Another responsibility of the board is the planning of ourannual meeting with the hope that everyone has a great time.

This photo was taken at our Crawford County meeting inSeptember 2018.

The

PSO Pileated

March 2019 The Newsletter of the Pennsylvania Society for Ornithology Volume 30, Number 1

From the President’s Desk....

So What Does the PSO Board Do?

I’m sure members havequestions regarding thefunction of the PSO Board ofDirectors and their activities.So in this President’sMessage, I would like toprovide a general overview ofthe board’s activities.

Do you ever wonder who is onthe board? It’s easy to findout. Just go to the PSOWebsite at www.pabirds.organd click on About Us on theright side of the homepageheaders. There are severalitems to choose from underthat main topic that includeBylaws, Organization,Awards, Contact Us, Board Meetings, Treasurer’sReports, and a PSO Brochure. The Organization sectionlists the members of the board. A number of boardmembers are also in attendance at our annual meetingswhere we try to be available to members. Usually thepeople greeting you at the registration desk are boardmembers.

The board meets face to face twice a year, usually in thefall (October or November) and again in late winter/earlyspring (February or March). We meet on a Saturdayafternoon in Boalsburg near State College where weconduct our meeting over lunch. Board meetings last afew hours, depending on the number of items that need tobe discussed. Fairly recently, we began to post boardmeeting minutes on the PSO Website under the Board

Meetings item mentionedabove. Most organizations postmeeting minutes, and one ofour board members suggestedwe start doing that to provideinformation to membersregarding topics of ourdiscussions.

Our meetings have standardagenda items, put together bythe president with contributionsfrom board members. These aretypically a Treasurer’s Report,Committee Reports, NewsletterItems, and the PennsylvaniaBirds Journal items. Othertopics include various activitiesthat require discussion

including the annual meeting planning, feedback frommembers that needs to be addressed, as well as any otherideas or suggestions from board members regarding theorganization and its activities.

Recently we decided that two meetings are not enough tokeep up to date with various topics, so we tried setting upteleconferencing meetings. This reduces downtimebetween discussions, so that we can stay on top ofactivities, suggestions, etc.; and it eliminates travel to acentralized location for meetings, reducing personal costfor travel (time, gasoline, tolls, and lunch). Fortunatelythe room we reserve at the restaurant is free of cost.Teleconferencing allows us to meet face to face, albeitvirtually and from the comfort of our own homes. We alsohave regular email exchanges and sometimes we vote via

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email on various proposals. PSO’s various committeesinclude both board members as well as other members.Any PSO member may join a committee if he or she isinterested, including a leadership role as chair of acommittee. Committees are listed under the About Us Tabhttps://pabirds.org/index.php/about-us/organization.Please note that the committee lists are in the process ofbeing updated as members have changed over the years.

A current project taken on by some of our board membersis a rewrite and update of the organization’s bylaws,which have not been updated for many years. We oftenrefer to them with respect to changes in the operation ofthe organization, so we decided that they need to bebrought up to date to match current procedures. Thatproject is in the initial stages, so it will be some timebefore the updates are complete.

Another major task is planning the annual meeting thatmany of us attend. This is no longer the responsibility of asingle person as it had been in the past; however a “pointperson” communicates with hotels and other facilities thatwe hope to reserve for our meeting. A single point personmakes communication easier for all involved. Annualmeeting planning is now handled by a team of boardmembers. Recently, the member who suggests thedecided-upon location serves as the point person becausehe or she is familiar with the proposed meeting location,allowing easy access to attend to the numerous details thatgo into the preparation for the meeting.

Our field trip committee organizes and announces fieldtrips around the state during the year, and members areoften the leaders of the trips. For the annual meeting, thefield trip committee reaches out to the local bird clubs thatare indispensable in planning locations for outings duringthe annual meeting.

We often receive questions regarding the process ofchoosing the location of the annual meeting. The locationis usually suggested by a PSO member or a board

member. We consider several important things when wechoose the location of the annual meeting. First, we try tomove it around as evenly as possible, so if it’s in thewestern part of the state one year, we look to the east thefollowing year, then central, etc. The other importantconsideration is the availability of hotels that can accom-modate a meeting of our size. For example, none of thehotels in Meadville had meeting facilities for a group oursize; some didn’t have any meeting rooms at all, so wehad to use another facility. We are aware that members prefer to have the meeting in a hotel for the obviousconvenience. Another factor to consider is local knowl-edge of the birds and places to visit. We rely on local birdclubs to help us with field trip choices, and we try toarrange outings to the most diverse locations so we visit avariety of habitats that yield a number of species. If thereisn’t a local club that can assist us, it’s difficult to planfield trips in an unfamiliar location.

The board also serves as the approval for the variousawards given at the annual meeting. The awards commit-tee makes the choice, and the board gives the finalapproval. The board also is the approval authorityregarding adding any new committee members.

And then there is membership. Frank Haas has been thepoint person for membership renewal and new memberssince the initiation of PSO. He handles the logistics withmembership, collects dues, maintains the membership list,prints the labels for the newsletter, etc. Frank has alsobeen the webmaster since the beginning, keeping thewebsite up to date and running smoothly.

I hope this is somewhat informative about the work thatthe PSO Board of Directors does to keep the organizationrunning. The board’s organization and activities aregenerally the same as any non-profit group.

Good birding!

Mike Fialkovich, President Allegheny County

Certificates of Appreciation Awarded

Since 2007, PSO has issued certificates of appreciation to individuals and organizations who have graciously allowedaccess to their properties to view rare or unusual birds. The total number issued is now 156. The full list can be found onthe PSO’s website. The following Certificates of Appreciation have recently been awarded to:

Dickcissel, Alvin Wenger and Family, Snyder Co.Harris’s Sparrow, Chester Zook and Family, Dauphin Co.Evening Grosbeak, Flo and Jim McGuire, Forest Co.

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Common Loon is not a regular visitor to Juniata, butsometimes it appears and remains for a day or two.

Photo by Chad Kauffman

Juniata County eBird 200 Challenge for 2018 Revisited

by Chad Kauffman

Juniata was our third county offour in the central part of the statewhere birders had never listed 200species in one year. We challengedbirders to hit the 200 mark in oneyear. When you target a countyand get more eyes and ears on theground, you are bound to find newspecies, find extraordinary birds,and cover new areas. This was mypersonal favorite challenge so farsince it is my home turf, giving mean excuse to get out and bird more. Looking for waterfowl is myfavorite thing to do, so constantlychecking the river, ponds, creeks,flooded fields, etc. made it all thatmuch better for me. We were ableto add seven new county birds to the eBird Juniata all-time list.

The first month produced 77 species with the highlightsbeing Common Yellowthroat, Common Goldeneye,Golden Eagle, Red-breasted Merganser, and Rose-breasted Grosbeak. We added other out-of-season birdswith the Eastern Towhee, Savannah Sparrow, and EasternPhoebe.

In February we found 82 species for the month, increasingour yearly total to 99. Highlights included my firstCarolina Chickadee in the county, Eastern Meadowlarksinging on top of a tall tree, three flyover Greater White-fronted Geese, and two Sandhill Cranes. The geese wereseen flying over the home of David Troyer when he andhis son Paul were scoping out the pond near their home,and he was able to get his double Swarovski scopes onthem. The cranes were heard flying behind the LostCreek Shoe Shop in Oakland Mills, and Stevie Troyer gotthe word out quickly to his family who called me. I wasthere within a few minutes to get pics of this county bird. The cranes fed in the corn stubble for a few hours, and afriend of ours got photos of them lifting up, circling, andleaving to not be seen again.

March yielded 96 species and increased our total to 120. A winter float trip on the Juniata from the MifflintownRiver access to Muskrat Springs added our onlyCanvasback for the year. It was also the first time I wasable to view a new Bald Eagle nest near the town ofMexico.

In April we found 139 birds for themonth, taking our total to 162. Highlights included a wonderfulsighting of an immature NorthernGoshawk that cleared the area ofall birds, letting me know thatsomething was coming. A pair ofsinging Yellow-throated Warblers,for which we were able to getpictures and audio, was a real treatfor a group of birders. Sora was apleasant surprise. Spotting a Red-throated Loon loafing for a coupleof days near the walking bridge ofMifflintown and pulling up to agrounded Short-eared Owl that hadjust caught dinner rounded out themonth for us.

May produced 169 species and took us to 209 for the year.We hit our challenge in the fifth month! We all had to askourselves how many can we find. We had our normalmigrating birds come through with highlights of aPeregrine Falcon doing a flyby along the Juniata Riverand another on the PAMC. A Red- necked Phalarope wasfound on a small pond by some young Amish birders. Word got out and many were able to come to enjoy thisodd, swimming shorebird. We were also lucky to get anOlive-sided Flycatcher and a Prothonotary Warbler report.

June yielded 94 birds during the month but nothing newfor the year. The phalarope continued into June, butnothing else of note was recorded.

In July we listed 76 birds and added two more, bringingour total to 211 for the year. A single Caspian Tern wasflying along the Juniata River, and I was able to getpictures for documentation purposes.

August produced 77 birds and added one more for 212 in2018. A single report of Cattle Egret was added on eBirdand was the only one found all year. This is not acommon species here by any means.

Birders in September found 87 species and added two forour total of 214. Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, a rare visitorto most counties in the state, was a good find. An extremely early Red-breasted Nuthatch was tallied aswell.

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A Common Redpoll visited Chad’s feederfor a few days before Thanksgiving,

adding another species to the county’slist. Photo by Chad Kauffman

October yielded 73 birds and added a lateCanada Warbler at the shoe shop bringingus to 215. An early report of Pine Siskinwas another highlight.

In November we found 62 species andadded 2 more for 217. An EveningGrosbeak returned again to DebBrackbill’s home in Licking Creek Valleyas it has for the last few years, and I had aCommon Redpoll for a few days prior toThanksgiving due to that snowstorm.

December produced 62 species, and weadded 2 more – American Coot andNorthern Saw-whet Owl. We ended ourchallenge at 219. Amos Renno saw andheard quite a racket and was able to count49 Sandhill Cranes flying over his farmearly in the month.

It was quite a treat to have so manyAmish birders and people who aren’tonline or on eBird reporting local birdsto me. I personally ended the year at198 and was a bit frustrated at some“easy” ones that I wasn’t able to findall year. It was certainly my all-timehigh for the county, but I really didthink I could hit 200 myself. For somecounties that number isn’t hard to do,but it certainly is here at home.

I now look forward to doing the lastchallenge in 2019 in Snyder County,and I hope others can join in or takethis type of challenge themselves intheir own counties.

Young Birders Spotlight Save the Date!

The PSO Education Committeeand the Board of Directors are

proud to announce “Frontiers in Ornithology: ASymposium for Youth.”

This new, unprecedented symposium will be held onSaturday, September 28, 2019, in Hockessin, Delaware, atthe Ashland Nature Center, located just a few miles fromthe Pennsylvania state line. On Sunday, the 29th, field tripswill be offered in the region, for those interested.

This one-day symposium will bring the opportunity tohear from over a dozen presenters with the goal of

providing the opportunities for young people to hear fromexperts in cutting-edge avian technology, science, andacademia while providing connections and answeringquestions of how to take a passion for birds to the nextlevel in their future.

The event is brought to you in part, by the PSO. So, staytuned for registration information and more in variousmedia outlets in the near future!

Questions? Contact Holly Merker, PSO EducationCommittee Chair, HCybelle@gmail.com.

What You Can Do on the PSO Websitepabirds.org

By Frank Haas

The PSO website has a bunch of resources for birders inPennsylvania. In the next few newsletters, I will highlightsome of the features of the website.

Today’s topic is the Birds of Pennsylvania.

This is a wonderful and quick way to find informationabout any species of bird that occurs (or has occurred) in

Pennsylvania. It lists all of the birds on the Official List ofBirds of Pennsylvania (which is also available on thewebsite).

In this section, you can find out the status and abundanceof a species, look up records, see photos, get life historyinformation, download a list of the birds, and more!

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For instance, one day last May, my wife and I were outbirding locally and came upon a mixed blackbird flock ofred-wings, cowbirds, and grackles. I started thinking aboutthe Yellow-headed Blackbirds that we occasionally findin winter flocks like these. I wondered how late into thespring they occur. So I got out my phone, opened the PSOweb page, went to Birding/Birds of PA and selectedYellow-headed Blackbird. I quickly saw on the bar graphthat they occur well into mid-June. So we spent a littlemore time perusing the flock! We did not find any...however, it shows how handy this feature is.

This is just one of the features of this application. Here ishow to use it.

On the PSO Home Page, select Birding, and then Birds ofPA.

When the Birds of PA page comes up, simply select aspecies to look at by scrolling down the list (which isalphabetical). You can navigate the list even more quicklyby typing the name of the bird, or just typing the firstletter takes you down to that section of the list from whereyou can scroll down to the desired species (i.e. Typing“N” takes you to all of the species beginning with “N”(remember, Mockingbird is Northern Mockingbird).Either way is still pretty fast.

Once you select a species, you are presented with thefollowing information about that species:

1. The common and scientific name

2. Abundance - how many can typically be seen in a dayin proper habitat and season.

3. Occurrence - How frequently the bird is seen (everyyear, every few years, etc.)

4. Seasonal Status - Migrant, breeder, winter visitor, etc.

5. Official List Status - Accepted, Pending, Provisional,etc.

6. PORC Review Species - Whether this species requiresreview by the PA Ornithological Records Committee.

7. Species of Special Concern Classification - Whetherthis species is listed by the PA Game Commission as aspecies in trouble in the Commonwealth.

8. Notes - Miscellaneous notes (for instance - Sooty Ternrecords are all from hurricanes).

9. More Info - A link to the Handbook of the Birds of theWorld website with more information about the species’life history, identification, taxonomy, and more.

10. A photo (taken in Pennsylvania).

11. A map showing the species’ distribution in theCommonwealth.

12. Seasonal Abundance Graph - A bar-graph showing theoccurrence and abundance of this species over a calendaryear.

Placing your cursor over these various items pops-up a listof definitions for those. For instance, if you put yourcursor over the Abundance line, a popup displays thefollowing Abundance definitions:

Abundant: 100 + per dayFairly Common: 26 to 99 per dayCommon: 6 to 25 per dayUncommon: up to 5 per day, up to 25 per seasonRare: 1 to 5 per day, up to 5 per season

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On the top menu, there are the following additionaloptions.

1. Download List – This will download the Birds ofPennsylvania List in comma-delimited (CSV) format,which can be opened with any spreadsheet software(Excel, Quattro, etc.). This can be used for creating yourown checklists, importing to any other digital media, etc.

The following fields are included:ID - a number that links the species to the AOS listCommon NameScientific NameBreeds - 1 = Yes, 0 = NoAbundanceOccurrenceSeasonal StatusList Status - Accepted, Provisional, or PendingAOS Order - Current American Ornithological

Society taxonomic orderAOS Supplement - The latest AOS supplement

incorporated into this list (name changes,taxonomic order, etc.) This is so you candetermine how up-to-date the list is.

2. Return to PSO - takes you back to the PSO Home Page

3. Help - gives information about Birds of PA, includingdefinitions, etc.

4. Send Corrections to - a link to send in corrections (Weain’t perfect!).

5. Notable Records - lists all of the records for this speciesthat were printed in the Birds of Note (not the CountyNotes) section of Pennsylvania Birds since 1992. Thiswould include rarities, but also birds out of season, etc. Soa Black-and-white Warbler in January would be listed, butnot the same species in June. Records from before 1992for species with 10 or fewer records are also listed. Thelist includes the Year, Species, Season, County, and Notes(which usually include the date and observer). It also listssubspecies and hybrids as well. This list can be printed byclicking on the Gear icon in the upper right corner.

6. More Photos - More photos of this species (taken inPA). NOTE: This section’s goal is to have photos of eachspecies in different plumages (adult, immature, molting,winter, etc.) to provide the user with a comprehensivereference to what these birds look like in Pennsylvania.We require that the photos be taken in the state so that anygeographical and seasonal differences are displayed. So, ifyou have good photos of a bird taken in Pennsylvania(regardless of plumage) that you would like to add to thissite, please let me know. You can contact me atpso@pabirds.org.

As you can see, this reference is easy to use and quitecomprehensive. Be sure to use it and let your birdingfriends know about it as well.

Coming up next: Publications

Recap of PSO Board of Directors’ November Meeting

The PSO Board of Directors met with 14 members presentvia teleconference on November 27, 2018.

A question arose concerning the funding of our studentscholarships to the PSO meeting. Various options forfund raising were explored.

Holly Merker explained her proposal to involve the PSOin the symposium “Frontiers in Ornithology: ASymposium for Youth.” This event aims to connect youthin the mid-Atlantic region who are interested in birding. The Symposium will be held at Ashland Nature Center inHockessin, Delaware, the weekend of September 27-29,2019. Board members agreed that this is a project thatPSO should support.

Holly thanked Andy McGann for the time he served onthe PORC committee as both a member and as thechairperson. Frank Haas congratulated Holly for gettingPORC running more smoothly.

Frank reported that finances are fairly stable and that ourmembership has increased slightly. He also said that heneeds a better program for the site guides for the website. More site guides need to be added as not all areas are wellcovered. Frank will also write an article for eachnewsletter issue to include a highlight of a section of thewebsite to make members aware of everything that thewebsite can do.

Greg Grove needs articles for the journal as this issue hasonly one article. Student written articles were discussedagain. The mechanism for PSO grants to students to doresearch and then write articles for PA Birds is in place.Evan Mann said that he, Vern Gauther, and Holly lookedat the bylaws and will revise and rewrite them in time forthe 2019 annual meeting.

Wayne Laubscher informed us that the 2019 annualmeeting will be held in Williamsport on September 13,

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14, and 15 at the Holiday Inn Express. The Merlin will bedepicted on the meeting pin. He already has a good list ofpossible field trips. Registration will continue to be online and will be handled by Vern.

Laura Jackson said that, besides herself, the only othermember on the conservation committee is possibly Holly. The procedure for taking action on conservation issueswas discussed. A comment was made that some peoplethink that PSO is not as responsive as we could be. We

also need to be careful about which issues we choose topromote.

The board agreed on a procedure to conduct email votesuntil the bylaws are changed to allow email votes.

Emily Thomas reminded us that the board agreed toconduct their teleconference meetings on the fourthTuesday of every odd month at 6:00 p.m.

Roger Higbee, Secretary

Recap of PSO Board of Directors’ January MeetingThe PSO Board of Directors met with 14 memberspresent via teleconference on January 22.

Mike Fialkovich discussed with Frank Haas thepossibility of PSO’s accepting ads in our publications. Frank said that we have accepted ads in the past and havecharged for them.

Emily Thomas would like the student scholarship announcement to be distributed to as many possibleapplicants as feasible.

Wayne Laubscher said that the preparations for the 2019meeting are going well.

Holly Merker explained that she would like to get finan-cial support from PSO for the symposium, “Frontiers

in Ornithology: A Symposium for Youth.” A motion wasmade to support the symposium both financially and withvolunteer hours. The motion passed.

There was a discussion of where to hold the 2020 AnnualMeeting. Fall locations included the northeast corner ofPennsylvania, Lancaster, State College, and Jacobsburg. A June meeting in the Poconos was another suggestion.

Chad Kauffman brought up the possibility of adding newpeople to the board. It was decided that backgroundbirding and conservation information would be requestedof any potential board member. We need to decide if wewant to add new members and how many.

Roger Higbee, SecretaryIndiana, PA

The full content of the minutes is available on the PSO website (pabirds.org); click on “About Us.”

PSO Pileated Quiz

How well do you know your Pennsylvania bird names?

1. Hunters and trappers in the far north called this species the “scabby-nosed wavey.” Which species?

2. The “yellowhammer” is the state bird of Alabama. What do we call it?

3. In a 1918 issue of The Auk, Boyd Rothrock reported finding a “Willow Thrush” in Harrisburg in 1913. What dowe call it?

4. Coccyzus is the genus name for which group of birds?

5. You’ll find the name Great Northern Diver regularly in some earlier British field guides. What do we call it?

See Answers on page 9.

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Call for Applications

Pennsylvania Society for OrnithologyStudent Research Grant

Deadline: March 31

Awardees will be notified by May 1

The Pennsylvania Society for Ornithology (PSO) is sponsoring up to two $500 student research grants in support ofresearch on Pennsylvania’s avifauna. We invite anyone to pass this news along to any students involved in research, aswell as any professors who could share this announcement with their students.

If selected, the student must travel to the PSO Annual Meeting to give a talk (~30 minutes) about their work, AND/ORthe student must submit an article to the Pennsylvania Birds journal, not more than two years after the award of thegrant, describing their study and findings to the PSO membership. The recipient will also be awarded a one-yearmembership in the PSO.

Eligibility: The award is designed to provide support to either graduate or undergraduate students in pursuit of a bachelor’sdegree, master’s degree, or doctorate. The research should be conducted in support of a thesis or dissertation andeventually published. The student’s academic institution does not need to be in Pennsylvania. The field work does notneed to occur in the Commonwealth, however, there is a preference for projects with a Pennsylvania field workcomponent.

Criteria: Proposals will be judged for their scientific merit and the likelihood that the work will make a meaningful contributionto our understanding of Pennsylvania avifauna. Submissions must include the name of the student’s academicinstitution, the corresponding department at the institution, the degree the student is pursuing, and the name of theiracademic or research advisor.

Research Proposal Document: The body of the proposal should be a condensed version of the student’s thesis/dissertation proposal, not to exceed 5pages in length (not including any figures or tables). Please note whether Institutional Animal Care and Use Committeeapproval has been or will be obtained. Each proposal should include a section on how the results of the proposed studywill be helpful to future scientific understanding, conservation efforts, and/or land management implications.

Signed Letter indicating Student’s Advisor’s Approval: In addition to the proposal document, each submission should include a brief, signed letter from the student's academicadvisor verifying that the applicant is a student in good standing, and that they are receiving the advisor's support forthe proposed project.

Submissions will be evaluated by a PSO committee. Submissions must be sent as pdf emailattachments by March 31. Please send submissions or questions to Deb Grove at dsg4@psu.edu.

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Answers to Bird Quiz (page 7)

1. Ross’s Goose2. Northern Flicker (Civil War soldiers from Alabama were nicknamed “yellowhammers” because their gray-and-yellow uniforms resembled the bird’s colors. Some of the soldiers wore yellow flicker feathers in their hats.)3. Veery4. cuckoos5. Common Loon

David Brooke photographed this striking LouisianaWaterthrush in Allegheny Co. on April 10, 2018.

Ornithological Literature NotesPennsylvania’s pioneering studiesof Louisiana Waterthrush biologytook a notable step forward in2018. A research team from EastStroudsburg University comparedthis species’ abundance and nestproductivity along two types ofstream environments in PikeCounty. Differences in both thedensity in number of pairs and thepairs’ nesting success weresignificant.

Katie B. Barnes, Nicholas Ernst,Michael Allen, Terry Master, and Rabecca Lauschpublished the findings in the journal NortheasternNaturalist (25: 587-598).

They studied waterthrush pairs along four headwaterstreams dominated by hemlocks representing two distinctenvironmental features. One ecological setting wascharacterized by high-gradient, fast-flowing streamsconfined between steep banks. The second setting was afeature called “benches,” where braided streams meanderacross a relatively wide, flat floodplain.

Four results were significantly different, all pointing tobetter success for waterthrushes on the benches:

*Average density was 3.1 pairs on bench sites but only1.8 pairs on ravine sites.

*Nest-survival estimates also favored the bench sites –69% at bench sites and only 33% at ravine sites.

*The ultimate result came in nest productivity (fledglingsproduced per kilometer of stream reach per year).Productivity was 13.1 at benches but only 5.7 at ravinesites.

*In addition, 29% of bench pairs raised double broodscompared to only 4% of ravine pairs.

The authors emphasize that theirsample size was small, and moreresearch is needed to determine thecauses of higher densities onbenches. Perhaps benches offermore food resources compared toravines, and/or perhaps ecologicalfeatures offer nest predators easieraccess to nest sites concentrated inthe narrow confines of ravines.

If those features can be pinneddown, the Louisiana Waterthrushmight serve as a “surrogate” or

“indicator” species for discovering differences in habitatquality important to other organisms in hemlock-dominated habitats. Stay tuned!

Paul Hess Natrona Heights, PA phess@salsgiver.com

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 “PSO” to:

PSO2469 Hammertown RoadNarvon, PA 17555-9730

Membership Categories Individual $ 30 Family $ 35Sustaining $ 45

Student $ 25 Electronic Student $ 10

PSO Officers and Directors Mike Fialkovich – President mpfial@verizon.net Evan Mann – Vice President 7evanmann@gmail.com Roger Higbee – Secretary rvhigbee@windstream.netFrank Haas – Treasurer fchaas@PAbirds.orgGreg Grove – PA Birds Editor gwg2@psu.eduMargaret Higbee – Newsletter Editor bcoriole@windstream.net Mike Lanzone – Past President mlanzone@gmail.com

Vernon Gauthier – Pabirder@gmail.com Doug Gross – dagross144@verizon.net Deb Grove – dsg4@psu.edu Laura Jackson – jacksonlaura73@gmail.com Chad Kauffman – chadkauffman@earthlink.net Wayne Laubscher – wnlaubscher@comcast.net Sandra Lockerman – sandylockerman@yahoo.comAndrew McGann – andrew.mcgann@gmail.comHolly Merker – hcybelle@gmail.com Emily Thomas – eht5002@hotmail.com Linda Wagner – lwagner342@msn.com

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The

RavenReporter

Tales ofDiscovery aboutPennsylvaniaBirds

What’s Up with American Tree Sparrow?

As the days grow longer and the intermittent snows meltfaster, I search for memories of what most impressed meabout winter birds in Pennsylvania. The answer is notobvious especially for younger birders without longmemories of past bird populations. For me, it is thegradual and puzzling decline and disappearance of theAmerican Tree Sparrow (Spizelloides arborea) from myhaunts in rural counties. I know that this is not the mostglamorous or charismatic winter bird, but it may be thebest example in Pennsylvania of a common winteringboreal bird in decline. It is often described as “a familiarmigrant and winter visitor” (BNA account) that iscommon and widespread. I would say that this is muchless true than years ago when I routinely found over ahundred during any morning of birding in the state’scountryside. They often were found around houses andfeeding stations much less the wilder habitats.

The bird conservation organization alarms have not goneoff even when studies declare that “using BBS data, theAmerican Tree Sparrow population was estimated to havedeclined by 53% between 1970 and 2014” (Partners inFlight Landbird Conservation Plan 2016 revision), butperhaps they should. Since the breeding ground of thisspecies is in the vast, mostly roadless tundra of Canadaand Alaska, any estimate of population size and trends arepretty rough. It is one of the 24 bird species in steepdecline in the latest PIF continental plan. When thepopulation is estimated at the amazingly high “22,000,000individuals within Canada and Alaska” (PIF LCP 2106),the lack of a high concern for the species isunderstandable. It is a fairly easy bird to survey in itslarge wintering ground that encompasses much ofsouthern Canada and northern United States whereChristmas Bird Count circles and bird feeders areabundant.

There is an unfortunate tendency for birders to dismissspecies’ declines by noting that, “I can find it if I look forit.” Yes, perhaps you can find an American Tree Sparrowfor your Christmas Count, your Great Backyard BirdCount, feeder count, or another survey but not in the

numbers found in past decades. My concern is not foryour list but for the bird and its habitat. Once it wasamong the most abundant winter birds rivaling Dark-eyedJunco with which it often flocked. Not anymore. In the1970s and 1980s I would find more than 100 of themduring each CBC, especially if I took the time to walkthrough an “old field” of goldenrods and blackberrythickets where they were formerly abundant. I often haddifficulty counting them due to their abundance and theheavy cover. These sparrows forage on small seedsincluding the diminutive seeds of goldenrods and asters. Once I could stand at the edge of any overgrown fieldincluding the one in front of our house and hear theelectric, musical two-note “teel-whit” calls even in thepredawn darkness. I rarely hear these call notes whilebirding in winter anymore, and it is not because they arebeyond my hearing range.

I am not the first to voice concern over this species inPennsylvania. To his credit, Paul Hess wrote two articlesfor Pennsylvania Birds in 1989 (Volume 3, Numbers 3, 4)looking at CBC data including wide fluctuations in countsover the years 1973 – 1987. Paul used the term “mystery”to describe the fluctuations and that word is as true todayas then. Snow cover may be a confounding influence onnumbers with sparrows staying farther north when snowcover is less in the Mid-Atlantic states. These littlesparrows regularly travel over 1,000 miles from theirsummer to their winter grounds. Much can befall themalong the way. The decline in this species may also belimited to eastern states, but such analyses seem lacking. The perceived decline may be a shift westward ornorthward, not a measurable decline. However, withchanges in habitat quality on the tundra, there could bereal declines in American Tree Sparrow populations thatare not well measured or appreciated.

Considering the natural history of this species might shedsome light on reasons for changes in its populations anddistribution. Since its breeding range is such a remotearea of North America, little is actually known about itsbreeding biology. In migration and on their winteringgrounds, American Tree Sparrows forage on a wide rangeof perennial and annual herbaceous and grass seeds aswell as the fruits of shrubs and trees. When I havehandled these sparrows as part of a banding operation,they often had millet, goldenrod seeds, or rose hips intheir beaks. Little is known about their breeding groundphilopatry, but their tendency to return to feeding stationsand banding sites is well-known and documented. When Ibanded winter birds in my backyard, Montour Preserve,and the Susquehanna Riverlands, I often handled recaptured tree sparrows that returned from previousyears. I often caught birds several times per session. AsI walked away from traps, I could hear the trap doors

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American Tree Sparrows have undergone a steeppopulation decline in recent years.

Photo by Moses Martin

closing on more tree sparrowscaught because they were soabundant and easy to capture. I amsure that other bird banders havehad the same kind of experiences.

In my own case, all those locationsare still great tree sparrow habitatwith lots of goldenrod, aster, andother herbaceous and brushy coverbut few American Tree Sparrows.

There are a few theories about theperceived decline of this “winterChippy.” A prevailing one wasexpressed in the revised BNAaccount: “widespread change in land-use in recentdecades (e.g., agricultural intensification and forestmaturation) across much of the wintering range has likelyresulted in extensive habitat loss for overwintering birds.” Considering the widespread loss of weedy fields andyoung forest habitat, this is a credible explanation. Yet,the data collected by birders makes me suspect that this isonly part of the explanation. A lot of great habitat forAmerican Tree Sparrows still exists along roadsides andin farmland, great places where flocks of this species wereformerly found. Now I find juncos and other sparrowsbut not this species in the large numbers formerly found.

Taught to me as “the winter chippy” as Roger ToryPeterson and others called it because of its superficialsimilarity to the Chipping Sparrow, this sparrow is notparticularly closely related to the Chipping Sparrow butrather more closely related to the Fox Sparrow despite thedifferences in appearances. Its name is, of course, amisnomer since it is a denizen of the tundra andovergrown brushy fields, young woodlands, and wetlandswith few trees. Perhaps “Brush Sparrow” would be abetter name that better identifies its home in summer andwinter. This name was suggested by A. MargueriteBaumgartner in her species account in the Life Historiesof North American Cardinals, Grosbeaks, Buntings,Towhees, Finches, Sparrows, and Allies (A.C. Bent,compiled by O.L. Austin). Dr. Amelia Marguerite(Heydweiller) Baumgartner was the wife of the morerecognized Oklahoma ornithologist Fred Baumgartner butshe was an accomplished scientist in her own right. Sheearned her Ph.D. at Cornell University and studied thisspecies in northern Manitoba, publishing several scientificjournal articles about it before and after her marriage. Itis easy to overlook the women pioneers of science, and Itip my field cap to her excellent studies and publicationsabout this species and others.

With the abundance of CBC, Feederwatch, and GreatBackyard Bird Count data, there seems to be a lot of

potential for investigating theseperceived changes in distributionand population. With new tools atour disposal, the questions oflinkage between summer andwinter grounds and stopoverlocations can be explored. Even common birds can declineand can be interesting to study. Iurge birders to go back to followBaumgartner’s example and studythis charming little songbird. Please go through your old recordsand submit field trips to eBirdwhere you once found this species

and to search for it at those locations when you can. Walkthe brushy fields and listen for that twittering call. Thisadded information could help us better understand thepatterns of this and other boreal birds that visit our state inthe winter. I propose that this species should be a candi-date for the state’s “Species of Greatest ConservationNeed” (the Wildlife Action Plan list). It overlaps inhabitat with many species already on that list that areconsidered “early succession” or “young forest” speciesas well as popular game animals like cottontail rabbit andAmerican Woodcock. It also would be an interestingresearch subject for a graduate student looking for aspecies with good questions that is easy to capture and forwhich there are large stores of “citizen science” andclimate data ready to be analyzed. Rusty Blackbird,Snowy Owl, and American Tree Sparrow are among theboreal species to keep an eye on right here in theKeystone state.

Evening Grosbeak: Keep an Eye and Ear Out forBreeding Events

By the time you read this, the light irruptive event ofEvening Grosbeaks (Coccothraustes vespertinus) inPennsylvania and other eastern states has petered out. Some of us had a few grosbeak sightings, but thisirruption paled compared to former irruptions. For thoseof us who remember Evening Grosbeaks covering ourhome-made wooden bird feeders in years past, current“irruptions” are a bit underwhelming and disappointing. Yet, it may not be over for the 2018-2019 EveningGrosbeak irruption event. As grosbeak that wanderedsouth, even south of U.S. Route 80 and the Mason-DixonLine, return north to their natal grounds, they may visitPennsylvania locations again. Some may even stop tobreed if adequate food resources are beckoning andpotential mating partners available. In spring andsummer, Evening Grosbeaks turn into caterpillarpredators and react to outbreaks of various immature

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lepidopterans within or outside the sight of backyard birdfeeders supplied with sunflower seeds. I know that I willbe pausing to listen to any finch song in the woods andwood edges to detect a vocal Evening Grosbeak thisspring and summer. Past events mentioned in myDecember 2018 column suggest that this species couldnest in June and July where it sees fit. I also will belooking and listening for Red Crossbill, Pine Siskin, Red-breasted Nuthatch, and other boreal visitors whileexploring the state’s northern forest.

Ricketts Glen State Park Bird Project Continues

As I have mentioned in a previous column, I am continu-ing my studies of northern forest birds and concentratingon Ricketts Glen State Park which may be popular withhikers and photographers but mostly ignored by birders. This state park is an integral part of the North Mountainforest that includes State Game Lands 13, 57, and 66 andLoyalsock State Forest in Sullivan, Luzerne, andWyoming counties. I will be leading at least five fieldtrips to the park in 2019 for the public, including the PSOannual meeting and state park events. Birders are invitedto search back into their old field notes and recover fieldtrips there to add to the eBird database for the park andadjacent areas. It has not been an exciting winter forbirding, but that changes dramatically in spring migration.

Anyone interested in trips to the park is invited to contactme and coordinate field activities.

Independent trips are very welcome – the more, themerrier. I would especially welcome nocturnal andcrepuscular field trips since those species are underrepresented in the eBird and Breeding Bird Atlas datasets. You probably do not need to go deep into the woodsto find species like Eastern Whip-poor-will, AmericanWoodcock, Great Horned Owl, and Northern Saw-whetOwl there. Barred Owls can be heard hooting in the parkat mid-day, but the other owls are poorly documented.

I have reached out to local bird clubs for support and havefound that few local birders visit the park despite its statusas a state Important Bird Area. We will try to change that. See this column and social media for more details onplanned events. I am delighted to see other PSO membersinitiate birding events to other under-reported locations. There are many blanks on the state birding map that canbe happily filled by the adventurous. Think big and bebold!

Good birding!

Doug Gross, Dagross144@verizon.net

A Count to Remember – The Solitaire SagaBy John F. Taylor

Our spirits buoyed up by a forecast of relatively warmtemperatures and very light winds, Ed Donley and I droveeast from Indiana to Yellow Creek State Park to fulfill ourannual obligation as members of the Todd Bird Club’s“North Shore Crew” for the Indiana Christmas BirdCount. We were feeling good about our chances ofdelivering a respectable tally of the birds from ourassigned territory along the north shore of the lake, giventhe decent weather conditions and a larger crew than wenormally field on the count. My brother Wil, and ournephew Scott Simms, both visiting for the holidays,would join us, at least for the morning. My good friend ofmany years, Mark Strittmatter, was also able to arrangehis schedule to help out for most of the day. That meantnot only three additional, experienced birders in our crew,but three pairs of exceptionally sharp eyes to find what-ever was hanging out in our territory this year. Perhaps2018 would be the year that we turn up something reallyunusual to report when the species are tallied over dinnerthe evening of the count. To keep the optimism fromrunning unchecked, however, I pointed something out to

the group shortly after we convened at the north parkboundary: We’ve been doing this for about thirty yearsnow, and that rarity hasn’t shown up yet!

Mark was already there when Ed and I arrived. In fact,he’d been out for over an hour already and had beenrewarded for his early start with some good birds: aBrown Creeper in the woods and some Buffleheads and aBelted Kingfisher at the lake. Scott and Wil arrived justafter we did, also with something noteworthy to report. They’d spied a Merlin before joining us. Ed and I firedback feebly that we’d seen some crows and starlings onthe drive out. Welcoming the opportunity to slink awayand find something to prove that we had, you know,actually birded before, Ed and I followed the tree line thatmarks the park boundary down into the valley and madeour way through the woods where we’d done well inprevious years. By the time we reconvened, Ed and Iwere able to hold our heads higher having turned up a pairof Pileated Woodpeckers, a few Red-bellied Wood-peckers, and many of the unremarkable but nonetheless

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The Townsend’s Solitaire remained at Yellow Creekthrough 1/11/19.

Photo by Roger Higbee

welcome “usual suspects” (car-dinals, juncos, titmice, chickadees,etc.). Other spots along the lakeyielded a pair of Ring-billed Gulls,several Eastern Bluebirds, a smallflock of Hooded Mergansers, and alarger raft of Common Mergansers. We also spotted several DownyWoodpeckers and a HairyWoodpecker, leaving only theNorthern Flicker and Yellow-belliedSapsucker to complete a sweep ofthe local woodpeckers. Thesapsucker is a particularly criticaltarget species for our crew becausethe north shore territory includes thebest habitat for that species thatexists in the count circle. Failure to deliver the sapsuckerguarantees us an accusatory glare and/or a verbalreprimand from Margaret Higbee at the tally dinner.

By mid-afternoon we’d reached my favorite location inthe park, an area of the Seph Mack Boy Scout Camp withsmall patches of trees whose fruits attract species that canbe tough to find on the CBC. It’s also where we havemost frequently succeeded in our search for the elusivesapsucker. To our dismay, we found the usually reliablegroves completely devoid of birds – at least on our firsttrip through. Wil and Scott had already received a callthat they were expecting, bringing an end to their day inthe field. As they were leaving, I told them that we wouldprobably find something really special after they left. Ifnot, I assured them that we would think of somethingsufficiently exotic to claim that we’d seen to make themregret their early departure. Little did I know! As weusually do in the camp area, we split up to cover moreterritory. Mark had taken the upper road while Ed and Ifollowed the road along the lakeshore into the camp. Edand I parted company briefly once we’d reached the primeterritory near the fruit trees. He took the road that led upto the shooting range (fortunately inactive at the time)while I hiked down the path that leads to a small, outdoorchapel where I’ve turned up the sapsucker on previouscounts by standing quietly and watching the trees for awhile. That trick didn’t produce a sapsucker this time, butit did pay off when I found a mixed flock of AmericanRobins and Cedar Waxwings sitting idly in the trees justoff the trail. Some of them flew down the hill toward thelake as I retraced my steps up the path. As I emerged from the entrance to the chapel trail, I foundEd standing there, looking down the hill. I filled him inon what I’d seen near the chapel, and he informed me thathe’d also had a good sighting. ”I think I got us amockingbird,” he said. This was good news, because the

places in Indiana that we had reliedupon for a mockingbird in previousyears had not delivered one in thetwo months prior to the 2018 count. When I asked about the implieduncertainty in his statement, he saidthe bird he’d seen had the correctcolor of gray, but not the mocking-bird’s usual color patterns, and thetail seemed too short. So down thehill we went in the direction thebird had flown toward a stand offruit trees lower on the slope,probably the same destination ofthe robins and waxwings I’dflushed earlier. This time thatlower grove of fruit trees was alivewith birds. It was mostly the

robins and waxwings, but I soon spotted a bird off byitself, perched at the edge of the woods. Seeing theuniformly gray plumage with some white markings, I toldEd, “I think I’ve got your mockingbird.” It was difficult,however, to make out the details with the bird partiallyconcealed by branches and the sun shining in at a lowangle behind it. Nonetheless, it wasn’t long before itregistered that the proportions weren’t right. The bill wastoo short, the head more rounded, and the body toocompact overall. It was then that we saw the prominentwhite eye ring, which laid to rest the possibility that wesimply had a poorly illuminated mockingbird. “Ed, wemight have a really good bird here,” I said. “It looks likea solitaire!”

Having spent quite a bit of time doing geologic field workin the mountains out West, I’d seen Townsend’s Solitairesbefore. But it had been a while, so I pulled out my fieldguide and Ed called up images on his phone. (Not hard totell which of us is the Luddite, is it?) Both sourcessingled out the buff wing patches as the species’ mostdiagnostic feature. Needing a better vantage, with the sunsomewhere other than behind the bird, we worked ourway slowly through the tangle of branches between us andthe open field beyond it. Unfortunately, it took exceptionto the two large, over-accessorized bipeds slinkingthrough the brush below it, and it flew off into the woods. Mark arrived as we emerged from the brush, so we filledhim in on what we’d seen to that point. I was fairlycertain that I’d made out the fairly inconspicuous buffywing patch while the bird was perched, but I reallywanted a better look to lock down the identification. Fortunately, the bird had not flown far. We found it ashort distance into the woods, feeding on the fruits andsparring a bit with the robins and waxwings. With the sunnow behind us and the bird fluttering as it fed andinteracted with the other species, the wing patches were

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conspicuous, and the identification unequivocal. At othertimes, as it sat looking toward the small flock of wax-wings nearby, it fluttered its wings and bobbed its tail. AtMark’s prompting, Ed used his phone to pull up some on-line videos that showed Townsend’s Solitaires displayingthat distinctive behavior. To our amusement, the birdresponded to the video by looking in our direction andmoved a bit closer to us.

We now had another decision to make. I’d often won-dered what we would or should do if we turned up a rarityduring the CBC. Should we notify our fellow birdersimmediately to afford them the opportunity to modifytheir schedules to swing by and see the bird before itdisappears? Or should we hold off on notification so wedon’t disrupt the count by pulling participants off theirassigned territories? We decided to do the latter, in partbecause the solitaire had been fairly easy to approach, andit seemed likely to stay put where it had settled in withfood and cover in abundance. The three of us completedour scheduled hike to the breast of the dam, searchingintently but in vain for a sapsucker. It really stung to missthat species this year because we had found a NorthernFlicker near the solitaire spot, so the sapsucker wouldhave given us all six woodpeckers for the day, somethingwe’ve never accomplished on the CBC. We checked onthe solitaire on the return trip to confirm that it wasindeed still present as we left the area, and we headedhome to Indiana for the post-count tally dinner at Hoss’srestaurant over which Margaret and Roger Higbeedutifully preside as the count compilers.

Ed graciously suggested that I read off the species for theNorth Shore Crew, so I looked forward to dropping thebomb at the end after all species previously sighted hadbeen tallied, and Margaret asked whether any birds new tothe count had been found. Except for Mark, who had afamily commitment, the entire North Shore Crew made itto the dinner. To my surprise, Scott and Wil didn’t accuseus of fabricating a rarity when we informed them of thesolitaire sighting. I suspect Wil might have had a beer ortwo before he came to the dinner. I spoke briefly withMargaret when we arrived and simply told her that we’dhad a really good day. It turns out we weren’t the onlyones. Quite a few good sightings were reported asMargaret called out the species while Roger, the long-suffering scribe, struggled to keep pace with the numbersflying at him. Ken and Beth Marshall had added a newspecies to the count, having spotted three Black Vulturesat the southwestern edge of the count circle. As a speciesnot previously seen on any of our previous CBCs, thisalmost certainly would be voted “best bird of the count”for 2018. In recent years, we have referred to this as theDearing Award, in honor of James Dearing, who hadconsistently and enthusiastically participated in the CBCfor many years as a member of the North Shore Crew

prior to his passing in 2010. The Higbees always providea stuffed bird (no, not a real one!) that is given to theawardee(s) at the dinner. Other candidates for theDearing Award surfaced as the tally continued, amongthem Trumpeter Swans that Dennis Lauffer and LeeCarnahan had found in their territory. When Margaretcalled for Yellow-bellied Sapsucker sightings, we got notonly the expected glare but a pointed comment, “I thoughtyou said you had a good day!” After Margaret had gonethrough the list of species, she called for nominations forthe Dearing Award, inadvertently skipping the request forspecies new to the count. This omission was promptlypointed out to her, and as she asked for any such sight-ings, I raised my hand and told her. “You’re about to findout why I told you we had a really good day. One morespecies to add…Townsend’s Solitaire!” To which sheexclaimed, “You’re kidding!” Which, of course, weweren’t.

Fittingly, Ed Donley received the Dearing Award forfinding the best bird of the count, and I am sure that he’sfound a suitable perch for it at his place as a reminder ofboth a remarkable bird and a departed good friend ofmany years. Ed cheerfully complied with numerousrequests for directions to the solitaire spot as the groupdisbanded, and he later posted information to eBird tonotify the broader birding community of the find. I tookWil to Yellow Creek the next morning to see the solitaire,which had indeed stayed put as we had hoped. TheHigbees and Gloria Lamer were there when we arrived. Roger had gotten some splendid pictures, and Gloria lenta hand, relocating the bird for Wil, who needed it as alifer…and as proof that we didn’t make the whole thingup.

Ornithological records for Pennsylvania indicate that theTownsend’s Solitaire has been seen fewer than 20 timesin the state, and only once previously on a CBC, on theButler count in 1993. Our guy was quite cooperative andafforded splendid views and photo opportunities for asteady flow of birders who visited Yellow Creek over thenext few weeks. The last sighting reported on eBird wasby Jeff McDonald on January 11. Attempts to find thebird on the regular Tuesday morning Todd Bird Cluboutings at Yellow Creek since then have proven unsuc-cessful. Hopefully the solitaire’s faulty internal compassis working in reverse, taking it back to the coniferousslopes in the mountains out West. We’ll never know, ofcourse, but that’s the scenario I choose to envision. I senta nice photo of our solitaire that my Biology Departmentcolleague Tom Simmons sent me to one of my goodfriends who’d asked how our count went. His responsewas….”Let me get this straight. I’m supposed to getexcited about a little, lost, gray bird that doesn’t knowEast from South?” He’s a darned good friend, but he’sobviously not a birder.

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Welcome New PSO Members

We extend a warm welcome to our newest members who have joined PSO since June 2, 2018.

Connie Alexander, Shinglehouse, PA Katie Andrews, Leesport, PAGeorge Armistead, Philadelphia, PAAnne Bekker, Philadelphia, PAMary Ann Bogert, Wilkes Barre, PAElizabeth Brensinger, New Tripoli, PADeb Brown, Montoursville, PASara Busch, Havertown, PAIsaac Byler, Huntingdon, PAClay Corbin, Bloomsburg, PARonald Crandall, State College, PAWilliam Delgrande, Titusville, PACindy Dunn, Camp Hill, PASteve Eisenhauer, Ocean View, NJDawn Ekdahl, East Earl, PASteven B. Feldstein, State College, PAPatience Fisher, Murrysville, PASteve Fordyce, Mertztown, PAJacquelynn Formosa, Bloomsburg, PAMartha Franklin, Kingsley, PAScott Fraser, Doylestown, PADan Gomola, Renfrew, PAKen Goody, New York, NYBarbara Griffith, Wexford, PAJohn Griffiths, Wexford, PATami Harnish, Mechanicsburg, PAJim Hill, Airville, PA

James Hill, Waterford, PAJames Jackson, Glen Rock, PAJohn Jakoby, Mountain Top, PAPeggy Keating-Butler, Gettysburg, PAMeg Kolodick, Oil City, PASteven Latta, Pittsburgh, PAKerry Loux, Langhorne, PAJustin Mann, Endwell, NYMichele Mannella, Bethel Park, PASteve Manns, Export, PANate McKelvie, Palmyra, PAPatrick Millar, Oxford, PADennis Miranda, Lansdale, PATomas Nonnenmacher, Meadville, PAJoe Perez, Elizabeth, PAJoyce Perrone, Apollo, PAJames Phillips, Pittsburgh, PAVictoria Roper, Northumberland, PADavid Saylor, Washington, DCAlan Schreck, Arlington, VABeth Signorini, Mcdonald, PASusan Smith, State College, PAScott Stollery, Pottstown, PALisa Tull, Phoenixville, PABetty Vermeire, College Station, TXEric Zawatski, Dallas, PA

Pennsylvania 2018 Bird Lists ReportCompiled by Andy Keister

This is my first year taking over the compilation of theyearly PA Bird Lists for Peter Robinson. I would like tostart by thanking Peter for his years of service to the PSOand for helping me get up to speed with the list for 2018.

It’s important to understand that the lists contained withinthis report have been tracked and updated for many yearsbut are still very incomplete. Many birders choose not toreport numbers to the PSO or use other means such aseBird to maintain their lists. Some birders are probablyunaware that these records even exist. All birders areexpected to abide by the honor system. As compiler ofthis list, I am merely reporting numbers, not cross-checking and verifying the authenticity of bird sightings.

For 2018, 93 birders have reported PA Life Lists of 300species or greater. The number of birders with PA LifeLists of 350 species or greater now stands at 27, up twofrom the previous year. The leader is now Devich

Farbotnik with an impressive 396 species. The totalnumber of birders with unassisted Life Lists of 300species or greater remains at 11. For 2018, the year’shigh Annual List was reported by Devich Farbotnik with269 species followed closely by Zach Millen with 267species. Devich Farbotnik also holds the highest countyLife List with 344 species recorded in Bucks County. Inannual county birding, the following birders set a newhigh total for the indicated county: Carol Hildebrand with192 species in Clinton County; Chad Kauffman with 198species in Juniata County; Bobby Brown with 230 speciesfor Lycoming County; Karol Pasquinelli with 184 speciesin Northumberland County; and Roy Ickes with 202species in Washington County. Also of note, BobbyBrown set the new high mark for a Life List in LycomingCounty with 255 species.

A few birders mentioned that they have added Black-backed Oriole and White-winged Tern to their PA Life

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Lists now that they have been officially added to the statechecklist. Anyone who has not yet done so should updatetheir numbers at the end of 2019.

A total of 48 individuals submitted list information orBird of the Year votes for 2018. They include: ChuckBerthoud, Scott Bills, Gerry Boltz, Bobby Brown, BryanByrnes, Bruce Carl, Dick Cleary, Michael David, DavidDeReamus, Mike Epler, Devich Farbotnik, MikeFialkovich, John Flannigan, Carl Garner, Tom Garner,Deb Grove, Greg Grove, Al Guarante, Barb Haas, FrankHaas, Jeffrey Hall, David Hawk, Jonathan Heller, CarolHildebrand, Evan Houston, Roy Ickes, Bruce Johnson,Ryan Johnson, Ken Lebo, Chad Kauffman, Andy Keister,Arlene Koch, Wayne Laubscher, Ron Leberman, GeoffMalosh, Peter Mauss, Jerry McWilliams, Zach Millen,Richard Nugent, Karol Pasquinelli, Thomas Reeves, PeterRobinson, Michael Schall, Kurt Schwarz, John Snarey,Russ States, Mark Vass, and Eric Witmer.

The Bird of the Year 2018

Twenty-five birders voted for 16 different species as Birdof the Year for 2018. A total of three points wereawarded for a first place vote, two points were awardedfor a second place vote, and one point for a third placevote. Competition was tight this year and Gray-crownedRosy-Finch (34 points) edged out Rock Wren (32points) and Varied Bunting (30 points) as Bird of theYear. Voting is always impacted by several factors. Thisyear the length of stay and ease of access most likelypushed Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch and Rock Wren pastVaried Bunting. The remaining votes includedTownsend’s Solitaire (7 points); Sandhill Crane andGyrfalcon (6 points); Wood Stork (5 points); RoseateSpoonbill and Black-throated Gray Warbler (4 points);Red-breasted Nuthatch (3 points); Barrow’s Goldeneye,Gull-billed Tern, and Golden Eagle (2 points); andLapland Longspur, Little Gull, and Brant (1 point).

PA Life Lists1 396 Devich Farbotnik 20182 393 Barbara Haas 20183 392 Franklin Haas 20184 389 Dave DeReamus 20185 386 Peter Robinson 20186 384 Eric Witmer 20187 381 Tom Garner 20188 378 Al Guarente 20189 376 Ken Lebo 201810 375 Ronald Leberman 201811 373 Geoff Malosh 201812 371 Jason Horn 200212 371 Arlene Koch 201814 370 Rick Wiltraut 200615 369 Randy C. Miller 201615 369 Jonathan Heller 201817 362 Nick Pulcinella 201318 361 Robert Schutsky 201118 361 Harold Lebo 201220 360 Bernard Morris 201120 360 Chuck Chalfant 201620 360 Bruce Carl 201820 360 Michael Schall 201824 358 Steve Farbotnik 200625 356 Michael David 201826 354 John Fedak 200627 353 Mike Fialkovich 201828 349 Fritz Brock 201329 346 Jerry Book 200029 346 Joyce Hoffmann 200429 346 Shannon Thompson 201532 345 Bill Etter 201733 340 Richard Timm 201133 340 Jerry McWilliams 201835 338 Jan Witmer 199735 338 Richard Colyer 200037 337 John Miller 199737 337 Mike Epler 201839 336 William Stocku 199739 336 Dick Cleary 201841 335 Matt Wlasniewski 201241 335 Mark Vass 201843 334 Chuck Berthoud 2018

43 334 Wayne Laubscher 201845 333 David Kyler 201645 333 Andy Keister 201845 333 Chad Kauffman 201848 332 William Murphy 200049 330 Billy Weber 201149 330 Greg Grove 201851 329 Paul Schwalbe 199851 329 Ian Gardner 201753 328 Margaret Higbee 201354 327 Glenna Schwalbe 199854 327 Steve Santner 199956 326 Russ States 201557 324 Harry Franzen 199657 324 Aden Troyer 201357 324 Timothy Becker 201760 322 Tom Clauser 201261 321 Bill Oyler 201762 320 Deborah Grove 201863 319 John Ginaven 199863 319 Trudy Kyler 201665 318 Phillips Street 199966 317 Matthew Spence 201367 316 Alex Lamoreaux 201468 315 Evelyn Kopf 199568 315 Drew Weber 201170 314 Walter Shaffer 199971 313 Harold Morrin 199671 313 David McNaughton 201371 313 Ted Nichols II 201774 312 John Salvetti 201174 312 Skip Conant 201376 311 Dana Shaffer 199976 311 Don Henise 200078 309 Richard Rehrig 201678 309 Carl Garner 201780 308 Robyn Henise 200080 308 Mike Weible 200780 308 Roger Higbee 200883 307 Ernest Schiefer 200084 306 David Yeany II 201685 305 Gene Wilhelm 199286 304 Zachary Millen 2018

87 302 Sam Stull 198587 302 Edward Pederson 199887 302 Rick Koval 200490 301 Mark McConaughy 201590 301 David Hawk 201892 300 Larry Lewis 198892 300 Dave Rieger 201294 299 Keith Richards 198295 298 George Malosh 200395 298 Allen Schweinsberg 201495 298 Richard Nugent 201798 297 Allan Keith 199898 297 Jim Dunn 201498 297 Dan Richards 2017101 296 Ed Kwater 1996101 296 Bill Keim 2013101 296 Joseph Verica 2017104 295 Frank Windfelder 1998104 295 J. Kenneth Gabler 2002106 294 James Baxter 1986106 294 Terence Schiefer 1999106 294 William Reid 2001106 294 Gary Edwards 2014110 293 John Peplinski 1994111 291 Thomas Reeves 2017112 290 David Abbott 1998112 290 Chuck Tague 1999114 289 Kevin Crilley 1998115 288 Ross Gallardy 2006116 287 Dustin Welch 2011116 287 Brian Byrnes 2018118 285 Armas Hill 1996118 285 Neal Thorpe 1997120 284 James Gray 1983121 283 Kerry Grim 1998121 283 Scott Bills 2018123 282 John Billings 1998123 282 Dick Byers 2002125 278 James Baird 1981125 278 Merrill Wood 1991125 278 Gerry Boltz 2018128 277 Bonnie Baird 1981129 276 Randi Gerrish 2009

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130 274 Gloria Lamer 1992130 274 Sarah Gerrish 2009130 274 Neil Troyer 2013133 273 Katrina Knight 1999134 272 Scott Kinzey 1999134 272 Bob Machesney 2005134 272 Pamela Fisher 2009134 272 Nathan Fronk 2012138 271 James Flynn 1997139 270 Barry Reed 2010140 268 Sam Sinderson 2005140 268 Bobby Brown 2018140 268 Carol Hildebrand 2018143 267 Harry Henderson 1991143 267 Brian Quindlen 2015145 266 Joe Meloney 1994145 266 Lewis Grove 2010147 265 Marjorie Howard 2008147 265 John Carter 2017149 262 Theodore Drozdowski 2005149 262 Jeff Payne 2008151 260 Dennis Miller 1999151 260 Retta Payne 2008151 260 Martin Page 2014154 259 Linda McWilliams 1992154 259 Eugene Zielinski 2000154 259 Jeffrey Hall 2018157 258 Steve Graff 2000157 258 Jeffrey Wentz 2002159 257 Russell Ryan 1993160 256 Ted Grisez 1996161 255 Nick Kerlin 2010161 255 Flo McGuire 2014

161 255 Sandy Lockerman 2014161 255 Bruce Johnson 2018165 254 Roy Ickes 2018166 253 Scott Bastian 1999166 253 Thomas Ford-Hutch 2006166 253 Kevin Fryberger 2010169 252 Evan Houston 2017170 251 Brendyn Baptiste 2017171 250 Stanley Glowacki 2002172 247 Andy Wilson 2014173 245 Bill Reddinger 1999173 245 Robert Frantz 2000173 245 Paul Mauss 2018176 244 Harvey Troyer 1999177 243 Grant Stevenson 2012178 242 Walter Fye 1997178 242 Jerry Troyer 1999178 242 Marvin Byler 2005178 242 Gordon Dimmig 2012182 241 Anthony Ford-Hutch 2012183 240 Dale Gearhart 2000184 239 Adam Miller 2000185 237 Jerry Skinner 2007185 237 Michael Defina 2015185 237 John Flannigan 2017188 235 Glenn Czulada 2005189 234 Christopher Payne 2008190 232 Joe Strasser 1994190 232 Voni Strasser 1994192 231 Larry Brown 1998192 231 Jim Mountjoy 2000194 230 Brian Raicich 2013194 230 Karol Pasquinelli 2018196 229 Kurt Schwarz 2018

197 227 Mike Ward 2010197 227 David Trently 2013199 226 Eli Troyer 1999199 226 Stan Kotala 2001199 226 Leonard Hess 2003202 224 Arlene Brown 1998203 223 Pamela Woodman 1993203 223 Jim McVoy 2007205 222 Linda Hess 2003205 222 Joseph Greco 2008207 220 Jon Dunn 2004208 219 Ann Pettigrew 1996208 219 Daniel Snell 2000210 218 Helena Kotala 2007211 213 Richard Murphy 1999212 211 Frank Izaguirre 2013213 210 Gregg Gorton 2001213 210 Ryan Tomazin 2009213 210 Chad Hutchinson 2015216 206 Benjamin Israel 2000216 206 Dennis Weaver 2000218 205 Jeff Michaels 2005219 200 Fred Crowley 1995220 199 Candy Krenzer 1999221 197 Patrick O’Donnell 2008222 186 John Snarey 2018223 180 Thomas Mason 1999224 171 Ryan Johnson 2018225 170 Jim Ridolfi 2016226 168 Elmer Brenneman 2010227 153 Douglas Anderson 2003228 106 Rachael Shapiro 2011229 89 Michael Hartshorne 2014

PA Annual Lists 2018

269 Devich Farbotnik267 Zach Millen256 Andy Keister256 Michael Schall245 Bruce Carl239 Michael David237 Jonathan Heller

233 Al Guarente231 Bobby Brown230 Ron Leberman225 Roger Higbee225 Margaret Higbee216 Jerry McWilliams

215 Chad Kauffman208 Karol Pasquinelli202 Roy Ickes193 Carol Hildebrand192 Bruce Johnson164 Carl Garner154 Ryan Johnson

Total Ticks (Total of all County Life Lists)

10,122 John Fedak 20066,965 Deborah Grove 20186,654 Greg Grove 20185,630 Andy Keister 20185,610 Michael David 20185,603 Al Guarente 20185,271 Chad Kauffman 20185,127 Ian Gardner 20175,079 Richard Nugent 20184,909 Randy C. Miller 20164,525 Drew Weber 20114,381 Jim Dunn 20144,040 Devich Farbotnik 20183,947 Alex Lamoreaux 2014

3,709 Russ States 20153,589 Ted Nichols II 20173,549 Michael Schall 20183,548 Andy Wilson 20143,504 Nick Pulcinella 20133,475 Chuck Berthoud 20183,421 Geoff Malosh 20093,092 Brian Byrnes 20182,518 David McNaughton 20132,505 David Yeany II 20162,008 Timothy Becker 20162,005 Nathan Fronk 20121,890 Zachary Millen 2018

1,879 Richard Rehrig 20161,786 Bill Keim 20141,732 Sam Sinderson 20051,691 Brendyn Baptiste 20171,272 Joseph Verica 20141,030 Pamela Fisher 2009 989 Bobby Brown 2018 889 Thomas Reeves 2012 520 Ryan Johnson 2017 437 Michael Defina 2014 376 Chad Hutchinson 2015 257 Brian Raicich 2013 106 Rachael Shapiro 2011 105 Jim Ridolfi 2017

See the PSO website for the remaining lists.

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Conservation Chat Room

Reduce Your Carbon Footprint

Birders getaround. Ourenjoyment ofbirds pulls usoutside. Unlikearmchairtravelers,content to sit athome and readNational Geo-graphic, we hit

the road, hoping to see new species or birds that are,themselves, far out of their home range. Some of us setlofty goals, ticking off birds seen in our backyard, in eachPennsylvania county, in each of the 50 states, and in manyexotic countries. Some of us plan for the “big year” whenthe list includes not 200 species, but maybe 400! Theyear ends all too soon, and the same challenge begins: first of the year, first of the season, spring migration, fallmigration.

As we search for birds, we know that a diversity ofhabitats attracts different birds. Birding, more than anyother recreational activity that I can think of, makes usexperience – and appreciate – a wide range of habitats,from wetlands to streams to grasslands to young forests toold forests, and so many others. Sure, runners andwalkers will use those paths around a pond or wetlands, orthrough a city park, but they don’t stop to appreciate thesong of a Swamp Sparrow in the cattails or the flash of aYellow Warbler in a willow.

Many Pennsylvania birders think nothing of chasing rarebirds that show up in unexpected places, or flying toCosta Rica to see the Resplendent Quetzal, or even toAustralia to revel in a sighting of a Kookaburra. For me,the ultimate would be a trip to Papua New Guinea towatch the Birds of Paradise perform their courtshipdisplays.

Along with the many miles we rack up in our birdingadventures, we also contribute a lot of carbon dioxide intothe atmosphere. In fact, according to the EPA, 27% of USgreenhouse gas emissions (GHG) is from transportation. Transportation is the second leading source of GHGemissions in the U.S. (electricity is #1). What’s worse,GHG emissions from transportation have increased morethan any other cause. I know some birders who can afford

to drive a Prius, but most of us would rather spend ourmoney on binoculars, spotting scopes, and air fare.

Unfortunately, as we pump more carbon into theatmosphere, both bird numbers and biodiversity areplummeting. The predictions are dire. Audubon hasfound that nearly half of all North American birds areseverely threatened by global warming. Populations ofmany native bird species are severely threatened byhabitat loss and climate change.

Now for the good news:

Birders can offset their carbon footprint by planting trees. A new study released by Dr. Thomas Crowther, a memberof the Global Forest Biodiversity Institute, states thatscientists have been under-valuing the importance of treesin combating climate change. There is room for an addi-tional 1.2 trillion trees to grow in parks, woods, andabandoned areas around the world. Dr. Crowther believesthat planting trees is more effective in combating climatechange than using onshore wind power. ProjectDrawdown claims that onshore wind turbines will be thesecond best way to address global warming, second onlyto refrigeration. Drawdown ranks growing forests as onlyfifteenth place in carbon solutions, but Crowther’sresearch shows replenishing forests should be our goal.

I highly recommend reading the book, Drawdown, andexploring the website: www.drawdown.org. Drawdown isan on-going project to reverse climate change.

This spring is the perfect time to plant trees. Not only dotrees counteract climate change by storing carbon, butnative trees also reduce loss of biodiversity. More treesalso mean more birds – especially in your backyard. Greater tree biodiversity means more bird biodiversity,too. A highly simplistic example: Blackburnian Warblersnest in evergreen trees, while Wood Thrushes nest indeciduous trees. We also know that more native treesproduce more bugs for birds. A native tree providescover, housing, and food for many bird species.

If you don’t have room in your backyard to plant morenative trees, consider joining a tree planting effort nearyou. The Keystone 10 Million Trees Partnership hopes toplant 10 million trees in Pennsylvania by 2025. There isan interactive map on their website where you can see thatthe 2018 effort resulted in 24,218 trees planted in Penn-

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Blackburnian Warblers nest in evergreens, but they often feed indeciduous trees during migration.

Photo by Mike Jackson

sylania. You can also join this effort – just fill out theform and you’ll be contacted. www.tenmilliontrees.org

The amazing thing about offsetting carbon by plantingtrees are all the added benefits. We know that trees

purify the water and the air, stabilize stream banks, andreduce floods. Trees provide food, shelter, and water to ahost of wildlife, especially birds.

Dr. Doug Tallamy’s research shows that white oak treesare the #1 tree to plant for insect diversity, which meansmore food for birds. Let’s all try to plant at least one treethis spring and make the world a better place for birds

PSO Tree Conservation Challenge

Please email me if you plant any native trees this spring,and I’ll chart our efforts. Your name will be confidential,but I will compile how many trees were planted andwhere. Details on any group projects will be appreciated,too. Results will be shared in a later newsletter.

Laura Jackson Conservation Chairperson

Bedford Countyjacksonlaura73@gmail.com

PSO Annual Meeting13-15 September 2019

Williamsport Holiday Inn Express

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Pennsylvania Society for Ornithologyc/o R. V. Higbee3119 Creekside RoadIndiana, PA 15701-7934

Non-profit OrganizationU.S. POSTAGE PAIDCreekside, PA 15732

PERMIT NO. 2