The Warblers Are Here! I've Been Rather Busy with a New Addition to Our Family, but I Hope You're out in the Fi
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Pe..ru¼ y.,e,vwua, Soue.:ty ,60.Jt O~o.togy Ne..w-6te.ti.Vt Vo.fume. 2 , No. 2 tia.y , 1991 FR.CM THE PRESIDE?fl'' S DESK ... varied habitat--hemlocks , hardwood forest , wetlands , cranberry and May has arrived! The warblers are blueberry bogs , and lakes . here! I've been rather busy with a new addition to our family, but I hope Sane interesting field trips are you're out in the field in your Special planned. On Saturday morning a Area looki ng at birds. beginning bird walk is pl anned on the camp property. Doug Gross , coordinator Our Special Areas Project is well of the Breeding Bird Atlas Project in underway. Forms have been designed; the Crystal Lake area, reports that we packets have been sent to interested should find a variety of species , ; persons; and birders are already including Comnon Ravens , Swainson' s .,,!,,.,.. -.._ ... inventorying birds in at least nine Thrushes, and Mourning Warblers. Also _,.;.,q: ,· state parks . on Saturday morning , Doug wil l be leading a SAP trip to World' s End State Plans have almost been finalized for Park and adjacent Wyoming State Forest . our second annual fall meeting. Shonah Hunter has been working hard to organize Saturday afternoon we will have .... the field trips, workshops , and meeting . presentations on vari ous ornithological topics. Last year's presentations were We have been having a few problems outstanding. Details on subjects to be with our mail . This problem will soon covered will be sent to you with the be resolved. Please bear with us registration information. through our difficulties. Thanks! ; Saturday evening the annual business PSO has come a long way since our meeting will be conducted. Election of beginning. We are an active society. I officers is scheduled, and we will hope your share our enthusiasm and dicuss projects for the organization. par tici pate i n the Special Areas Project and in our fall meeting. See you in Additional field trips to nearby September ! areas will be conducted on Sunday morning . Possibilities include Rose --Conrad Schmidt , President Valley Lake , Rickett's Glen, Montour . , . ~ Preserve, the Riverlands , and Loyalsock SECOND ANNUAL PSO MEETING lt ;~#. Creek. Plans are being coo-g;>leted for- the Many recreational faciliti es are second annual PSO meeting. The meeting available for our use, free of charge, will be held September 13, 14, and 15 , at Crystal Lake Camps , i ncluding 1991 , at Crystal Lake Camps, north of swirrming , boating, tennis, hiking, etc. Hughesville in north-central These activities are available for your Pennsylvania. Crystal Lake Camps is family's use while you bird and attend well known for its miles of cross meetings, so this weekend would make a country ski trails and hospitable good family mini vacat ion. Rates are accromodations. The carnp's remote reasonable . Cost of accomnodations for ·; ., country setting includes 920 acres of two nights, including meal s i s $58 per person. One night including meals (Friday supper through Saturday lunch) costs $29. Meals may be purchased separately. Costs are as follows: Breakfast $4 Lunch $5 Dinner $7 Other accorrmodation/meal combinations will be available if you cannot stay for the entire weekend. THE RAVEN REPORTER Mark your calendar and plan to News of the Special Areas Project attend! Detailed registration and program inforrration will be sent to you in early sunmer. If you have any My first experience with World's End questions, please contact Shonah A. State Park was as a Boy Scout, back- Hunter, Department of Biological packing my way along the length of the Sciences, Lock Haven University, Lock Loyalsock Trail. So , like any true Haven, PA 17745. Phone (717) 893-2062. "ridgerunner, " I entered the area on foot . I was burdened by an overly heavy pack , quite sweaty , and ready fo~ an ice PORC UPDATE cream fran the concession stand and a cool swim in the creek. Instead, we --by Ed Kwater marched through the park, over a bridge, and hiked (or, perhaps, crawled) out.of The Pennsylvania Ornithological the Loyalsock Creek's deep glen to find Records Ccmni.ttee (PORC) is now in its camping further along the trail .in third calendar year. We have been Wyoming State Forest . I can still receiving numerous rarity reports , and remember struggling up the steep grade, we welcome receiving as many as grabbing saplings and tree roots with possible. The mechanisms are now in muddy hands, and pulling my way up the place to identify which species are slope to High Rock Lookout . There , we classified as rarities within our state. caught our breath and paused to admire the expansive forests of Sullivan Pennsylvania Birds is the vehicle County, interrupted only by the curves by which all PORC news is disseminated. of Route 154 and Loyalsock Creek. The second annual report is currently being prepared for publication in Even then, I wore a pair of Pennsylvania Birds Volume 5, No. 2. binoculars when I hiked--a fledgling ~ Reports will be published annually and birder with a backpack. I was curious , '-~,,,_ · will reflect PORC's decisions made on but I had little guidance. Where could ·-~ the documentation of rare birds reviewed I find out wha t birds lived in Sullivan during the past twelve months. County, much less World's End State Park? What were the big, black birds The official list of Pennsylvania soaring over the park? Or, at least , birds has been published in Pennsylvania what would they most likely be? Were Birds as a direct result of the they crows? Vultures? Ravens? Could deliberations of PORC. This list will they be any or all of these? Do t~ese be reviewed and upgraded every five birds nest in the park? Would I find years . them there in the winter? None of these questions could easily be answe:ed by any literature offered. For this area DID YOU KNCW THAT? and much of the state, there still is no literature easily accessible today. It has been shown that the minimal speed at which a bird can fly and still Although some accorrplishecl birders remain airborne is about 16.5 feet per second , or about 11 miles per hour. toured the area, there is very little .,:t published about the area's birds , even an organization which bears the name of at the much visited World's End State the legendary W. E. Clyde Todd, author Park. As far as nesting birds , the of Birds of Western Pennsylvania, is the Pennsyl vania Breeding Bird At l as wi ll first to join in this effort . The change this situation when it is Special Areas Project shares much of the published. Skip Conant and I are exploratory spirit held by Todd who was gathering data for t he enti re year i n often the first ornithologist to walk order to publish an annotated checkl i st into many places to study birds. It has of the birds of Sullivan County sometime been more than 50 years since the i n the future . However , most members of publication of that landmark book , yet the public want something specific when much of Pennsylvania i s poor ly explored they visit a park. They want something by naturalists . With the advent of the small and simple that addresses their Atlas Project and now the Special Areas interests. In short, people want a Project , perhaps this will change . good , easy-to-understand checklist . Park personnel would also like more Several of the leading birders in information in order to educate the Pennsylvania have expressed an interest public about the park's wildlife and to in the project and have even selected manage the park's resources . Although Special Areas to work in. For instance, some park rangers are acccmplished Lycoming Audubon Society became the naturalists , their time is monopo l ized second l ocal sponsoring organization and by providing many other services to the will inventory birds at Susquehanna general public; they have no time to State Park near Williamsport . We wi l l write checklists. keep you infonned of the progress made by these and other gr oups i n this Our local group, the North Branch colurm. Bird Club , is adopting World's End State Park as our Special Area . We also plan How to Becane Involved with the Special to eventually inventory the adjacent Areas Project Wyoming State Forest as a parallel project. Some members of our group wi ll Special Areas Projects are being also inventory a small Natural Area in sponsored by small local clubs or Colunbia County named Jakey's Hollow . chapters of larger organizations , It holds a small stand of mature, virgin usually a bird club or an Audubon forest only a few miles fran Bloansburg. Society. Each Special Area needs a Several other clubs have expressed an Local Coordinator. This person must be interest in the project. a good organizer and corrmunicator , as well as a good birder. We anticipate Our First Sponsors that many fonner Breeding Bird Atlas Regional Coordinators will fulfill this The first club to sponsor the role. I f you are interested in being Special Areas Project was the Todd Bird the Local Coordinator for a Special Cl ub of Indiana County. This group has Areas Project , please contact Douglas already begun to survey birds at Ye l low Gross , Chairman of the SAP Ccmnittee. Creek State Park . It promises t o be one His address is given below. Other of our largest inventories . Yellow members of the corrrnittee are Bob Martin, Creek attracts many migrant water birds, Margaret Bri t tingham , Margaret Hi gbee, i ncluding many vagrants .