Upland Sandpiper
Hutter's Farm
Mammoth-Kecksburg PA
May 25 1996
Sedge Wren
3rd Bridge
Loyalhanna Creek
Latrobe PA
June 7 1997
Both species are listed as threatened in Pennsylvania by the PA Department of Natural Resources. A threatened species may become endangered within the foreseeable future throughout their range in PA. An endangered species is in danger of extirpation throughout their range in PA.
Endangered & Threatened Species of Pennsylvania: PA Game Commission || DCNR || Fish & Boat Commission
The Westmoreland Bird & Nature Club (formerly Westmoreland County Bird Club) formed on Feb 26, 1981 to promote interest in birds and conservation and to provide field trips in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania.
The first newsletter, Vol. 1 No. 1, was for March 1981. In that newsletter five field trips were scheduled. Seven people were listed as paid members. The newsletter is published five times a year. Membership meetings are held only three times a year in September, January and April since we are primarily a field oriented organization. Thirty or more field trips are scheduled every year and these are not entirely limited to birds. When the birds do not cooperate we concentrate on botany, herps (reptiles & amphibians) and insects. Butterfly & dragonfly walks are scheduled in the summer.
Club Membership: $7 individual/family. Paid memberships currently stand at 217. All Membership Dues are due in January, unless you joined after September 1st. See Join for details.
Current officers of the club
President - Tom Pearson
Vice President - Hope King
Secretary/Treasurer - Rose Tillmann
Newsletter Editor - Dick Byers
Bird Records - Karen Jackson
Archives Scrapbook - Carol Hassenger
Website - Tim Vechter
Thursday April 16 2009
Donohoe Center Barn
7:00 P.M. Doors open at 6:00
Agenda: Election of officers. Tom Pearson has accepted the nomination for President and Hope King the nomination for Vice President. Dick Byers and Rose Tillmann are staying on as newsletter editor and secretary/treasurer respectively.
Program: Bird Adaptation by Tom Pearson. Our new club patch will be for sale - $6.00 each. There will be a raffle of a binder of poems published in the Syrinx for the past 14 years. Join us for a fun evening.
Cancellation Policy: In the event of inclement weather, please call the field trip leader in advance to confirm if the outing is on or cancelled. The leaders have the right to cancel. Please check weather reports and road conditions. If there's any question, please call the leaders for confirmation. Car pooling is a good idea. Field trips are free and open to the public.
Sat. April 11 Rock Point Nature Area, Lawrence County
This is a Botanical Soc. Of W. PA walk. Meet Joe Isaac (724-964-8770) at the Giant Eagle in the Ellwood City Plaza at 1 P.M.Directions: Take 1-79 north from Pittsburgh to Exit 83/PA528. Turn left onto PA 528 and travel a short distance to US 19. Turn right onto US 19 and travel 3 miles to Zelienople. Turn left onto New castle/PA288/PA588. Continue onto PA 288, which bears to the right outside Zelienople. Travel PA 288 about 7 miles to the Giant Eagle in the Ellwood City Plaza on the right This area was an amusement park from 1885 to 1911 completely reclaimed by forest and not open to the public for 98 years. Should be interesting.
Thurs. April 16 Club Meeting 7:00 P.M. at Donohoe Center.
Details on first page of the April - June 2009 newsletter. You can pay your dues there!
Sat. April 18 Earth Day Celebration Winnie Palmer Nature Reserve
WBNC will have a booth and a display from Noon - 4 P.M.. Drop in to see our table and the other organizations. Park at St. V's and walk over or take a shuttle bus if one is provided. Want to help at our table? Contact Rose Tillmann. Contact info on the first page of the April - June 2009 newsletter.
Wed. April 22 Earth Day Hike on Laurel Hill, Fayette County
Meet Dick Byers (724-593-2543) in the old Tasty Freeze parking lot in Normalville on Route 381 south of Donegal at 1 P.M. This will be a short scenic hike near Craneberry Glades Lake on SGL #111 along the Laurel Highlands Trail. We'll be looking for waterfowl, early wildflowers and animal sign.
On the way up we'll pass 10 windmills and a scenic overlook of Cranberry Glades Lake. You'll get to see what's in store for Pennsylvania ridges in our energy crisis.
Sat. April 25 Cedar Creek State Park for wildflowers and early migrants.
This is a leaderless walk, so bring your field guides. Meet at the last parking lot past the bike rental station at 1 P.M.
Sun. April 26 Seton Hill University for wildflowers.
Meet Paula Korber at 1:30 P.M. at Parking Lot A.
Directions: From the Toll 66 interchange follow Rt.30 east and take the Pittsburgh Street exit into Greensburg. At the 5 traffic light turn left onto bell Way. Go 1 block to the next traffic light and continue straight onto College Avenue and through the tunnel The University entrance is on the left. Follow the entrance road, Seton Hill Drive, to parking lot A, the large lot before the cemetery.
Sun. April 26 Enlow Fork Total Ecology Extravaganza
Birding begins at 8 A.M., wildflower walks commence at 10 A.M. For other events, contact Larry Helgerman at bobolink3_AT_verizon.net.
Directions: Head west on 1-70 to Exit 15 (Route 40/Chestnut St) and turn right to head east toward Washington. At the 2nd stop light, turn rt. Onto Franklin Farms Rd. and go one mile to a T intersection with PA 18. Turn right onto PA 18 and follow it 14 miles to its junction with PA 231 (East Findley Dr.), turn right and go 1.8 miles until PA 231 heads north (right) at a 3-way intersection. At this point, continue straight onto Enon Church Rd. and continue for a little over 4 miles to an intersection. At the intersection, continue straight across a bridge onto Walker Hill Rd. for 1.6 miles to a sharp turn for the gamelands (Smokey Row Rd.). Continue down Smokey Row Rd. to game land parking lots at the bottom of the hill.
Apr. 29 Sustainable Energy & Wildlife
A talk by Todd Katzner PhD at Alcoa Technical Center at 4 P.M. RSVP debdanbryant_AT_windstream.net by Apr. 24. Todd's talk will be on the co-existence of wind energy and golden eagles based on his golden eagle research. If you want an abstract of his research before coming to the meeting, contact Debbie Bryant at the email above or Dick Byers at otusasio_AT_lhtot.com
Directions: Take Route 22 East past Route 48. After the third traffic light past the Route 22 and 48 intersection, look for the "Golden Mile Highway" sign and take that exit ramp to Route 286. The exit ramp bears to the right and crosses over Route 22. Continue on Route 286 for about three miles and through several traffic lights. Route 286 will bear to the right but you will continue going straight as the road becomes Route 380. At this point the road becomes two lanes in both. Follow Route 380 and turn left on Route 780 when you see the signs. There are signs for both Route 780 and the Alcoa Technical Center. Follow Route 780 and look for the Alcoa Technical Center main gate entrance on the right. It is the only large complex you will pass. Drive up the main entrance and stop at the gate.
Sat. May 2 Murrysville Community Park
Join Karen Jackson in the MCP parking lot at 9 A.M. for a bird walk with the Friends of Murrysville Parks (FOMP). This is a new spot for the club.
Directions: From McDonald's Restaurant in Murrysville, head east on US 22 for 2.2 miles. Turn left onto Cline Hollow Road and go 1.7 miles. Turn left onto Hills Church Road. Go .4 miles and stay straight onto Weistertown Rd. The MCP parking lot is on the left in 1.1 miles.
Sun. May 3 Buttermilk Falls for wildflowers and warblers.
Meet Tim Vechter (724-537-2532) at Wal-Mart parking lot on Route 22 in Blairsville at 1 P.M. This Indiana County park was once owned by the Fred Rogers family as a summer get-a-way and has a scenic waterfall you can walk under or view from the overlook.
Mon.-Thurs. May 4-7 Magee Marsh, Ohio (Crane Creek) for warblers.
Call Karen Jackson (724-668-7421) for motel reservation information.
Sat. May 9 Pennsylvania Annual Spring Migration Count
Contact Dick Byers (724-593-3543) for a field assignment or to do a feeder watch.
Mon. May 11 Spring Migration Tally at the Old Country Buffet
Bring your tally sheets to the restaurant at 6:00 P.M.
Sun May 17 Third Bridge Wetlands for warblers and wetland plants.
Meet Tim Vechter (724-537-2532) at the wetlands parking lot at 9 A.M. Come prepared for muddy walking conditions. This is a new wetlands beyond the wetlands at the parking lot.
Directions: From Latrobe follow Route 981 out of town. About a mile past the railroad underpass (just past some townhouses called Holiday Acres) turn left onto Derbytown Road. Follow Derbytown to a T-intersection and turn right onto McFarland Rd. The wetlands are just ahead on the right Before Third Bridge. OR follow Ligonier Street out of Latrobe straight to the wetlands just before you cross Third Bridge.
Sat. May 30 Club Potluck Picnic at Catawbalea
At 10:00 A.M. Dick Byers will lead a walk on his wildlife management practices in the field and wood edges. This will be followed by the annual club picnic at noon. You can come early for the walk or skip the walk and come just for the picnic. Dick & Eileen will supply the hamburgers , buns, baked beans, coffee, and soft diet drinks. Bring anything else you want or a dish for 4-5 people. Call 724-593-3543 for directions if you don't know how to get there.
Wed-Fri. June 2, 3, 4 Red Knots and Horseshoe Crab Week at Lewes, Delaware
We will visit Slaughter Beach, Dupont Nature Center at Mispillion Reserve, Port Mahon Road, and the bay shore areas of Milford Neck. Accommodations: Beacon Motel, SHE. Savannah Rd., Lewes, DE 19958 Phone 302-645-4888. For more details, call Karen Jackson at 724-668-7421 or email her at merlegj_AT_comcast.net This is one of the shorebird spectacles of the east. Every spring, in one of the most bizarre rituals of nature, thousands of horseshoe crabs come ashore at high tide in a mass spawning, depositing millions of eggs in the sand. The beach becomes a caviar buffet for hundreds of famished migrating shorebirds. Red Knots, Ruddy Turnstones, Sanderlings, Purple and Semi-palmated Sandpipers stop to feast and acquire the fat needed to carry them to their Arctic breeding grounds. Be aware that the spectacle varies every year due to the complex interplay of horseshoe crabs, birds, tides, and weather. Peak shorebird concentration is usually sometime between May 15 and May 30.
Sat. June 6 Charles F. Lewis Natural Area
Join Jim Pemberton at The C.F. Lewis parking lot at 9:30 A.M. for our annual hike. The terrain is STEEP! This is not a hike for the weary or those with bad hips, legs or heart trouble. Wear sturdy hiking boots, loose clothing and bring a walking stick. Some of the terrain is quite treacherous.
Sat. June 6 Home Of Marcia Bonta
Meet in the Wal-Mart parking lot along Route 22 in Blairsville at 8:15 A.M. We'll carpool from there at 8:30 AM in not more than 6-7 cars to Tyrone. We'll have directions typed out for every driver. Bring Lunch! Marcia Bonta is the author of Appalachian Winter, which we reviewed at our book club meeting last January. She has also authored three other books in this seasonal series, plus Outbound Journeys in Pennsylvania, Women in the Field and the Game News column called the "Naturalists Eye." The 600-acre former farm and natural area she calls home is near Tyrone. We'll take a very slow walk the mile-and-a-half up the hollow road to her house, have lunch on the veranda and a bathroom break, and then, depending on the group, walk to the three-acre exclosure (close to the house) and other trails up to the top of First Field for a view, then head back down via Greenbrier and Ten Springs Trail to the parking lot. So, there will be at least three miles of walking and more if the group desires. Her son Dave and Marcia will do the guided walk.
Wed. June 10 Evening Vespers
Dinner is at the Darlington Inn at 5 P.M. Contact Karen Jackson (724-668-7421) to make your dinner reservations. Otherwise meet at the Spruce Flats Bog parking lot at the top of Linn Run Road at 7 P.M. to listen to the calls of veeries, hermit and wood thrushes. This is an annual event.
Pennsylvania Entomological Society Field Trip to Laurel Hill State Park
There will be leaders for butterflies and moths, wood dwelling beetles and aquatic insects. At the time of this writing a weekend has not been decided on except it will be sometime in June. We will post the date on the Club email list as soon as we get word in April. Every year the PAES has a collecting trip at one of the state parks. This will be their first in our area.
Sun. June 14 Bike the Westmoreland Heritage Trail for birds, trees and wildflowers.
Bring your own bicycle and meet at the trail parking lot 1 mile east of Slickville at 9:00 A.M.Directions: Take 819 north from the BP station on Rt. 22 at Five Points to Slickville. Once you've entered Slickville, take the first right. Drive about a mile out of town and you see the
parking lot on your right for the trail. We'll bike to Saltsburg and back, about 14 miles round trip.
Sat. June 27 Nature Walk at Todd Sanctuary
Meet Sue Miller at the Todd Sanctuary parking lot at 9 A.M. This is a lovely spot, treasured by members of the Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania who own it and keep it natural and relatively undeveloped. Deep hemlock ravines with freshwater streams, an old cabm with a bridge leading across Hesselgesser Run, large rock outcrops covered with polypody fern and a sizable pond in a meadow surrounded by deciduous woods. Watson Run has cliff overhangs where nomadic Indians took shelter 8000 years ago. Bolo stones and ancient carnpfire remains have been found under the eaves. Because of the hemlocks and deep ravines it is cool and conducive for northern warblers to nest. W.E. Clyde Todd noted these features in a small booklet put out posthumously by ASWP in 1972 entitled Birds of the Buffalo Creek Region. If you haven't seen this western Pennsylvania gem, you should go, to see the varied habitats - and listen to Sue's tales of the history of this revered place.
Directions: From Delmont, head north on Route 66. Verge north of Delmont onto Route 356W and follow it through Freeport to the intersection of Route 28. Continue straight over the overpass of this intersection and take the second right, not quite a mile, onto Monroe Road at the Sheetz. If you pass Freeport Fligh school you have gone too far. Follow Monroe Road for 1.2 miles to a fork and bear right onto Kepple Road past the Buffalo Golf course. Follow Kepple 1.8 miles. You'll see the sign for Todd sanctuary (now Todd Nature Reserve) on your right. Turn into the driveway and immediately right again into the parking lot.
Every Wednesday at 9:00 A.M April-May, a guided walk at Beechwood Farms Nature Reserve.
Please send check or money order, made out to Westmoreland Bird & Nature Club to:
Rose Tillmann
PO Box 188
New Derry PA 15671
$7 individual/family. $20 supporting membership.
Include your name and address for the mailing list. Phone number, Email address, etc., is optional.
All Membership Dues are due in January, unless you joined after September 1st.
You can print and use an online application form by Clicking here.
The PABirds email list: Birds and Birding in Pennsylvania
The list serves as a forum for birders to discuss all aspects of wild birdlife in Pennsylvania, including rare birds, bird finding, bird identification, bird behavior, backyard birding, trip reports, bird counts, and bird club information.
To subscribe (it's free) mailto:LISTSERV@LIST.AUDUBON.ORG and put "SUBSCRIBE PABIRDS YourFirstname YourLastname" (w/o the quotes) as the body of the email message. Your name is optional. Capitalization doesn't matter. Leave the subject line blank. You will receive an automated confirmation with instructions on what to do next.
To suspend delivery of incoming messages (w/o unsubscribing from the list) if you will be away from your email for a period of time use the command SET PABIRDS NOMAIL as the body of the email message and mailto:LISTSERV@LIST.AUDUBON.ORG (no subject line)
To resume delivery of incoming messages use the command SET PABIRDS MAIL as the body of the email message and mailto:LISTSERV@LIST.AUDUBON.ORG (no subject line)
To unsubscribe from the list use the command UNSUBSCRIBE PABIRDS as the body of the email message and mailto:LISTSERV@LIST.AUDUBON.ORG (no subject line)
(Note that posts to the list for all subscribers to recieve get sent to the "PABIRDS@LIST.AUDUBON.ORG" address. Commands (SET...) to the list server program to subsrcibe, unsubscribe, change your subscription options, etc. get sent to the "LISTSERV@LIST.AUDUBON.ORG" address. The addresses are not interchangeable.)
above: Harlequin Duck at Keystone State Park, Nov. 19 2008
Reported by Linda Huber & Ken Byerly
Photograph by Dick Byers
