsegiven her remarkable efforts devoted to avian endeavorsbut she does Kristen enjoys drawing playing the violinsinging in her church choir running cross-country andespecially horseback riding Like she does with birdingshe puts herself fully into these other interests and con-tributes more than just being a participant

-7-

Therersquos no doubt that this young woman will continue tocontribute to our fine birding community here in Pennsyl-vania for many years to come Kristen is a shiningexample of a birder who inspires us and we are grateful

for her passion and dedication to the birds of Pennsyl-vania

Holly Merker PSO Education Committee ChairHCybellegmailcom

PSO Web Site News

The Birds of PA page on the PSO website (pabirdsorg)now includes the following

1 Class I species - records for which there is anexisting specimen photo or audio recording

2 (New) Provisional Species - records that consist ofsightings only ndash no specimen photo or audio recording ndashbut were accepted by the Pennsylvania OrnithologicalRecords Committee as credible

3 (New) Pending Records - recent credible sightings(ie Photos) waiting for the PORC review and vote

The downloadable spreadsheet also includes thesecategories

This makes the list more comprehensive and allows usersto see what species need upgrading and which species arecoming to the list

ndash Frank Haas

PS Did anyone notice the photos in the Birds of PA pagebanner Can you figure out why those species wereselected

Moving

Please let us know if you are moving so we donrsquot incur charges from the post office for address changes

The Post Office does not forward periodicals (ie Pennsylvania Birds) so when your address is no longer validthey return the back page of the issue to us with a new address label attached (and charge us for doing so)

We then have to send a new copy to the member for full cost (plus the cost of the extra copy)

So please do one of the following

Log in to the PSO website and update your address

or

Send an email to psopabirdsorg

or

Send a postcard or letter to PSO 2469 Hammertown Rd Narvon PA 17555

Thank you

-8-

Mifflin County 200 Challenge Revisitedby Rob Dickerson Jon Kauffman amp Chad Kauffman

In 2017 a group of birders in and near Mifflin Countyattempted the eBird 200 challenge to see if we could get200 species in one year This hadnrsquot been done before inMifflin County The previous highest yearrsquos species countoccurred in 2014 with 194 species With a limited numberof birders topping 200 wasnrsquot going to be easy Birderscame from other areas and from neighboring counties tohelp Those who lived in the county birded intensely tohelp add to our list We also were aided by the Amishwho contacted several of us with their sightings

Besides the few birders in the county Mifflin Countybirders face additional challenges Mifflin County is veryrural with much of the county dominated by farmland andforest Publicly accessible land is limited as few parksprovide good habitat for birds One exception is VictoryPark which is adjacent to the Juniata River in LewistownOther public areas include three state forests (Bald EagleRothrock and Tuscarora) one state park (Reeds Gap)and two State Game Lands (SGL 112 and SGL 107which includes a Woodcock Management Area thatprovides excellent habitat for Blue- and Golden-wingedWarblers) Mifflin County also hosts two hawkwatches Jackrsquos Mountain and Stone Mountain

The main challenge in birding Mifflin County is the lackof water other than the Juniata River and a few small farmponds Victory Park is generally very good for waterfowland the occasional shorebird Unfortunately much of theJuniata River is far from roads and bordered by privatelands Looking for shorebirds is generally limited to farmfields that flood following heavy rains

January started out at a nice pace with 71 birds for themonth including a Snow Bunting found by ChadKauffman and Aden Troyer February was a bit slowerwith 18 new species mainly waterfowl including aCommon Goldeneye a bird that is not seen in the countyevery year March was another slow month for the chal-lenge with 20 new species seen bringing the total to 109species Highlights for the month included a solitaryLong-tailed Duck found by Jay Zook on a farm pondoutside of Belleville and a pair of Barn Owls firstreported in the fall of 2016 and currently being monitoredby Shaverrsquos Creek Environmental Center Rob had theprivilege of viewing the owls in early May when heaccompanied Jon Kauffman of Shaverrsquos Creek to theprivate farm located in the Kishacoquillas Valley (morecommonly known as Big Valley) in early May Theowners of the farm are thrilled to have the pair residing intheir silo For him it was exciting to see the pair appearin an opening in the top of the silo just as darkness fell

The pair was quite vocal while flying back and forthbetween the silo and the adjacent barn

The push for 200 picked up steam in April with the addi-tion of 50 new species including Spotted and SolitarySandpipers Everyone participating was happy to havethese shorebirds added to the yearrsquos list Heavy rains at theend of April and in early May resulted in flooded farmfields Robert Hosler found one such field in Big Valleythat produced both Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs andLeast Spotted and Solitary Sandpipers With springmigration really picking up in May and even with theaddition of a number of shorebirds we came to the reali-zation that we were going to need some rarities Althoughwe ended the month at 196 species including a rarely seenMourning Warbler and a first-ever Yellow-belliedFlycatcher there was still some doubt whether we wouldreach 200 even with the inclusion of a very probableNorthern Goshawk

June did nothing to alleviate our doubt No new specieswere found during the month but things started to changein early July with the report of a county-first Dickcisselfound by several Amish birders and a county-first UplandSandpiper reported by two non-birding gentlemen fromthe Conservation Office While visiting a farm in BigValley the pair observed a strange looking bird standingin a recently mowed field They grabbed a picture of thebird which was then identified July ended with a total of198 species

August started with a report by a young Amish birder ofthe second county record of a Blue Grosbeak bringing thetotal to 199 for the year In September the reports of rarebirds continued A Virginia Rail was found in the yard ofthe Swarey family of Belleville Three days later thehoped-for goshawk was seen at Jackrsquos Mountain Hawk-watch when an immature was observed This report wasfollowed by Amish birder Henry Petersheimrsquos spotting ofa county-first Swallow-tailed Kite flying down the ridge inLewistown Amish birders outside Belleville found acounty-first Clay-colored Sparrow so we closed themonth with a total of 203 species

Nothing new was found in October but in earlyNovember Nick Bolgiano spotted a group of nine Dunlinflying overhead at the Stone Mountain Hawkwatch ndash another first county record A few days later a secondcounty record of Dunlin was recorded when Jon Kauffmanlocated two individuals in a flooded field outsideBelleville November ended with 204 species The 205 th

county bird was found in late December when Joe Gyekisspotted two Short-eared Owls on Back Mountain Road

-9-

near Milroy I had never birded Back Mountain Roadnorth of Milroy until 2017 and it has turned out to be afantastic stretch of habitat (After the late Decemberdiscovery a second pair Short-eared Owls was found atthe other end of the valley in January 2018 nearAllensville) We ended the year with seven new county birds Yellow-bellied Flycatcher (a second was found in September)

Dickcissel Upland Sandpiper Virginia Rail Clay-coloredSparrow Swallow-tailed Kite and Short-eared Owl

I would highly encourage starting a 200 eBird challengefor other counties especially if the county is under-birdedYoursquoll connect with other birders across the county whomyou may know only by name Yoursquoll escape your personalcomfort zone to try new locations often spots that out-of-county birders will discover Itrsquos a tremendous amount offun

What is the Pennsylvania Migration Count The Pennsylvania Migration Count (PAMC) was estab-lished in 1992 to gather annual data on migratory birdpopulations PAMC is an annual one-day snapshot of birdpopulations attempting to answer which species arepresent where they are and how many there are It is a funway to participate with others in your county whenmigration is at its peak This count is no longer on thesame day as Global Big Day and no longer will be asso-ciated with it however eBirders are still encouraged toparticipate

How does it work The Pennsylvania Migration Counttakes place each spring on the second Saturday in May Itis similar to the Christmas Bird Count The difference isthat PAMC covers an entire county rather than a 15-milediameter circle like the CBC The rules are simple spendsome time in the field counting all birds in a specified areaand keep track of miles traveled and time spent countingParticipants are free to roam their favorite county birdinglocales at any time during the 24-hour period starting at1201 am counting every bird they find

How can you help Birders of all skill levels can help outwith the count Beginning at midnight with the songs ofthe Eastern Whip-poor-wills and the hooting of the GreatHorned Owls the PAMC is a great way to spend timeoutside Whether you tally birds in your backyard at your

feeders the local little league ballfield along the river ona lake at your camp or spend time hiking through a statepark your observations count Field checklists and infor-mation for PAMC participation are available online athttpspabirdsorgindexphpprojectspa-annual-migration-count

Contact information for county compilers can also befound at pabirdsorg Please submit your sightings to yourcounty compiler Those using only eBird to record theirsightings should discuss with their compiler who will putthe data into a spreadsheet As in the past all thespreadsheets can be combined for comparison with othercounties

Some counties do not have a compiler Anyone wishingto help can contact me (cnberthoudgmailcom) or FrankHaas (fchaaspabirdsorg) If there is no one availablefeel free to use and submit the Spreadsheet for CountyCompiler to Tabulate Data found on the PA Society forOrnithology links referenced above and send it to me

Dont let the weather stop you from getting outsideSometimes after a rain shower migrants get active againespecially at good migrant traps Good birding to all

ndash Chuck Berthoud

Certificates of Appreciation Awarded

Since 2007 PSO has issued certificates of appreciation toindividuals and organizations who have graciouslyallowed access to their properties to view rare or unusual

birds The total number issued is now 150 The full listcan be found on the PSOrsquos website The followingCertificates of Appreciation have recently been awarded

Western Tanager Michael and Jeanne OrsquoShea Bucks CoHarrisrsquos Sparrow Mike Lucas Bucks CoGray-crowned Rosy-Finch Bernard and Irene Frey Crawford CoGray-crowned Rosy-Finch Shawn Collins Crawford Co

-10-

near Milroy I had never birded Back Mountain Roadnorth of Milroy until 2017 and it has turned out to be afantastic stretch of habitat (After the late Decemberdiscovery a second pair Short-eared Owls was found atthe other end of the valley in January 2018 nearAllensville) We ended the year with seven new county birds Yellow-bellied Flycatcher (a second was found in September)

Dickcissel Upland Sandpiper Virginia Rail Clay-coloredSparrow Swallow-tailed Kite and Short-eared Owl

I would highly encourage starting a 200 eBird challengefor other counties especially if the county is under-birdedYoursquoll connect with other birders across the county whomyou may know only by name Yoursquoll escape your personalcomfort zone to try new locations often spots that out-of-county birders will discover Itrsquos a tremendous amount offun

What is the Pennsylvania Migration Count The Pennsylvania Migration Count (PAMC) was estab-lished in 1992 to gather annual data on migratory birdpopulations PAMC is an annual one-day snapshot of birdpopulations attempting to answer which species arepresent where they are and how many there are It is a funway to participate with others in your county whenmigration is at its peak This count is no longer on thesame day as Global Big Day and no longer will be asso-ciated with it however eBirders are still encouraged toparticipate

How does it work The Pennsylvania Migration Counttakes place each spring on the second Saturday in May Itis similar to the Christmas Bird Count The difference isthat PAMC covers an entire county rather than a 15-milediameter circle like the CBC The rules are simple spendsome time in the field counting all birds in a specified areaand keep track of miles traveled and time spent countingParticipants are free to roam their favorite county birdinglocales at any time during the 24-hour period starting at1201 am counting every bird they find

How can you help Birders of all skill levels can help outwith the count Beginning at midnight with the songs ofthe Eastern Whip-poor-wills and the hooting of the GreatHorned Owls the PAMC is a great way to spend timeoutside Whether you tally birds in your backyard at your

feeders the local little league ballfield along the river ona lake at your camp or spend time hiking through a statepark your observations count Field checklists and infor-mation for PAMC participation are available online athttpspabirdsorgindexphpprojectspa-annual-migration-count

Contact information for county compilers can also befound at pabirdsorg Please submit your sightings to yourcounty compiler Those using only eBird to record theirsightings should discuss with their compiler who will putthe data into a spreadsheet As in the past all thespreadsheets can be combined for comparison with othercounties

Some counties do not have a compiler Anyone wishingto help can contact me (cnberthoudgmailcom) or FrankHaas (fchaaspabirdsorg) If there is no one availablefeel free to use and submit the Spreadsheet for CountyCompiler to Tabulate Data found on the PA Society forOrnithology links referenced above and send it to me

Dont let the weather stop you from getting outsideSometimes after a rain shower migrants get active againespecially at good migrant traps Good birding to all

ndash Chuck Berthoud

Certificates of Appreciation Awarded

Since 2007 PSO has issued certificates of appreciation toindividuals and organizations who have graciouslyallowed access to their properties to view rare or unusual

birds The total number issued is now 150 The full listcan be found on the PSOrsquos website The followingCertificates of Appreciation have recently been awarded

Western Tanager Michael and Jeanne OrsquoShea Bucks CoHarrisrsquos Sparrow Mike Lucas Bucks CoGray-crowned Rosy-Finch Bernard and Irene Frey Crawford CoGray-crowned Rosy-Finch Shawn Collins Crawford Co

-10-

Central PA eBird Challenges By Chad Kauffman

A few years ago some of us in the PA Birders Facebookgroup thought it would be fun to challenge the whole stateto see if we could get all of the counties to hit 150 speciesin a calendar year That might not seem like that large anumber for some counties but it is very hard to get inothers After talking about it some more I threw out thechallenge so that we couldnrsquot turn back We kept trackmonthly and the birdier counties hit 150 species within afew months while others took most of the summer andinto fall A handful of counties needed some help Wehad some free-agent birders who went around the state tohelp in under-birded areas and before the year was overwe accomplished our goal That is quite impressive whenyou think that we have 67 counties in our state and someare sparsely populated andor not heavily birded I per-sonally havenrsquot heard any other state ever attempting sucha thing In 2015 Vern Gauthier and I decided to make a wagerbetween the two of us while also trying to see if we couldget Perry County over 200 species that year Variousbirders helped and we reached the 190s but then itdragged on We finally hit 200 in December with the finaltally reaching 204 so we accomplished our goal We alsogot more birders to submit more checklists in the countyand added a few new species Perry County has 232lifetime species on eBird and the challenge added fivenew species that year

In 2017 we attempted the 200 eBird challenge for MifflinCounty and as of December 31 we had 205 approved

species We also lucked out with some skillful birderswho birded only in Mifflin County for the Shaverrsquos CreekBirding Cup Rob Dickerson led the charge for this county(and it helps that he retired last year too) Mifflin Countyhas 238 lifetime species on eBird and the challenge hasadded three new species

In 2018 I have taken time off from leading PSO field tripsto focus on my home county Juniata with a 200 eBirdchallenge While I would love to personally reach 200 itwill be enough of a challenge for the county with all thehelp I can get from other birders Juniata County currentlyhas 250 lifetime species on eBird As of March 8 wehave 109 species on our challenge

For 2019 we will throw out a challenge to SnyderCounty trying the 200 eBird challenge in that under-birded part of the state Snyder has some great lakes andlarge expanses of fields and woodland I usually start theyear off there doing a Winter Raptor Survey I also try tohit the lakes during waterfowl season but other than that Ijust donrsquot get to visit it as often as I should or could Iknow many people who have birded in Snyder and wewill need all to help us hit that goal That will be thebiggest challenge in the four counties with this venture They currently have 224 lifetime species on eBird

Herersquos a snapshot of total species for the last five years foreach county

COUNTY 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 AveragePerry 189 187 204 170 186 1872

MIFFLIN 205 178 186 194 171 1868

JUNIATA 187 171 170 176 175 1758

SNYDER 154 157 165 163 163 1604

How Many Birds Have Been eBirded in YOUR County This Year

To see where your county stands in 2018 go to the PA portal for eBird httpsebirdorgpahome Click on Explore thenExplore a Region and type in the name of your county Next change the year to ldquoCurrent Yearrdquo

-11-

The Fifth Annual Breeding Bird Blitz (PAB3)

by Vern Gauthier

The fifth annual PA Breeding Bird Blitz will be takingplace Friday June 15 through Monday June 18 This isanother opportunity to add some great PA Breeding Birddata to eBird

In our never-ending quest to change and enliven yourgathering of PA breeding bird data the PAB3 this yearwill take on a ldquoBig Dayrdquo format Donrsquot let that intimidateyou as you can test drive a Big Day doing a county countin an hour or less and you do not need to be an ldquoexpertrdquobirder to take part

A Big Day Count is a single-team effort in which theprimary objectives are (1) to identify as many bird speciesas possible during a single calendar day and (2) to strive tohave all team members identify all species recorded BigDays for the PAB3 will be conducted by the followingrules

1 Counting

A Count only full species Birds not on the PAOrnithological Records Committee (PORC)Bird List will not be accepted The list can befound athttpspabirdsorgrecordsindexphppennsylvania-bird-list

B For a species to count for the team total itmust be identified by at least 2 members of theteam during the count period

C Birds must be conclusively identified by sightor sound No generic species will be accepted

D Birds counted must be alive wild andunrestrained Birds at feeders may be counted

E Only submit birds actually located within theboundary of the count The location of the birdis where the bird is located not where theobservers are located Be aware of countyregion and state lines

F Since this is a Breeding Bird Count use ofrecordings should be used only for nocturnalspecies (owls rails etc) whose presencewould be difficult to detect otherwise Pishingshould be kept to a minimum

2 AreasA One of 3 geographic areas may be covered

each day of the Blitz (County Regional orState)

B A county list will include all birds identified in a particular county (Example Crawford

County)C A Regional list will include birds identified from

at least 4 counties of that region with a minimum of one hour spent birding in each county See map on page 13 (Example NERegion Sullivan Wyoming Pike and Carboncounties)

D A State list will include birds identified from atleast 5 regions in the state with a minimum of onehour spent birding in each region (For exampleSE SC SW NC NE)

3 TimeA All counting must be within a single 24-hour

period on a single calendar dayB A County List can be any length of time C A Regional List must be at least 4 hours in

durationD A State List must be at least 5 hours in durationE Your time birding does not need to be consecu-

tive as time out may be taken but birds identifiedduring the time out may not be added to the list

4 TravelA Travel may be by any means When motorized

vehicles are used all participants must travel inthe same vehicle except during time-outs

B All birds identified while driving may beincluded in the count list if positively identifiedby at least 2 team members

5 ParticipantsA Two or more participants may constitute a teamB All members of the team must start the count day

with the teamC Participants may bird only part of the day as long

as there are at least 2 participants left on the teamafter they leave the team A participant wholeaves the team may rejoin the team later in theday

6 EntriesA A day summary report from eBird is the preferred

entry method as long as the other entryinformation that follows is also included UsingeBird will do the tallying for you (making iteasier for you) give your data value andstandardize reports (making it easier for me)

-12-

B If you choose not to use eBird you may usetally sheets that will be available for downloadon the PSO website

C Note the date of the countD Note if it is a county regional or state list

along with the name of the county countiesor regions birded in the count

E Include the names of team members alongwith team name if there is one

F Send all entries (no more than one per day ofthe Blitz) no later than 1159 pm of the dayfollowing your count tobreedingbirdblitzgmailcom (Example Ifyou do a Regional Count on June 15 you haveuntil 1159 pm on the 16 to email theth

results)G Only one eBird Summary Report or Tally

Sheet will be accepted for each day of theBlitz Multiple submissions for a particularday will not be accepted

7 Using eBird

A If you use eBird (which you are highlyencouraged to do) please keep checklists at 5miles or less for traveling counts otherwisethe data you submit may become less useful orinvalidated

B You are also encouraged to use breedingcodes as much as possible

C To create a Daily Summary do the following(1) Go to the ldquoMy eBirdrdquo tab on the eBird

website (2) click on ldquoSummarize My Observationsrdquo on the side bar (3) Select a ldquoWeekReportrdquo (4) Choose the correct month and dayand press the ldquoContinuerdquo button(5) Highlight thelocations visited and press the ldquoContinuerdquo button(6) Either copy and paste the information into anemail or download the report and send it viaemail

D Please note that creating a Daily Summary shouldbe done at the end of each birding day

8 Results

A The results for all 3 categories (County Regionaland State) will be posted by June 23 on the PSOFacebook Page PSO website and the PA Birdslistserv

B Results will be ranked according to the number ofspecies reported

C Top species count in each category will notreceive any type of monetary or material prizejust the fame and glory for having topped thecategory

9 Send your Stories and Pictures

Send in your stories and pictures tobreedingbirdblitzgmailcom so we can includethem in the next edition of The Pileated andorpost them on the PSO Facebook page

10 Questions Contact Vern Gauthier at breedingbirdblitzgmailcom

-13-

Ted Nichols photographed these confirmed Black-crowned Night-Herons in Lancaster County

Birding Blitz Photos

Welcome New Members

The following members have joined since November 292017

Dale Beitzel Fleetwood PA

Jeff Boltz Glen Rock PA

Devich Farbotnik Quakertown PA

Leslie Ferree South Park PA

Judith Foulke Warminster PA

Louise Gensemer Pottstown PA

Timothy Grover Mountainhome PA

Claus Herrmann Effort PA

John Holback Philadelphia PA

Kurt Hummel Glen Mills PA

George Linz Bismark ND

Wes Peterson Newville PA

Kenneth Pinnow Meadville PA

Madelyne Ray Ambler PA

Kim Van Fleet Carlisle PA

Nick Voris Punxsutawney PA

Catbirds confirmed breeding in Lebanon County when Ted Nicholsfound this young Gray Catbird

How Well Do You KnowYour Pennsylvania Birds

1 Least Terns have nested twice in PennsylvaniaWhere

2 Which warblerrsquos white-lored subspecies is calledthe ldquoSycamore Warblerrdquo For a bonus why

3 Can you guess which gull species was firstrecorded in Pennsylvania in 1979 when a moribundbird was found on a beach at Presque Isle

4 A large raptor from the far north spent a monthfeeding on Ring-necked Pheasants at a state gamefarm in Crawford County What species For abonus what color morph was it

5 Between our first and second breeding bird atlasperiods the southern breeding range limits of twofamiliar forest species withdrew northward 10 to 12miles Which two species

(Answers on page 20)

-14-

Kids Talk on Birds Part 2

by Nick Kerlin

A few years ago I submitted an article on what 4 gradersth

had to say about my school visits to present bird bandingprograms Here are some of the latest ones continuing thesaga of future birders to come

ldquoDo you know how many blue jays are in the worldrdquo

Yes a lot

ldquoI liked that you showed us the cardinal other than justthe house sparrowrdquo

Yes I like them better too although my wife thinks Irsquomprejudiced

ldquoMy bird that I studied was the Great Blue Heron Didyou know that lsquoRok-rokrsquo means lsquothis is my placersquordquo

Wow a kid who can speak Heron

ldquoDid you know that a Pileated Woodpecker can drum9000 times in ten minutesrdquo

I didnrsquot know that either Letrsquos see that means 900timesminute 15 timessecond I wonder who counted

ldquoI thought it was funny when the bird kept biting yourdquo

Yeah easy for you to say

My mother thinks that cardinals are a sign of hope andpeace but after seeing one at your visit (biting) I knowmy mother thought wrongrdquo

Oops

ldquoI have hellip facts to share with you (on Black-cappedChickadees) Did you know they fly across roadsrdquo

So thatrsquos why that chicken crossed the road

ldquoI LOVED the birds I LOVED you coming here ILOVED your birds and banding equipment I LOVEDyou weighing the birds and holding them I LOVED

every second of ithellip I was never bored even for asecondrdquo

I LOVE this kid

ldquoPileated Woodpeckers have a red kind of beardrdquo

Avian Nomenclature 101

Pittsburgh Birder to Compete in Champions of the Flyway

by Aidan Place

Each March in the desert of southern Israel teams fromaround the world come together to compete in an eventknown as Champions of the Flyway Itrsquos an adrenaline-fueled nonstop 24-hour big day competition during thepeak of migration at one of the worldrsquos top birding spots

The goal of the event is to support conservation efforts tocombat bird poaching in the Mediterranean Basin Teamsraise awareness and money for this cause and thisyearrsquosfunds are going to BirdLife Serbia and BirdLife

-15-

Croatia two great organizations working hard to combatpoaching in the Balkan Peninsula

Growing up in Pittsburgh it was always a dream of mineto participate in Champions and wistful thoughts ofIsraeli birds often helped get me through a long Pennsyl-vania winter I am consequently pleased to announce thatthis year my dream is coming true and I am headed toIsrael as part of the newly formed team known as TheABA-Leica Subadult Wheatears

The team is as the name implies sponsored by theAmerican Birding Association and Leica Sports Optics Itis also entirely composed of young birders (none of us areolder than 20)

We are the first youth team from North America to evercompete in Champions and my two teammates (JohannaBeam from Colorado and Marky Mutchler from Missouri)and I are extremely excited to be representing the youngbirders of the ABA Area

However we need your help Over the past couple ofmonths wersquove been fundraising hard working slowly

towards our goal of $5000 raised With just a few weeksleft until race day every cent counts

Over 50000 Common Quail are shot during migration inSerbia and Croatia each year as they battle to reach theirbreeding grounds Countless passerines ducks andraptors are gunned down or captured for the illegal pettrade while corrupt police and politicians shrug theirshoulders and look the other way These birds can reallyuse your help and so can we Any donation that you canspare is going not just to support the birds of the Balkansbut the young birders of North America as well With yoursupport we can provide a model for future generations ofyoung birdersand help ensure that those generations havebirds to see

To donate to the team go to

httpswwwjustgivingcomfundraisingaba-leica-subadult-wheatears

You can also follow the team on our Facebook page aswell as our Twitter (ABAWheatears) and our Instagram(subadultwheatears)

Recap of the PSO Board Minutes

The Pennsylvania Society for Ornithology Board ofDirectors met on March 3 2018 with 13 directors presentfor their spring meeting

The 2015 PORC report will be published in this issue ofPennsylvania Birds Greg Grove would like to print anupdated bird list of the state

Holly Merker said that only one application was receivedfor the summer birding camp scholarship She thinks thismay be because PSO is only providing half the funds Shewould like to provide a full scholarship by possibly askingfor donations on the annual meeting registration form

We will be asking RockJumper Tours if they will supportthe annual meeting youth scholarship again this year TheState College Bird Club will contribute $500 toward anannual meeting youth scholarship for a youth from eitherCentre or one of the adjacent counties

At a recent PORC meeting a 21-day deadline wasestablished for the review of submitted records PORCwill attempt to complete a review of all backloggedrecords by June of this year A new email address hasbeen created to notify those who have submitted records

Frank Haas gave the treasurerrsquos report and said that therewas nothing unusual about the PSO finances Themembership has remained fairly steady

The annotated list of birds for Pennsylvania will not bereprinted because it is already on the website The boarddecided to have a printable checklist on the website but itwill be available only to members

The next annual meeting will be held in MeadvilleCrawford County September 14 to 16 2018 at the ItalianCivic Club Accommodations will be on your own Possible speakers were discussed Annette Mathesconstructed a list of tasks that are necessary to completefor the meeting

The new website is up and running A temporary fix toallow access to the county site guides will be completedsoon A permanent fix will be established as time permitsThe validity of voting by email was discussed The finalconsensus was that it is OK as long as no legal matters areinvolved

The complete transcript of the board meeting minutes maybe found on the PSO website

ndash Roger Higbee Secretary

-16-

Kids Talk on Birds Part 2

by Nick Kerlin

A few years ago I submitted an article on what 4 gradersth

had to say about my school visits to present bird bandingprograms Here are some of the latest ones continuing thesaga of future birders to come

ldquoDo you know how many blue jays are in the worldrdquo

Yes a lot

ldquoI liked that you showed us the cardinal other than justthe house sparrowrdquo

Yes I like them better too although my wife thinks Irsquomprejudiced

ldquoMy bird that I studied was the Great Blue Heron Didyou know that lsquoRok-rokrsquo means lsquothis is my placersquordquo

Wow a kid who can speak Heron

ldquoDid you know that a Pileated Woodpecker can drum9000 times in ten minutesrdquo

I didnrsquot know that either Letrsquos see that means 900timesminute 15 timessecond I wonder who counted

ldquoI thought it was funny when the bird kept biting yourdquo

Yeah easy for you to say

My mother thinks that cardinals are a sign of hope andpeace but after seeing one at your visit (biting) I knowmy mother thought wrongrdquo

Oops

ldquoI have hellip facts to share with you (on Black-cappedChickadees) Did you know they fly across roadsrdquo

So thatrsquos why that chicken crossed the road

ldquoI LOVED the birds I LOVED you coming here ILOVED your birds and banding equipment I LOVEDyou weighing the birds and holding them I LOVED

every second of ithellip I was never bored even for asecondrdquo

I LOVE this kid

ldquoPileated Woodpeckers have a red kind of beardrdquo

Avian Nomenclature 101

Pittsburgh Birder to Compete in Champions of the Flyway

by Aidan Place

Each March in the desert of southern Israel teams fromaround the world come together to compete in an eventknown as Champions of the Flyway Itrsquos an adrenaline-fueled nonstop 24-hour big day competition during thepeak of migration at one of the worldrsquos top birding spots

The goal of the event is to support conservation efforts tocombat bird poaching in the Mediterranean Basin Teamsraise awareness and money for this cause and thisyearrsquosfunds are going to BirdLife Serbia and BirdLife

-15-

Croatia two great organizations working hard to combatpoaching in the Balkan Peninsula

Growing up in Pittsburgh it was always a dream of mineto participate in Champions and wistful thoughts ofIsraeli birds often helped get me through a long Pennsyl-vania winter I am consequently pleased to announce thatthis year my dream is coming true and I am headed toIsrael as part of the newly formed team known as TheABA-Leica Subadult Wheatears

The team is as the name implies sponsored by theAmerican Birding Association and Leica Sports Optics Itis also entirely composed of young birders (none of us areolder than 20)

We are the first youth team from North America to evercompete in Champions and my two teammates (JohannaBeam from Colorado and Marky Mutchler from Missouri)and I are extremely excited to be representing the youngbirders of the ABA Area

However we need your help Over the past couple ofmonths wersquove been fundraising hard working slowly

towards our goal of $5000 raised With just a few weeksleft until race day every cent counts

Over 50000 Common Quail are shot during migration inSerbia and Croatia each year as they battle to reach theirbreeding grounds Countless passerines ducks andraptors are gunned down or captured for the illegal pettrade while corrupt police and politicians shrug theirshoulders and look the other way These birds can reallyuse your help and so can we Any donation that you canspare is going not just to support the birds of the Balkansbut the young birders of North America as well With yoursupport we can provide a model for future generations ofyoung birdersand help ensure that those generations havebirds to see

To donate to the team go to

httpswwwjustgivingcomfundraisingaba-leica-subadult-wheatears

You can also follow the team on our Facebook page aswell as our Twitter (ABAWheatears) and our Instagram(subadultwheatears)

Recap of the PSO Board Minutes

The Pennsylvania Society for Ornithology Board ofDirectors met on March 3 2018 with 13 directors presentfor their spring meeting

The 2015 PORC report will be published in this issue ofPennsylvania Birds Greg Grove would like to print anupdated bird list of the state

Holly Merker said that only one application was receivedfor the summer birding camp scholarship She thinks thismay be because PSO is only providing half the funds Shewould like to provide a full scholarship by possibly askingfor donations on the annual meeting registration form

We will be asking RockJumper Tours if they will supportthe annual meeting youth scholarship again this year TheState College Bird Club will contribute $500 toward anannual meeting youth scholarship for a youth from eitherCentre or one of the adjacent counties

At a recent PORC meeting a 21-day deadline wasestablished for the review of submitted records PORCwill attempt to complete a review of all backloggedrecords by June of this year A new email address hasbeen created to notify those who have submitted records

Frank Haas gave the treasurerrsquos report and said that therewas nothing unusual about the PSO finances Themembership has remained fairly steady

The annotated list of birds for Pennsylvania will not bereprinted because it is already on the website The boarddecided to have a printable checklist on the website but itwill be available only to members

The next annual meeting will be held in MeadvilleCrawford County September 14 to 16 2018 at the ItalianCivic Club Accommodations will be on your own Possible speakers were discussed Annette Mathesconstructed a list of tasks that are necessary to completefor the meeting

The new website is up and running A temporary fix toallow access to the county site guides will be completedsoon A permanent fix will be established as time permitsThe validity of voting by email was discussed The finalconsensus was that it is OK as long as no legal matters areinvolved

The complete transcript of the board meeting minutes maybe found on the PSO website

ndash Roger Higbee Secretary

-16-

Croatia two great organizations working hard to combatpoaching in the Balkan Peninsula

Growing up in Pittsburgh it was always a dream of mineto participate in Champions and wistful thoughts ofIsraeli birds often helped get me through a long Pennsyl-vania winter I am consequently pleased to announce thatthis year my dream is coming true and I am headed toIsrael as part of the newly formed team known as TheABA-Leica Subadult Wheatears

The team is as the name implies sponsored by theAmerican Birding Association and Leica Sports Optics Itis also entirely composed of young birders (none of us areolder than 20)

We are the first youth team from North America to evercompete in Champions and my two teammates (JohannaBeam from Colorado and Marky Mutchler from Missouri)and I are extremely excited to be representing the youngbirders of the ABA Area

However we need your help Over the past couple ofmonths wersquove been fundraising hard working slowly

towards our goal of $5000 raised With just a few weeksleft until race day every cent counts

Over 50000 Common Quail are shot during migration inSerbia and Croatia each year as they battle to reach theirbreeding grounds Countless passerines ducks andraptors are gunned down or captured for the illegal pettrade while corrupt police and politicians shrug theirshoulders and look the other way These birds can reallyuse your help and so can we Any donation that you canspare is going not just to support the birds of the Balkansbut the young birders of North America as well With yoursupport we can provide a model for future generations ofyoung birdersand help ensure that those generations havebirds to see

To donate to the team go to

httpswwwjustgivingcomfundraisingaba-leica-subadult-wheatears

You can also follow the team on our Facebook page aswell as our Twitter (ABAWheatears) and our Instagram(subadultwheatears)

Recap of the PSO Board Minutes

The Pennsylvania Society for Ornithology Board ofDirectors met on March 3 2018 with 13 directors presentfor their spring meeting

The 2015 PORC report will be published in this issue ofPennsylvania Birds Greg Grove would like to print anupdated bird list of the state

Holly Merker said that only one application was receivedfor the summer birding camp scholarship She thinks thismay be because PSO is only providing half the funds Shewould like to provide a full scholarship by possibly askingfor donations on the annual meeting registration form

We will be asking RockJumper Tours if they will supportthe annual meeting youth scholarship again this year TheState College Bird Club will contribute $500 toward anannual meeting youth scholarship for a youth from eitherCentre or one of the adjacent counties

At a recent PORC meeting a 21-day deadline wasestablished for the review of submitted records PORCwill attempt to complete a review of all backloggedrecords by June of this year A new email address hasbeen created to notify those who have submitted records

Frank Haas gave the treasurerrsquos report and said that therewas nothing unusual about the PSO finances Themembership has remained fairly steady

The annotated list of birds for Pennsylvania will not bereprinted because it is already on the website The boarddecided to have a printable checklist on the website but itwill be available only to members

The next annual meeting will be held in MeadvilleCrawford County September 14 to 16 2018 at the ItalianCivic Club Accommodations will be on your own Possible speakers were discussed Annette Mathesconstructed a list of tasks that are necessary to completefor the meeting

The new website is up and running A temporary fix toallow access to the county site guides will be completedsoon A permanent fix will be established as time permitsThe validity of voting by email was discussed The finalconsensus was that it is OK as long as no legal matters areinvolved

The complete transcript of the board meeting minutes maybe found on the PSO website

ndash Roger Higbee Secretary

-16-

Ornithological Literature Notes

Light-level geolocators ndash miniature devices attached tobirds that enable ornithologists to track the birdsrsquo travelsyear-round ndash have taught us aspects of breeding migra-tory and winter behavior that would once have beenimpossible to know

For ornithology they were first engineered in the 1990sby the British Antarctic Survey and used to track move-ments of Wandering Albatrosses across their vast oceanicjourneys These devices attached to birds by smallharnesses were relatively heavy at first ndash hardly suitablefor species lighter than an albatross As the decadespassed smaller and smaller versions of the devicesenabled tracking smaller and smaller birds Now scientists can use them to follow long-distancemovements of birds as small as a Cerulean Warbler Thisecologically troubled species can be tracked from itsbreeding grounds along its migration routes and stopoverlocations to its wintering grounds and back again Theresult is a technological treasure helping ornithologists tolearn how and where to prioritize conservation efforts forthe Cerulean Warbler and other small species

A nagging question has bothered researchers When geo-locators are attached to very small birds could the extraweight harm the birdsrsquo ability to migrate long distancesand perhaps even drain the energy required every daywhen seeking food for their young

Douglas Raybuck and Than Boves at Arkansas StateUniversity Jeffery Larkin of Indiana University of Penn-sylvania and Scott Stoleson at the US Forest ServiceNorthern Research Station in Irvine Pennsylvania soughtan answer for the Cerulean Warbler They reported theirfindings in 2017 in The Condor OrnithologicalApplications (vol 119 pp 289-297)

The authors evaluated possible effects on adultsrsquo within-season survival rate of feeding nestlings overall nestsurvival and return rates to the breeding range after

wintering in the tropics Geolocators were attached to 19adult male Ceruleans at breeding sites on the AlleghenyPlateau in northwestern Pennsylvania and 20 males on theOzark Plateau in Missouri and Arkansas As ldquocontrolrdquoindividuals for comparison similar numbers of adult maleCeruleans were not fitted with the devices

Geolocator and harness weight totaled 036 grams 4 ofthe birdsrsquo body weight The results showed no significanteffects on adultsrsquo within-season survival nest survival andrates of feeding young But the findings also indicated thatgeolocator-tagged birds were less likely to return to breed-ing sites in the year after capture The return rate averaged35 for the untagged controls but only 16 for the taggedbirds The authors call this a ldquocause for some concernrdquo

There are many other reasons of course why birds couldhave been affected negatively by factors unrelated to thegeolocatorsrsquo weight such as differences in weather andhabitat quality during migration winter andor springmigration

From that viewpoint the authors conclude ldquoAlthough thepotential for increased mortality during the nonbreedingseason or alterations to migratory timing or pathways isof some concern the fact that reproduction does not appearto be hampered is encouragingSpatial and temporal dataacquired from the use of geolocators has enormousconservation potential and these benefits likely outweighthe potential cost of a relatively small number of individ-uals being negatively affected by carrying geolocatorsrdquo

Paul HessNatrona Heights PAphesssalsgivercom

Did you know

The Tundra Swan has as many as 25000 feathers while hummingbirds have fewer than 1000

A birdrsquos feathers weigh more than its skeleton

-17-

According to the Second Atlas of Breeding Birds inPennsylvania Ovenbirds are our most abundant warbler but

degradation of forests and forest fragmentation make thisspecies vulnerable to future declines It is also one of the mostnumerous birds killed by towers windows and other manmade

structuresPhoto by Laura Jackson

Conservation Chat Room Recovering Americas Wildlife - How you can help

I imagine that ourNeotropical migrants aregetting restless in theirearly spring habitats inCentral and SouthAmerica Photo receptorsin their brains triggerhormonal changes so themales will molt their winterfeathers to appear theirbrightest and best to attracta mate Timing and degreeof molting vary among bird

species but many molt before they migrate since newerfeathers help with flight Their hormones also trigger ahuge increase in appetite so they start eating voraciouslyand gain significant amounts of weight Theyll need thatstored energy to travel the thousands of miles back to theirbreeding grounds

Birds that survive the long journey north will likely returnto a changed landscape in North America The tree theynested in last year might be gone ndash cut down because itwas in the way of a pipeline ndash or a wind turbine ndash or a coalstrip mine Perhaps a new shopping mall replaced theforest that supported a diverse group of bird species ormaybe a farmer decided to enlarge his soybean field byclearing an adjacent five-acre woodlot If those birds havehigh site fidelity they may have problems adapting tohabitat changes or finding suitable breeding habitat

While Ovenbirds dont nest in trees they still depend onintact forests where they find food and cover to hide theirforest-floor nests that are shaped like Dutch ovens A 12-year study of 132 male Ovenbirds in a healthy forest atHawk Mountain Sanctuary that looked at site fidelity andterritorial consistency showed that return rates were highand that birds rarely moved far from their first territoryduring their lifetimes The authors pointed out that theforest was a homogeneous high-quality habitat wherereproductive failure was infrequent 1

An earlier study in Canada from 1996-1999 studied thesurvival of 398 male Ovenbirds in fragmented forestscompared to continuous boreal forests This study showedthat survival was lower in smaller fragmented forests Italso suggested that Ovenbirds had lower nesting andpairing success that caused individuals to permanentlydisperse in search of new territories2

Im interested in Ovenbirds because they nest in ourforests Luckily for us as well as Ovenbirds and manyother birds our property sits within a 9620-acre block ofunfragmented forest on Tussey Mountain in BedfordCounty Approximately 5000 acres within the forestblock are part of State Game Land 97 Its a good feelingto have that much forest protected from development andto know that the Pennsylvania Game Commission workshard to protect habitat so greatly needed by our birds

The National Wildlife Federation states that one third ofall bird species in North America are in need of urgentconservation action In fact one third of all US wildlifespecies are already in trouble We can do somethingabout this however The Recovering Americas WildlifeAct is currently before Congress HR 4647 wasintroduced in the House in mid-December 2017 and wasreferred to the Subcommittee on Water Power andOceans on December 20 2017

You can read the bill here wwwcongressgovbill115th-congresshouse-bill4647textformat=txt

According to the Wildlife Society which supports HR4647 the Act would dedicate $13 billion annually to fundState Wildlife Action Plans from existing oil and gasroyalties Prioritizing Species of Greatest Conservation

-18-

According to the Second Atlas of Breeding Birds inPennsylvania Ovenbirds are our most abundant warbler but

degradation of forests and forest fragmentation make thisspecies vulnerable to future declines It is also one of the mostnumerous birds killed by towers windows and other manmade

structuresPhoto by Laura Jackson

Conservation Chat Room Recovering Americas Wildlife - How you can help

I imagine that ourNeotropical migrants aregetting restless in theirearly spring habitats inCentral and SouthAmerica Photo receptorsin their brains triggerhormonal changes so themales will molt their winterfeathers to appear theirbrightest and best to attracta mate Timing and degreeof molting vary among bird

species but many molt before they migrate since newerfeathers help with flight Their hormones also trigger ahuge increase in appetite so they start eating voraciouslyand gain significant amounts of weight Theyll need thatstored energy to travel the thousands of miles back to theirbreeding grounds

Birds that survive the long journey north will likely returnto a changed landscape in North America The tree theynested in last year might be gone ndash cut down because itwas in the way of a pipeline ndash or a wind turbine ndash or a coalstrip mine Perhaps a new shopping mall replaced theforest that supported a diverse group of bird species ormaybe a farmer decided to enlarge his soybean field byclearing an adjacent five-acre woodlot If those birds havehigh site fidelity they may have problems adapting tohabitat changes or finding suitable breeding habitat

While Ovenbirds dont nest in trees they still depend onintact forests where they find food and cover to hide theirforest-floor nests that are shaped like Dutch ovens A 12-year study of 132 male Ovenbirds in a healthy forest atHawk Mountain Sanctuary that looked at site fidelity andterritorial consistency showed that return rates were highand that birds rarely moved far from their first territoryduring their lifetimes The authors pointed out that theforest was a homogeneous high-quality habitat wherereproductive failure was infrequent 1

An earlier study in Canada from 1996-1999 studied thesurvival of 398 male Ovenbirds in fragmented forestscompared to continuous boreal forests This study showedthat survival was lower in smaller fragmented forests Italso suggested that Ovenbirds had lower nesting andpairing success that caused individuals to permanentlydisperse in search of new territories2

Im interested in Ovenbirds because they nest in ourforests Luckily for us as well as Ovenbirds and manyother birds our property sits within a 9620-acre block ofunfragmented forest on Tussey Mountain in BedfordCounty Approximately 5000 acres within the forestblock are part of State Game Land 97 Its a good feelingto have that much forest protected from development andto know that the Pennsylvania Game Commission workshard to protect habitat so greatly needed by our birds

The National Wildlife Federation states that one third ofall bird species in North America are in need of urgentconservation action In fact one third of all US wildlifespecies are already in trouble We can do somethingabout this however The Recovering Americas WildlifeAct is currently before Congress HR 4647 wasintroduced in the House in mid-December 2017 and wasreferred to the Subcommittee on Water Power andOceans on December 20 2017

You can read the bill here wwwcongressgovbill115th-congresshouse-bill4647textformat=txt

According to the Wildlife Society which supports HR4647 the Act would dedicate $13 billion annually to fundState Wildlife Action Plans from existing oil and gasroyalties Prioritizing Species of Greatest Conservation

-18-

Need these plans would ensure such species remainabundant off the endangered species list and managed bythe states

HR 4647 would also require states to contribute a 25non-federal match which encourages partnerships andcommunity support for wildlife conservation

In Pennsylvania HR 4647 would allocate $34308595 toprotect wildlife This would be the most significantinvestment in wildlife conservation in a generation In thelast issue I wrote about Pennsylvanias Wildlife ActionPlan which is a blueprint for conservation If enactedHR 4647 would dramatically increase funding for theplan and thus provide much needed conservationmeasures for many birds and mammals in PennsylvaniaSkopos Labs (a company that formulates strategicpredictions) however gives the bill just a 24 chance ofbeing enacted so this is where our challenge begins

Action Request

Please ask your federal Representative to co-sponsor theRecovering Americas Wildlife Act HR 4647 If youneed their name and contact information type in your zipcode here wwwhousegovrepresentativesfind-your-representative

Here is a sample message from the National WildlifeFederation

Please co-sponsor the Recovering Americas Wildlife ActHR 4647 which provides dedicated funding for

proactive conservation measures that will secure the long-term future of all fish and wildlife

The conservation funding would not come from new taxesbut rather from a portion of existing annual leasing and royalty revenues from federal lands and waters It wouldcomplement effective existing programs and provide thestates territories and the District of Columbia withdesperately needed financial resources to effectively implement their Wildlife Action Plans and conserve thethousands of species at greatest risk throughcollaborative proactive efforts rather than moreexpensive and often litigated emergency room measures

I urge you to create a bright future for Americas wildlifeand rich natural heritage by putting your full supportbehind the bipartisan Recovering Americas Wildlife ActHR 4647

Please take a few minutes to push for this legislation Ourwildlife depends on PSO members to take action Ourlegislators need to hear from PSO members Let themknow that you care about wildlife

1httpwwwbiooneorgdoiabs101525auk201110206

2httpwwwbiologyualbertacafacultyerin_bayneuploadspapersbayneamphobson-2002-Ecologypdf

Laura JacksonBedford Countymljackson2embarqmailcom

Plan Now to Attend Our Annual Meeting

Italian Civic Club Meadville PA

September 14 15 amp 16

This yearrsquos annual meeting will be held in Crawford County Field trips will target wetland species includingAmerican Bittern Least Bittern Virginia Rail Sora and Marsh Wren Red-headed Woodpeckers are alsoprobable Possible migrants include nice varieties of shorebirds warblers and other passerines

Friday evening will start with a friendly bird ID competition Field trips will be held on both Saturday andSunday mornings A great line-up of speakers is in the works for the afternoon sessions

The banquet will be held at the Italian Civic Club on Saturday evening Donrsquot miss this meeting Details willbe included in the June issue of ldquoThe PSO Pileatedrdquo We hope to see you in Meadville in September

-19-

E

Answers to Bird Quiz (page 12)

1 Both times at Tinicum

2 Yellow-throated Warbler for its frequentpreference to nest in tall sycamores

3 Sabinersquos Gull

4 Gray-morph Gyrfalcon

5 Carolina Chickadee 12 miles Brown Creeper 10miles

Ducks like this Northern Pintail are finally starting to move through our state

Photo by Roger Higbee

PSO Newsletter

This newsletter is published four times a year by the PennsylvaniaSociety for Ornithology To renew your membership either pay online or send your check made payable to ldquoPSOrdquo to

PSO2469 Hammertown RoadNarvon PA 17555-9730

Membership CategoriesMembership Categories

Individual $ 3000 Family $ 3500Sustaining $ 4500

Student $ 2500 Electronic Student $ 1000

PSO Officers and Directors Mike Fialkovich ndash President mpfialverizonnet Vernon Gauthier ndash Vice President pabirdergmailcom Roger Higbee ndash Secretary rvhigbeewindstreamnetFrank Haas ndash Treasurer fchaaspabirdsorgGreg Grove ndash PA Birds Editor gwg2psueduMargaret Higbee ndash Newsletter Editor bcoriolewindstreamnet Mike Lanzone ndash Past President mlanzonegmailcom

Jarrod Derr ndash jmderr17gmailcom Doug Gross - dogrosspagov Deb Grove ndash dsg4psuedu Shonah Hunter ndash shunterlhupeduChad Kauffman ndash chadkauffmanearthlinknet Wayne Laubscher ndash wnlaubschercomcastnet Sandra Lockerman ndash sandylockermanyahoocomEvan Mann ndash 7evanmanngmailcom Annette Mathes ndash amathes19verizonnetAndrew McGann ndash andrewmcganngmailcomFlo McGuire ndash fmcguire1verizonnet Holly Merker ndash hcybellegmailcom Emily Thomas ndash eht5002hotmailcom Linda Wagner ndash lwagner342msncom

Pennsylvania Society for Ornithologyco R V Higbee

3119 Creekside Road

Indiana PA 15701-7934

ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED

Non-profit OrganizationUS POSTAGE PAIDCreekside PA 15732

PERMIT NO 2