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The
PSO Pileated
October 2010 The Newsletter of the Pennsylvania Society for
Ornithology Volume 21, Number 3
From the Presidents Desk....Birding with a Purpose Again!
Having just spent the last six years as a RegionalCoordinator
for the Second Pennsylvania Breeding BirdAtlas, I was looking
forward to a break from the birding-with-a-purpose mode. Maybe my
wife Janet and I wouldget our fishing licenses again. Or perhaps
the summerwould be free to strap the bikes onto the back of the
SUVand get back onto the rails-to-trails. Or more unlikely, Iwould
finally take the time to make the effort to get mygolf game
respectable again!
But duty was calling. Thelegendary Bob Leberman, theman who
brought bird banding toPowdermill Nature Reservealmost 50 years ago
and was thesecond Earl Poole winner, (yes Iam kissing up to make
sure I canget him to sign a first printedition of the upcoming
update tothe Birds of the Ligioner Valley),had resigned as
WestmorelandCounty compiler. Geoff Maloshhad put out feelers for
areplacement, but nobody hadstepped up. I checked withseveral
capable and logicalreplacements, but they didnt want the work.
Yikes, I amon the Board of PSO and now Im the president.
Severalissues of PA Birds had been printed, and I have
staredpainfully at the No Report for Westmoreland County. Earlier
this year I contacted Geoff to inquire about thecompilers
responsibilities, and in May I took the job.
Its not overwhelming, but it requires a bit more work thanthe
narratives that appear in the four seasonal issues of PABirds. Data
tables must also be compiled for both springand fall migration and
for the breeding season as well. For
the applicable species, first and last dates are entered onthe
migration tables. Just as the Atlas required a code, sodoes the
breeding table. I now work on the tables dailyand have really
enjoyed what it has done for my birding. Ihave never been much of a
lister, nor thought much aboutwhen the Hooded Wablers stopped
singing around thehouse. Now I am bent out of shape because I
haventobserved a Red-winged Blackbird since July 31 whatswith that?
I am now looking forward to charting thearrivals and departures
over the years ahead and beingable to make somewhat intelligent
comments in thenarrative. I now find myself with many more
questions forwhich I would love to have answers like What
happened to our Carolina Wrensthis past tough winter?
So I am more than OK withbirding with a purpose again. Ilurk the
PA list serve for reports ofWestmoreland Countyobservations,
thinking how I willneed to hit birding spots to pick upthose
missing species for the tables.So here is my plug: If your countyis
without a compiler, considertaking the job. Check the latestissue
of PA Birds and/or contactGeoff Malosh for the latest oncounties
without compilers. If yourCounty is covered and you are notsharing
your observations, then
contact your compiler and ask how you can help theeffort.
And by the way, Janet and I are back on our bikes, and Ihave
been pedaling around the outskirts of Murrysville allsummer trying
to pick up breeding species and see if theBarn Swallows are still
hanging around. But still nofishing licenses, and the golf game
still stinks.
Tom Kuehl, President Westmoreland County
This female Hooded Warbler carrying food is a confirmation
anycounty compiler can appreciate.
Photo by Bob Moul
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The RavenReporter
Tales ofDiscovery aboutPennsylvaniaBirds
Osprey Update
As has been announced in the last Raven Reporter, on PAeBird
website, and on the PGC website, we are doing afull survey of
Osprey nests this year. Of course, thenesting season is long over
for our wandering fish hawks,but we are not finished counting the
nests. So far, wehave received records for more than 70 Osprey
nestsacross the statefrom Philadelphia ports to Lake Erie. It
islooking pretty good.
If you do know of any Osprey nests, please fill out a formthat
can be found on the Game Commissions EndangeredBirds website
section. A few of you have done this, andwe appreciate it very
much. Even our PSO presidentpitched in!
A quick look through the reports is revealing. Although Itis too
early to make any real analysis, a few patterns areintriguing and
some a bit surprising. It does look likemany of the nests are
clustered around still waters, mostlyreservoirs. Some of these
still waters are dammed rivers,too. But, Ospreys, unlike Bald
Eagles, do not seem to beoccupying many locations along flowing
water. They nestin some unusual places including some in the
frameworkof bridgessome are not easy to see except by boat. Onepair
reacted to a supersized Canada Goose model on top ofa tower by
nesting right next to the fake goose. Thismight be the funniest
raptor nest we have ever seen in thestate. Thanks to Tony Piccolin
for that one! Anotherpattern that observers have noted is that some
pairsapparently move around, abandoning what looks like agood nest
site and adopting another one within sight of thefirst.
Please send any records of Osprey nests to me at theaddress
below. We are proud to announce that CathyHaffner, former colonial
water bird and Osprey projectcoordinator, has moved up in the
organization to anotherposition. So, I am finishing the great job
that she did withthis project.
New PGC Endangered and Threatened SpeciesSection
I would like to reiterate that there is a new section on thePGC
website with information about our statesendangered and threatened
bird species. These pages willhelp educators, students, birders,
naturalists, contractors,environmental planners, writers, and
interested residentslearn more about these species of greatest
conservationneed. With school recently reconvening, any
educationaloutreach on rare birds bears repeating.
The species selected for this list have been chosen becauseof
their nesting status in the state. Some of these statuseswill
surely change in the future after a full analysis of thechanges
observed in the Breeding Bird Atlas have beenstudied.
We are working to improve our web pages about birdingas
recreation and as a conservation and science-orientedactivity. We
are interested in your comments about thekinds of features we
should develop.
Bald Eagle Nesting Season Keeps Rolling
The Bald Eagle nesting season also is over, but wecontinue to
collect more information about the stateseagle nests. Even in
August we learned of two andpossibly three new nests. At least one
new nest was foundthrough our Osprey surveys. So far, we have more
than192 nesting pairs accounted for in the 2010 nestingsurvey. For
many nests, we are still seeking news of theirproductivity. It can
be a challenge to find out if a nestproduced any young once leaves
hide the entire nest fromview.
The new management plan for Bald Eagles has beendrafted and has
undergone an internal review. It should beready for public review
this winter. The scene for eaglesseems to be constantly changing,
but the theme of recentdecades is one of success. One of the main
reasons forthat success is the support and cooperation we
receivefrom the birding and conservation public.
If you have news of any eagle nests, please let us know
bycontacting me.
Loggerhead Shrikes, Anyone?
After some remarkable finds of Loggerhead Shrikesnesting in
Adams County, the nesting population of thisEndangered Pennsylvania
bird seems to have disappeared. Or has it? In the last few years,
there were reports ofLoggerhead Shrikes around old and new haunts.
Ifanyone has any news of these birds, please contact eitherDan
Brauning or me. We eagerly seek information aboutthis species which
may now be Extirpated as a breeder inthe state or, maybe not.
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Golden-winged Warbler Grave Concerns
One of the birds emerging as a really high priority
forconservation is the Golden-winged Warbler. Its nestingpopulation
during the second Atlas was about half of whatit was in the first
Atlas of the 1980s. The Golden-winged Warbler (GWWA) is an
early-successional species that requires a mosaic of features inits
habitat. It is a forest species, but a bird that reactsfavorably to
disturbances in the forest that create a mosaicof sparse trees and
shrubs with an herbaceous understoryof grasses and forbs.
Golden-wings can nest in eitheruplands or wetlands. Their
populations are decliningthroughout all of their range as
early-succession habitatsrevert to forest and as upland and wetland
habitats are lostto human development.
In Pennsylvania, various groups have been working incooperation.
The Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology hasbeen coordinating a
range-wide survey (a follow-up of theGOWAP project). The American
Bird Conservancy andIndiana University of Pennsylvania are
conducting a BestManagement Practices project in Pennsylvania
andMaryland so we can learn what works best for Golden-wings. Jeff
Larkin and Marja Bakermans are coordinatingthis project with
several technicians working in SproulState Forest and other areas.
The Game Commission iscooperating with both of these projects and
alsoconducting some of its own studies and management. There is
concern about Golden-wings losing competitivelyto its close cousin,
the Blue-winged Warbler throughgenetic introgression and perhaps
direct competition. There is an accumulation of evidence that
Golden-wingsare holding their own in areas where forest is the
dominantlandcover, generally at higher elevations in our state.
InNew York, they are doing best in forested wetlands. Wehave some
records of GWWA in Pocono wetlands, so thestory might be similar
there as in southeastern New York. The Breeding Bird Atlas data are
valuable for betterunderstanding Golden-winged Warblers in the
state. Your data are a big help! From this, our team hasestablished
a basic strategy of concentrating managementin three general areas
of the state: The Pocono northeastcounties, The Northcentral
Highlands, especially SproulState Forest, and The Berks Highlands
of sourth-centraland southwestern counties. We also have found
thatalthough Golden-wings have the reputation as a shrubspecies,
they invariably establish territories where this issome tree canopy
as well as shrub cover and perennialherb growth. So, cutting down
every tree does not workfor this shrub bird. Golden-wings have been
foundingnew populations in recently timbered areas. Atlas datashow
where some of these new hotspots are located. In the future, we
will be asking for more help from thebirding community. As the
story unfolds, we will need towork together to figure out this
puzzle.
Please submit your Bald Eagle, Osprey, and Endangered/Threatened
species observations and comments to:
Douglas A. GrossWildlife Biologist, Endangered Bird
SpecialistPennsylvania Game CommissionPA eBird and PSO Special
Areas Project106 Winters Road, Orangeville, PA 17859Phone:
570-458-4109 (or 570-458-4564)E-mail: [email protected] or
[email protected]
PSO Bird QuizHow well do you know your Pennsylvania birds?
1. You see a drab Common Loon on a local lake inJuly. Is it more
likely an adult in basic plumage or ayear-old subadult bird?
2. Youre watching a small tern perched on a sand barin late
fall, and it has a dark bar on its shoulder. Is itmore likely a
Forsters or a Common?
3. You get a good look at a spring male Yellow-rumped Warbler,
and you see that it has a whitethroat. Should you grab the camera
to document a raresighting?
4. Youre trying to decide whether an adult accipiterperched in
your backyard is a small male CoopersHawk or a large female
Sharp-shinned Hawk. Younotice that its crown and its nape are the
same color,so which species is more likely?
5. A warbler mostly hidden in the foliage has a tailthats nearly
all white below. Is it most likely aHooded, a Wilsons, or a
Canada?
Paul Hess
(See Answers on page 12.)
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Spotlight on MembersPaul Hessby Jack Solomon
[Jack Solomon has served on the PSO board of directors, is the
founder and was the first president of the Pittsburgh-based
ThreeRivers Birding Club, and has for many decades actively birded
western Pennsylvania and beyond. Editor]
Having birded with Paul Hess a great deal these pastseveral
decades, Ive long admired him for hiscompanionableness, enviable
field skills, and remarkablediversity of interests. How could I not
have?Anyonewhos birded with Paul will affirm that hes
affable,engaging, and a really good birder. That much is
obviousafter only ten minutes in the field with Paul Hess. Spendan
entire morning with him, though, and youll start torealize that
theres so much more. The man has anencyclopedic knowledge of
ornithological history, avianstatus and distribution, and current
research on birdbiology. And theres something else, something
evenmore important: Paul Hess delights in sharing hisknowledge with
others, and he does so in a manner that isalways patient, never
condescending, and forever full ofwonder.
Paul Hess received the Earl Poole Award at thePennsylvania
Society for Ornithologys annual meeting in2003 in Indiana County,
and he got it for good reason infact, a lot of good reasons. The
award, named for one ofthe states foremost ornithologists, is
presented annually tosomeone who has made outstanding contributions
toornithology in Pennsylvania. These contributions maytake various
forms research, volunteer efforts,publications, fieldwork, or any
other pursuit that has
increased our knowledge andunderstanding of the birdlife
inPennsylvania. Paul Hess is a heavyhitter with regard to every one
of thesecriteria, and then some.
Hess has also received the W. E. ClydeTodd Award, given by the
AudubonSociety of Western Pennsylvania. TheTodd Award annually
recognizes anindividual who has made an outstandingcontribution to
conservation in westernPennsylvania. As most Pennsylvaniabirders
and field ornithologists know,Todd was one of the giants
ofprofessional ornithology in westernPennsylvania and beyond.
Hessdeserved the Todd Award outright, but Inote here that there is
a particularconvergence between the lives of thetwo men. Like Todd
before him, Hesshas advanced our understanding of fieldornithology
in western Pennsylvania;
and, also like Todd, Hesss achievements are borne ofintellectual
integrity, quickness of wit, and an almostunnatural attention to
detail. Neither of them came upthrough the system, so to speak:
Hesss professionaltraining is in journalism, and Todd more or less
bypassedthe higher education establishment altogether. But both
ofthem are forces to be reckoned with in terms of
theirornithological legacies.
There are many reasons Hess has received suchprestigious awards.
He has devoted himself, energeticallyand tirelessly, to
identifying, studying, researching, anddocumenting birds, as well
as to recording, analyzing, andpublishing his results. Like the
people the awards arenamed for, he has contributed significantly
and in ascholarly fashion to our understanding of birds.Hess
entered college intending to major in the sciences atCarnegie
Mellon University, then the Carnegie Institute ofTechnology. After
just one year, however, and based onwhat he refers to as the
memorable and extremelyrewarding experience of a summer job in
journalism, heswitched from science to journalism. While
retainingconsiderably more than a passing interest in math
andscience, Hess fell in love with journalism and enjoyed along and
successful career in the newspaper business. Hestarted out in 1962
as a reporter with the Valley News
Paul Hess, center, leads a field trip to Harrison Hills, one of
his favorite birding locales.Photo by Tom Moller
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Dispatch, a community newspaper in New Kensington,Pennsylvania.
Then he received promotions tosuccessively more responsibility as
City Editor, ManagingEditor, and eventually Executive Editor of the
Dispatch.In 1987, Hess became Editor of the Niagara Gazette,
anewspaper serving Niagara Falls and the Buffalo, NewYork,
region.
Hesss records of birds observed at Harrison Hills Park
inAllegheny County, near his Natrona Heights home, goback
continuously to 1970. For many years, his biannualoutings to
Harrison Hills were eagerly looked forward toby birders all across
the Pittsburgh region. Away from hisbeloved Harrison Hills, Hess
has birded pretty much all ofwestern Pennsylvania and indeed a fair
bit of NorthAmerica. He loves citizen science projects, and he is
aregular participant in such efforts as the Christmas BirdCount,
Breeding Bird Survey, Pennsylvania Breeding BirdAtlas, and many
more. Hess enjoys all forms of birding from working his local patch
most weekends to pelagicbirding off the Southeast coast (usually
multiple trips peryear). He delights in observing and understanding
birdbehavior, bird population changes, and the identificationof
subspecies.
Yes, Paul Hess is a great birder. But where hedistinguishes
himself as more than just a good birder isthat he also publishes
numerous, reasoned, well-written,thoroughly researched essays,
using his own data as wellas material from the scientific
literature. By parlaying abroad knowledge of science with
exceptional skills andexperience as a writer and editor, he
contributes to ourunderstanding of bird identification,
distribution, andecology far beyond that of the ordinary citizen
scientist.Hess has always exemplified what I think PSO is allabout:
Birding is fun, its fun to do it with others, and itsimportant to
read and write about it. Maybe we cant all belike Paul Hess, but we
can take inspiration from hisdemonstration that, with record
keeping and a lot of study,one can make important contributions to
theunderstanding of birds.
Here is just a partial list of Paul Hesss accomplishments:
News and Notes editor and writer for Birding,the premier
magazine of the American BirdingAssociation (ABA), a job that
requires him toscour the scientific literature for the latest,
mostnoteworthy publications and translate theinformation into
laymens terms.
Author of the National Geographic SocietysField Guide to
Pennsylvania Birds, a generalreference for beginners.
Regional contributor to North American Birds, theABAs quarterly
journal of ornithological record.
Coeditor of the Smithsonian Field Guide to theBirds of North
America, published byHarperCollins and written by one of
Hesssprotgs, Ted Floyd.
Contributing author of several family and speciesaccounts in the
National Geographic SocietysComplete Birds of North America.
Author of 17 articles in Pennsylvania Birds, ourjournal more
than any other individual. Inaddition, Hess authors the bird quiz
and theOrnithological Literature Notes column for thePSO Pileated
on a regular basis.
Former chairman of the Pennsylvania Ornitho-logical Records
Committee and a regionalcoordinator for the first Pennsylvania
BreedingBird Atlas.
Former compiler of Butler County and AlleghenyCounty bird
reports for Pennsylvania Birds.
Former chief editor, and then bird reports editor,of the Audubon
Society of WesternPennsylvanias newsletter, The Bulletin, in the
late1970s and into the mid-1980s.
Contributing author for Birding in WesternPennsylvania (1996),
published by the AudubonSociety of Western Pennsylvania.
Creator of annotated checklists of the birds ofButler County and
for Allegheny CountysHarrison Hills Park.
Editor of The Peregrine, the newsletter of theThree Rivers
Birding Club, from its inception in2001 to the present.
Paul Hess is widely read all across the U.S. and Canada,he edits
local and national books and periodicals, and he isregarded as one
of the most capable, helpful, and friendlypeople around. As I
finish, Ill add two things aspostscripts: a few comments from some
other people and avery long list (as complete as I can compile, but
Im sure Imissed a few things) of Hesss accomplishments. Thelength
and quality of the list is the message. He has madea huge
contribution to birding and ornithologyHeres what a few well known
people say:
*Ted Floyd, editor of Birding magazine, and author of,among many
other things, the Smithsonian Field Guide tothe Birds of North
America notes:
Paul Hess's News and Notes column in Birdingmagazine regularly
receives the highest praise fromour readers. Some of the top
birders and fieldornithologists in North America say that News
andNotes is simply the best. I mean, the absolute best the best
writing, in any magazine or any venue,for a general audience about
modern ornithologicalresearch.
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Hess is a delight to work with. His subject matter isoften
sophisticated, but his submissions (4 per issueof Birding magazine,
24 per year) are always clean,timely, and highly interesting. The
technicalreviewers and other editors at Birding magazineroutinely
convey to me their gratitude for Hess'sprofessionalism, intellect,
and overall excellence.I note that Hess's contributions to the
AmericanBirding Association go beyond his work for Birdingmagazine.
He has generously served as a judge inthe ABA's Young Birder of the
Year Contest; hecarefully edited the ABA's beginner birding
booklet(Let's Go Birding!), and he is a go-to man forquestions of
style, usage, and formatting at Birdingmagazine and beyond.
*Nick Pulcinella: Fellow of the Delaware ValleyOrnithological
Club 1999; Witmer Stone Award 1997;Julian K. Potter Award; and 2009
Poole Award recipientadds:
I had the pleasure of working with Paul Hess forseveral years on
the Pennsylvania OrnithologicalRecords Committee (PORC). Paul was
diligent intrying to make the PORC process more user-friendly to
observers submitting reports. UnderPauls unique leadership, PORC
improved itsefforts to connect with the general PA birdingcommunity
by developing a program that waspresented to various bird clubs
throughout the state,explaining how PORC assesses and
reachesdecisions and a post-card program to keep thosewho submitted
reports abreast of the committeeswork.
Paul also stressed the importance to committeemembers in
maintaining and improving thestandards and framework in which the
committeefunctioned. These ideas and processes that Paulestablished
improved relations between PORC andthe birding community, which
continues to reapbenefits today. I've always admired his ability
tosee through complex issues and break them downinto workable
issues.
Jerry McWilliams, who conducts and analyzes theWaterbird Count
at Presque Isle State Park and theShorebird Survey at Gull Point
received PSOs Earl Poole Award this year. An author and extremely
highlyregarded birder, Jerry comments:
I have never met a kinder and more knowledgeablebirder in all of
my 45 or so years of birding. Paul isespecially skilled in
educating not only adults, butyoung birders, about birds and bird
behavior. Ialways enjoy birding with Paul when he comes toPresque
Isle and never fail to learn something about
birds that I didn't know before. I always lookforward to reading
his News and Notes in Birdingmagazine.
*Bill Pranty who serves as the ABA Checklist Committeechair and
is a Birding technical reviewer and one of themost respected and
most productive regional fieldornithologists of our time, is also
the author of Birds ofFlorida He states:
Although it was not until the late 1990s that Ifinally met Paul
Hess, his name was familiar to mesince 1976, when we occasionally
chatted over thetelephone. I was a 14-year-old beginning
birderliving in Penn Hills, reading about birds in thePittsburgh
region that I could not see because I wastoo young to drive (I
absolutely anguished over notbeing able to see the Lesser
White-fronted Goose atNorth Park). Paul was one of two patient
expertswho improved my birding skills.
Today, I am unceasingly impressed by Paul'sencyclopedic
knowledge of bird distribution,behavior, and taxonomy, as well as
his ability tosuccinctly explain the at-times
complicatedornithological terminology, using language that
allbirders can understand. Paul must read a library'sworth of
material every month to present such awide-ranging summary of field
and laboratoryornithology in his "News and Notes" column that isone
of the highlights of each issue of Birding.
*Geoff Malosh, the editor of Pennsylvania Birds, aphysicist, and
one of the most knowledgeable andscientifically capable birders in
Pennsylvania writes:
Paul has described himself to me as a ridiculousfanatic about
extensive research which is hismodest way of admitting that he is
among the mostwell-read and knowledgeable amateurornithologists out
there. The depth of hisknowledge, and the extensive research he
does, is atremendously important factor in our currentunderstanding
of the recent and historicaldistribution of Pennsylvania avifauna.
As a readerof Pennsylvania Birds since the publication ofVolume 1,
Number 1, back in 1987, I cant evenbegin to guess the number of
articles that have citedPaul in the acknowledgments over the years,
andfor good reason: authors are aware that he is indispensible when
it comes to peer review onmatters of identification, distribution,
history, andcurrent ideas and theory in ornithology.
Now as editor of Pennsylvania Birds, I can sayfrom personal
experience how invaluable Paulsadvice and coaching have been as I
found my way
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in this role, both as a willing anonymous technicalreviewer any
time I needed him, and as aprofessional journalist and editor
willing to help. I never asked a question of him that has
goneunanswered or sought advice that I ended uprejecting. In other
words, my tenure as editor wouldhave been much more rocky and
mistake-riddled sofar, without Pauls insight and willingness to
sharehis experience and expertise. I, and indeed anyoneinterested
in Pennsylvania birds, have much tothank Paul for.
*Jon Dunn, one of the primary experts on fieldidentification in
North America, professional bird tourleader, and prolific author,
writes:
I know Paul primarily through his participation on afew Wings
tours to California and his attendance ata few ABA Conferences,
most recently in Minot,North Dakota. Paul is one of those ideal
participantswho really gets involved in what he's studying. Notonly
is he enthusiastic, but he looks carefully andasks lots of
questions about identification, aboutbehavior, about distribution,
and whether there areany taxonomic issues involved. And he
always
enjoys what he sees rather than worry about whatwas missed, or
what might be missed.
Through these events we became friends, andduring that time I
reviewed his column for Birdingmagazine. I always look forward to
receiving Paul'sdrafts, and I always learn something from
them,usually a great deal. And Paul is always receptive tochanging
parts, if needed, and if nothing else, wehave a great conversation
on the subjects he'swriting about. He's a true intellectual and
whatmatters most is his getting it right! His column is inmy view
the most important feature of Birdingmagazine these days.
In addition to all of the above, Paul doesn't takehimself that
seriously and has a wicked sense ofhumor. In short he's a terrific
companion, whetherin the field or discussing the intricacies of
ataxonomic problem. I'm greatly honored to be hisfriend.
For a complete listing of Paul Hesss publications, check
ourwebsite, http://pabirds.org, for the link.
Wing-Tagged VulturesThis spring and summer staff and interns at
HawkMountain Sanctuary, Kempton, PA, have been colormarking Turkey
and Black Vultures to learn more abouttheir local and long-distance
movements. Turkey Vulturesare marked with light blue wing tags and
Black Vultureshave been marked with yellow tags. Each tag has a 2-
or3-digit number on it. We need your help spotting andreporting
these birds. Please report all sightings of wing-tagged vultures
with the following information: the wingthat is tagged (right or
left), number (if possible), location,time of day, date, whether
the bird was perched or flying,and whether it was alone or with
other vultures (notenumber). Please send all reports to
[email protected].
Thanks for all your help!
David BarberResearch BiologistHawk Mountain Sanctuary
10/10/10Is that an easy date to remember? We hope it is as its
thisyears date for the Big Sit which is always the secondSunday in
October. Hosted by Birdwatchers Digest, itwas founded in
Connecticut by the New Haven Bird Club. The object is to tally as
many species as possible from onespot.
So grab a chair and select your 17-foot-diameter circle. Have a
picnic or a barbecue. The count begins at 12:00a.m. midnight and
ends 24 hours later. Groups of peoplecan come and go. Big Sit
participants can work in shifts.No one person needs to be there for
the whole Big Sit!The area can be left and returned to frequently,
but theexact 17-foot diameter circle must be used for countingbirds
each time.
For more information check the website at:
Did You Know?Woodpeckers have extremely long tongues relative to
their size. Their tongues can be extended far beyond the tips
oftheir bills and are capable of moving laterally. They have
elongated hyoid horns which support their extremely longtongues.
The Hairy Woodpeckers tongue is so long that it is wrapped up
around its right eye.
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Ornithological Literature NotesStudy after study has
demonstrated catastrophic damageto Eastern Hemlock forests by the
hemlock woollyadelgid, and research is increasingly showing
gravethreats to the forests birds.
Potential danger was predicted for populations of theAcadian
Flycatcher, Blue-headed Vireo, Black-throatedGreen Warbler, and
Blackburnian Warbler in a 2004study of the Delaware Water Gap
National RecreationArea in northeastern Pennsylvania and
northwesternNew Jersey (Natural Areas Journal 24:307-315). RobertM.
Ross, a former PSO president, and coauthors Lori A.Redell, Randy M.
Bennett, and John A. Young reportedthat those species have a high
affinity for hemlockforests and have greater numbers of territories
inhemlock than in hardwood sites.
Unchecked expansion of the exotic adelgid andsubsequent hemlock
decline could negatively impact3,600 pairs from the park and
several million pairs fromnortheastern United States hemlock
forests due toelimination of preferred habitat, the authors
said.
A study published in 2009 supports that assessment forthe
Acadian Flycatcher in heavily infested areas (Auk126:543-553).
Michael C. Allen, James Sheehan Jr.,Terry L. Master, and Robert S.
Mulvihill analyzed theflycatchers abundance at 11 sites in and
around theDelaware Water Gap and the Powdermill NatureReserve in
Westmoreland County.
Their findings were particularly worrisome atnortheastern sites
where the adelgid had been active for along time. As defoliation
increased, the density ofAcadian Flycatcher breeding pairs
decreased. At themost heavily infested sites, the pair density
wasapproximately 70 percent lower than at uninfested sites.
By contrast, infestation at Powdermill began recentlyand the
habitat was not yet affected so severely. At thesouthwestern
Pennsylvania sites, pair densities werecomparable to those in
relatively less-infested portionsof the Delaware Water Gap.
Interestingly, nest survival rates were not significantlyrelated
to degrees of defoliation, but the authorscommented that even if
nesting success is not directlyimpaired, the flycatchers population
may decrease andits range may contract as the species preferred
hemlockhabitat disappears.
The mechanism of decline appears to be habitatavoidance in
response to defoliation, whether because ofa lack of nest sites, a
lack of insect prey, or some otherfactor. This warrants further
study, and it may berelevant to other bird species or other forest
pathogens,Allen and his coauthors said.
Paul Hess [email protected]
T-Shirt Art Wanted
The Pennsylvania Society for Ornithology (PSO) islooking for
colorful bird art for its t-shirts.
I am sure most of you have seen t-shirts from other birdclubs,
nature centers, etc. with colorful, accuratepaintings of birds
representative of the location. Wewould like to follow suit.
The current PSO t-shirts have the PSO logo on them. Wewould like
to produce another t-shirt with paintings ofnative Pennsylvania
species.
The painting or drawing may be something newlycreated by the
artist or artwork that he or she has alreadyfinished. We would just
need permission to use one oftheir existing pieces.
We cannot pay for the art but will include the artistssignature
on the graphic on the t-shirt and acknowledgethe artist in our
advertisements for the t-shirts.
The PSO Board of Directors will review any artworksubmitted and
select the ones that will be used.
The bird(s) depicted should be native to Pennsylvania,preferably
breeding species. Accurate depictions arepreferred, but modernistic
impressions will also beconsidered. The art will be judged on its
accuracy andaesthetic appearance.
Please send a digital photo or scan of any artwork youwould like
us to consider to Frank Haas [email protected].
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Dr. Kenneth C. Parkes Honored Posthumouslyby Paul Hess
In the two-century-old footsteps ofWilliam Bartram, Thomas Say,
andAlexander Wilson, another eminentPennsylvania ornithologist has
beenhonored with his name on an aviangenus. He is Kenneth C.
Parkes, latecurator of birds at Carnegie Museumof Natural History
in Pittsburgh, andthe new genus is Parkesia (PARKS-ee-uh) for the
two waterthrushes.
Dr. Parkes had long believed that theNorthern Waterthrush and
LouisianaWaterthrush warranted a genusseparate from the Ovenbird
for anumber of reasons. The waterthrushes notonly differ
conspicuously from theOvenbird in structure, behavior,locomotion,
and vocalizations, but alsoare evolutionarily distinct from
theOvenbird in juvenal plumage and howlong they retain it.
This year, the official gatekeeper of ourtaxonomy the North
AmericanClassification Committee of AmericanOrnithologists Union
(the check-listcommittee) agreed. The committeekept the Ovenbird in
the genus Seiurusand created Parkesia for thewaterthrushes.
The change resulted from arecommendation by George Sangster,
aPh.D. student in the MolecularSystematics Laboratory at the
SwedishMuseum of Natural History in Stockholm. He emphasizedan even
more conclusive, distinction: Several geneticanalyses have
demonstrated that the waterthrushes differsignificantly from the
Ovenbird in mitochondrial DNA. Infact, in terms of evolutionary
divergence, the Ovenbird isonly distantly related to the
waterthrushes.
Sangsters recommendation was published in 2008 in aprominent
scientific journal, the Bulletin of the BritishOrnithologists Club
(128:212215). He concluded thepaper, It is a great pleasure to name
this taxon for the lateKenneth C. Parkes, former curator at the
Carnegie Museumof Natural History, Pittsburgh, to honor his
lastingcontributions to avian taxonomy, molt
terminology,hybridization and faunistics.
In an e-mail note to me, Sangsterdescribed his reasons in more
detailfor PSO members:
I never had the privilege of meetingor even corresponding with
KenParkes, but it is hard to overlook hisenormous influence on
ornithology.He was one of those rare globaltaxonomists: He seemed
to be asfamiliar with Asian, Australian, andAfrican birds as with
those fromNorth and South America. In fact,he has described new
subspecies(more than 100 in total) from all
continents except Antarctica. I doubtthat this accomplishment
will ever bematched by any living or futureornithologist.
For me, it seemed only logical toattach his name to a genus
ofparulids, given his many importantcontributions to our
understanding ofthis group, which span a period of noless than 50
years. It will be a realpleasure to see the name Parkesiaprinted in
future field guides andother popular ornithological works,so that
many years from todaybirders will still ask who Ken Parkeswas.
Then, Sangster added a very poignantcomment: After my manuscript
wascompleted in late July 2007, I had
hoped to inform Dr. Parkes about my intention of naming agenus
after him. It was when I looked on the Internet for acontacting
address that I found out that he had passed awayonly a week
before.
Bob Mulvihill, a close associate of Dr. Parkes at theCarnegie
Museums Powdermill Avian Research Center,discussed Kens opinion in
Powdermills online bandingreport in June 2004. Bob noted that Jon
Dunn and KimballGarrett cited Kens view in their authoritative
Field Guideto Warblers of North America.
Bob has his own personal enthusiasm for the taxonomicdecision:
It means that I have spent much of myprofessional career studying a
species that is now named
(continued on page 10 )
The Louisiana Waterthrush, now Parkesia motacilla, is oneof two
species in the new genus Parkesia.
Photo by Bob Moul
The other species named in honor of Dr. Parkes is theNorthern
Waterthrush, Parkesia noveboracensis
Photo by Bobby Greene
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Margaret Buckwalter 1920 2010
Margaret Buckwalter, one of the founding members ofthe
Pennsylvania Society for Ornithology, passed awayon Wednesday,
August 25.
Margaret was among the group of people who saw theneed for an
Audubon chapter in Clarion County andhelped organize the Seneca
Rocks Audubon Society inthe early 1980s. She served on the Board
for most of theyears that Senaca Rocks has been in existence and at
onetime or another held each officer post president,
vice-president, secretary, and treasurer besides working ona
variety of committees.
For years she led the Birdathon for Seneca Rocks andachieved
first place in the Regional and Statecompetitions from 1988 through
1999. In 1998 sheattended the National Audubon Convention and, in
herwords, was totally surprised when SRAS won secondplace
nationally for chapters with fewer than 300members. Seneca Rocks
won again in 2002. Margaretenjoyed the competition for most species
seen, mostmoney raised, and most sponsors signed on. The
highesttotal amount pledged was in 2003 when $5220 wasraised, the
last year that she led the Birdathon.
Margaret and Walter Fye led the Christmas Bird Countfrom 1987
through the mid 2000s. She was diligent inreporting the results and
became adept at sending thereports electronically.
She was an enthusiastic participant in field trips and
indeveloping an interest in birding in others, especially
theelementary school students to whom she talked aboutbirds.
Margaret was one of a group who worked for
many years to establish State Game Lands 330 (PineyTract), and
she was proud of this achievement. TheBeaver Creek project was also
on which she participatedand enjoyed. Margaret led many field trips
to CookForest State Park, gathering and entering data for
thecreation of the Bird checklist for the park.
Margaret served as a coordinator for the first PABreeding Bird
Atlas, and also as the Clarion Countycompiler for Pennsylvania
Birds until a few years ago.In 2005, Margaret was presented with
PSOs Earl PooleAward for her contributions to ornithology
andconservation.
SRAS members always looked forward to the slides thatMargaret
shared at the annual Members Night. She wasan award winning
photographer and often hadexceptional photos which everyone
enjoyed.
Browsing through over two decades of issues of TheDrummer, the
publication of Seneca Rocks Aububon, Ifound articles that she has
written in almost every issue. In addition to articles about the
CBC and Birdathonthere are those on field trips, both Breeding Bird
Atlascounts, and bird sightings and identification. Margarethas
also contributed to Seneca Rocks website.
Margarets numerous talents and contributions to SenecaRocks
Audubon Society and to the Pennsylvania Societyfor Ornithology will
be difficult to replicate. We willkeep her memory alive through
conservation andeducation projects.
Janice Horn
Kenneth C. Parkes HonoredPosthumously (continued from page
9)
in honor of a man who has strongly influenced myprofessional
career. I like the serendipity of that i.e., theLouisiana
Waterthrush is my favorite bird, and Ken is myfavorite
ornithologist!
So, Pennsylvania now has four genera in its
ornithologicallegacy: Bartramia for the Upland Sandpiper; Sayornis
forthe Black Phoebe, Eastern Phoebe, and Says Phoebe; Wilsonia for
the Hooded Warbler, Wilsons Warbler, andCanada Warbler; and
Parkesia for the Northern Waterthrushand Louisiana Waterthrush.
PSO Annual Meeting 2011Next years PSO meeting falls a little
later than usualalthough it is still the third complete weekend in
May.Some confusion has arisen since May 1 falls on aSunday. The
second Saturday of May, May 14, 2011,will be the Pennsylvania
Migration Count.
Our meeting will be held Friday, May 20, throughSunday, May 22,
at the Quality Inn in Bedford.
Details will be forthcoming in future newsletters. Mark your
calendars now. We hope to see you inBedford!
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PBBA Reminiscing by John Fedak
Now that atlasing has concluded and enough time haspassed to
gather my breath, I have been thinking about theintriguing and
unusual things that happened to me duringthe 2 PA Breeding Bird
Atlas. I birded much of the state,nd
but I concentrated on Region 32. As I think back, some ofwhat I
did now seems obsessive. Maybe it was, but it wasfun! In the next
few newsletters, I hope to show you thatwithout boring you. I want
to give you some ideas of howit felt so that in another 15 years,
you can experience it foryourselves, or for some of you, again!
For example, I had the uncontrollable compulsion to try tofind
certain species of bird in each block in the region. Forsome, like
Black-capped Chickadees and ChippingSparrows, that really was not a
problem as they were easyto find. American Robins seemed a given.
But I wasobsessed with finding a Common Raven in every block ofthe
region. I almost succeeded, but I missed raven in onlya few blocks;
but to make matters worse, I have seen themin those blocks since
the Atlas has ended!
The same holds true for Winter Wren and AmericanWoodcock partial
coverage. I remember dreaming oflight green, dark green, and black
during the atlas. Ialmost hated the color white. To me white
meanssurrender, which during the atlas was the same as
failure,failing to find what I knew should be there.
One of my obvious successes when looking at the speciesmaps was
Northern Saw-whet Owl. I have to confess, Iwanted complete
coverage; but in reality, I really was notobsessed by it. The
Northern Saw-whet Owl coverage wasa form of serendipity. My
children were at the age thatrequired both parents attention. I did
not want my lovingwife to feel that I was shortchanging her. So, I
tried mybest to fulfill my duties as a dad and to fulfill my duties
asthe regional coordinator as well. That meant I had to birdduring
my free time when the rest of the family wassleeping. I would start
at dusk, sometimes hearing woodcock, mosttimes not. I would play
the audio for saw-whets first. Iwould estimate that birds responded
about 50 percent ofthe time. Then I would move up the owl scale to
screech,barred, and great-horned. Sometimes I recorded all four
atthe same spot, and sometimes I even recorded some ofthem at the
same time!
I spent a lot of time out at night alone. Sometimes, I gotmore
than birds to come in. Once, I was chased by amother raccoon. I
heard lots of deer, lots of coyotes, andeven foxes came onto the
road.
My worst scare came in the form of a black bear, a verylarge,
noisy, and persistent black bear. It took my gettinginto the car
quickly, turning on the headlights, andblowing the horn repeatedly
to get it to leave. There was afull moon and I was in the middle of
the AlleghenyNational Forest. And, as much of a nature lover that I
am,I remember that adrenalin kept me awake the rest of
thenight.
Of course, there were plenty of times I was not alone. Ihappily
showed a non-birding friend his first saw-whet asit swooped down
and over his head. My son and wifeaccompanied me once and we found
these little owls atmost of the stops. I went out with a WCO on
State GameLands that would have been impossible to access
withouthis help and his truck!
But it was not an obsession it was being practical. Ofcourse,
when you look at the maps, you probably won'tbelieve it was not an
obsession. Region 32 is very, verygreen. The regions around 32
could be as well if theircoordinators had small children and could
only bird atnight for most of a few seasons! So, it really
wasserendipity.
PSO Members Publish Birds of Central PennsylvaniaMembers Nick
Bolgiano and Greg Grove, two of our topbirders and field
ornithologists, have published a book thathas revised and expanded
Merrill Woods book by thesame title, which was first published in
1958 and lastupdated in 1983. It covers a 25-mile radius circle
aroundPenn State University. The original book containedspecies
accounts with abundance, seasonal occurrence,and habitat
information; but Nick and Greg have expandedupon this adding
chapters on the bird study and ecology ofnumerous locations. They
have also updated andexpanded the species accounts and added bar
graphs ofoccurrence and abundance.
Of special note are chapters on hawk watching, theGolden Eagle
migration, and Christmas bird counts. Otherchapters cover the
various birding sites, complete with thehistory and landscape, bird
studies on the site, anddirections for each in a box entitled If
You Go.
To purchase this worthwhile book, contact Nick
[email protected]. Cost is $20, including tax,plus $3.50
for shipping for PA residents.
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Answers to Bird Quiz (page 3)
1. Year-old loons frequently spend the summer southof the
breeding range.
2. Common Tern
3. No, because its our usual Myrtle subspecies, notthe
yellow-throated Audubons. You could study itsface to find out
whether its an interesting Myrtle xAudubons hybridbut who wants to
spend timewith a white-throated yellow-rump when an Orange-crowned
Warbler might be just up the trail?
4. Sharp-shinned Hawk
5. Hooded Warbler
PSO NewsletterThis newsletter is published four times a year by
the PennsylvaniaSociety for Ornithology. To renew your membership,
send yourcheck made payable to PSO to:
Membership Categories: PSO2469 Hammertown RoadNarvon, PA
17555-9730
Individual $ 28.50Family $ 32.50Sustaining $ 42.50
PSO Officers and Directors
Tom Kuehl President [email protected] Fedak Vice President
[email protected] Higbee Secretary
[email protected] Haas Treasurer [email protected]
Geoff Malosh PSO Editor [email protected] Margaret Higbee
Newsletter Editor [email protected] Arlene Koch Past
President [email protected] Blye [email protected] Deuane
Hoffman [email protected] Hunter [email protected]
Koury [email protected] Lockerman [email protected] Mark
McConaughy [email protected] Carmen Santasania
[email protected] Linda Wagner [email protected]
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Pennsylvania Society for Ornithologyc/o R. V. Higbee3119
Creekside Road Indiana, PA 15701-7934
ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED
Non-profit OrganizationU.S. POSTAGE PAIDCreekside, PA 15732
PERMIT NO. 2
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