A John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge Snapshot

Driving Directions: From Interstate 95 South, take Exit 14, Bartram Avenue. Turn right at the fifth traffic light onto 84th Street. At the second light, turn left onto Lindbergh Boulevard. The refuge entrance is one block on the right. From Interstate 95 North, take Exit 10. Turn left at first light onto Bartram Avenue. Turn left at the fifth traffic light onto 84th Street. At the second light, turn left onto Lindbergh Boulevard. The refuge entrance is one block on the right.

Viewing Directions: The best chance to view eagles on or near the nest is to walk the impound-ment loop trail counterclockwise, with the impoundment on your left. The nest is easily viewed looking across the impoundment from the dike road halfway between the observation platform and the cross-dike road.

Property Hours: Sunrise to sunset.

Best Eagle Viewing Season: Spring, summer into fall and winter when there is no ice.

Activities at the site: Fishing, birding, hiking, canoeing and bicycling (on service roads only).

Other Wildlife: Waterfowl, songbirds, shorebirds, rails and other marsh birds, hawks, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and state-endangered species.

Where to go, what to look for

Near the heart of Philadelphia, with the contrasting city skyline as a backdrop, wildlife flourishes in and around the 1,200-acre John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge. This haven protects a 200-acre tidal marsh, the largest freshwater tidal marsh remaining in the Commonwealth. It is a remnant of the 6,000-acre marsh that existed when the Lenape people named the area Tinicum, meaning Islands of the Marsh, more than five centuries ago.

This National Wildlife Refuge is on Audubon's Important Bird AreaOpens In A New Window list for Pennsylvania. Its varied wetland habitats serve as a vital feeding and resting stopover for birds migrating along the Atlantic Flyway. For migrating waterfowl, shorebirds, songbirds and birds of prey, the refuge provides an oasis of food and shelter in the midst of a vast urban area. More than 300 different species of birds have been recorded on the refuge throughout the seasons. It is a natural stopover for birds migrating along the Delaware or Schuylkill rivers.

The bald eagle is one of 85 species recorded nesting on the refuge. Cradled above the forked branches of a deciduous tree, the eagle nest sits at the lower end of the 145-acre man-made water impoundment. The massive stick nest is visible from a trail encircling the impoundment about 1.5 miles from the education center. During nesting season, temporary signs mark the informal nest-viewing spot along the trail. Shrub and tree branches have been clipped back at the trail site for better viewing.

As early as mid-January, the eagle pair begins adding sticks to the nest, part of a courtship ritual, and may be seen regularly over the open water or perched on selected branches along the shore. Bald eagles frequent a perch on a regular basis, usually a branch or snag with a good vantage point or overlooking a prolific fishing spot. Eagle activity around the nest continues through spring and early summer and there is a chance of seeing a growing eaglet on the nest or a fledgling as it learns to fly and hunt on its own. A spotting scope or binoculars provide the best opportunity for watching eagles, especially when the trees fully leaf out in May. Visitors must stay on the trail to view the eagle nest./p>

In addition to the refuge's breeding pair of eagles, a pair of bald eagles nesting in nearby New Jersey hunt at the water impoundment and along Darby Creek. Late summer and fall bring several migrating bald eagles to the refuge as well. Fewer eagles pass through in spring.

A pair of ospreys nest outside of the refuge, but show up often to fish during summer. Peregrine falcons, red-shouldered hawks and Cooper's hawks hunt here as well, taking advantage of the abundant prey found throughout the wetland complex. The same open water useful to the eagles also attracts gulls and terns to the refuge.

Two boardwalks cross marshy portions of the impoundment trail and wildlife observation areas are at key places along the trail. These include observation blinds and a large viewing platform, which enhances wildlife-watching at the impoundment. It is common to see great blue herons, great egrets, black-crowned night-herons, American black ducks, northern pintails, northern shovelers and green-winged teal around the edges of the impoundment. During migration, thousands of northern pintails, mallards, and green-winged teal stop at the refuge to feed and rest. Other flocks of waterfowl such as buffleheads, hooded and common mergansers, ring-necked ducks, ruddy ducks, pied-billed grebes and American coots stopover as well. Wood duck boxes throughout the refuge enhance nesting for this commonly seen duck.

The tidal marshes between Darby Creek and the impoundment and mud flats interspersed throughout the wetlands are vital feeding grounds to many migrating shore-birds. As many as 10,000 semipalmated and least sandpipers and several hundred greater and lesser yellowlegs have been documented during fall migration. Pectoral and stilt sandpipers, dunlins and dowitchers also frequent the refuge during migration.

Marsh wrens nest in the thick, shrubby marshes as do swamp sparrows and the state endangered least bittern. These secretive birds may be heard more than seen.

The old fields and moist woodlands on the east side of the impoundment, hold great opportunities to see warblers and songbirds. As an oasis of green and blue in the urban landscape, the refuge attracts many migrating birds passing through the Mid-Atlantic region. Yellow-rumped, black-throated blue, magnolia, Canada and yellow warblers, as well as ovenbirds and American redstarts, can be seen during spring migration. In all, 35 warbler species have been recorded on the refuge. Other songbirds include Baltimore and orchard orioles, gray catbirds, cedar waxwings, scarlet tanagers, indigo buntings, and Swainson's and wood thrushes. Flycatchers are attracted to this wetland and woods with willow flycatchers and eastern kingbirds being the most prominent. Of course, you can expect red-winged blackbirds to be a dominant presence in marshy areas, but birders also should be on the lookout for rusty blackbirds in the various islands of wetland and riverine habitat in south Philadelphia. These blackbirds are a declining wetland songbird that stops over in Pennsylvania on its way back and forth to its northern breeding home in the boreal forests. Be sure to look for the "lurkers" in the marshy and brushy vegetation. Carolina and house wrens are found here, as well as many species of sparrows, including white-throated sparrows.

Visitors to the wildlife refuge should take advantage of the many learning opportunities along the trails and at the Visitor's Center. John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge is surely a gem nestled in an urban environment. In addition to the many birds, there is a special emphasis at this refuge to teach the public about reptiles and amphibians of the woods and wetlands. They all connect to the habitat that bald eagles need. There are many opportunities for urbanites to connect to nature and learn more about wildlife here.

For additional information, contact:

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum, 8601 Lindbergh Blvd., Philadelphia, PA 19153. Telephone: 215-365-3118.

A Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area Snapshot

Facilities: Visitors Center, restrooms, exhibits, picnic areas.

Driving Directions: From Interstate 78: Take Route 501 South to Schaefferstown. Then take Route 897 South and proceed 2.4 miles to the village of Kleinfeltersville. Turn right onto Hopeland Road and follow two miles to the Visitors Center on the right.

From Pennsylvania Turnpike Exit 286 - Take Route 272 North for three miles, and at the traffic light, turn left on Route 897. Follow Route 897 North for about 14 miles into the village of Kleinfeltersville. In Kleinfeltersville, make the first left after the stop sign (Hopeland Road). The Visitors Center driveway will be on the right about two miles down Hopeland Road. Watch for the sign after you pass by the main impoundment and a small dam.

Viewing Directions: The best chance to view eagles on or near the nest is along the wildlife driving tour beyond Stop #3 and at Stop #4. Driving Tour opens March 1 and continues through mid-September.

Property Hours: Sunrise to sunset. Visitors Center: Tuesdays through Saturdays, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 5 p.m.; closed Mondays. Closed from Thanksgiving to January 31.

Best Eagle Viewing Season: Late winter into spring, but eagles can been seen in all seasons.

Activities at the site: Auto tour (March 1 through mid September, weather permitting), birding, hiking, bicycling (also seasonal and only on open roadways), hunting.

Other Wildlife: Migrating tundra swans and snow geese, hawks, shorebirds, song-birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians.

Where to go, what to look for

Since 1998, bald eagles have been full-time residents at the Pennsylvania Game Commission's Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area. The sizable stick nest, characteristic of bald eagles, sits in the forked branches of a sturdy red oak along the south shore of the lake. The nest is secure within the restricted Propagation Area, where entry is prohibited. The eagle pair guards its territory and shows little tolerance for other eagles in the area, particularly other adult eagles.

Between late winter and early spring, the eagle nest is visible from several locations around the lake. Just north of the Visitors Center, a parking lot on the east side of Hopeland Road provides access to Willow Point, an observation area with a panoramic view of the upper end of the lake. The enjoyable hike to Willow Point takes about 10 minutes and is an easy, mostly level walk. From Willow Point, the distant nest is visible to the east with a spotting scope or binoculars. A flooded stand of dead trees protrudes from the water across the lake. Eagles often perch in the snags, particularly in the largest of the stand.

After March 1, when the wildlife driving tour opens, visitors can follow the auto route past Stop #3, which leads to the opposite side of the snag area and nest site. Driving past this tour stop and just beyond the gated crossroads there is a good vantage point along the road to view the nest. A little farther on the tour, Stop #4 provides another location to spot eagles and the nest, probably the closest view. A good pair of binoculars or a spotting scope enhances eagle watching at Middle Creek, and late April is probably the best time to watch nesting activity. At this time, the nest is bustling with the adult eagles feeding and tending to the growing eaglets and deciduous trees have not leafed-out yet. Once trees attain their spring foliage, the eagle nest becomes concealed in the dense canopy. Check with Visitors Center staff for where-to-go details for eagles and other wildlife.

The bald eagle pair inhabits Middle Creek throughout the year, fishing the shallow lake and surrounding ponds in all seasons. As open water diminishes with the frigid temperatures of winter and as opportunity presents itself, the eagles sometimes switch their diet from fish to waterfowl, which is almost always available here. The eagles most often prey on weak and injured ducks, geese and swans.

The 360-acre main impoundment and about 70 additional acres of marsh-lined ponds, puddles and potholes along with the surrounding land provide vital food, cover and protected space for many wildlife species. More than 275 species of birds have been spotted throughout the seasons, including 23 species of ducks, five species of geese, loons, cormorants and grebes. Many of the birds pass through during spring and fall migrations, but 109 species breed and nest at Middle Creek. This property is designated as an Important Bird Area in Pennsylvania and recognized as a Globally Significant Important Bird Area because a large percent of the world's population of tundra swans and snow geese utilize Middle Creek as a staging ground during the northbound migration in late winter and early spring.

Each February and March, at least 5,000 tundra swans come to Middle Creek to rest and feed. Numbers vary yearly and up to 15,000 swans may stop here on their way northward. Large whistling strings of swans descend out of the late winter skies over the complex and surrounding landscape. Depending on weather, the stay may be brief or last for weeks. With the loss of many southern wetlands, tundra swans have switched somewhat to agricultural areas for winter foraging. As their name indicates, these swans are bound for the great northern boreal wetlands. In North America, tundra swans are often called whistling swans.

Snow geese numbers may exceed 170,000 birds, an unimaginable spectacle that attracts many human visitors. This staging along the Atlantic Flyway is marked by seemingly endless formations of white geese filling the skyline, flying to and from the surrounding agricultural fields. The massive flocks settle on the lake and periodically rise by the tens of thousands in a deafening cacophony. Like the swans, their stay is unpredictable and the birds may leave and continue north toward arctic breeding grounds at any time.

In front of the Visitors Center, Hopeland Road passes between the main impoundment and a pond. A variety of ducks frequent this end of the lake and the pond. It is a good location to spot mallards, black ducks, green-winged teal, northern pintails, northern shovelers, gadwalls, American wigeon, ring-necked ducks and common mergansers during spring migration. Many of these ducks also migrate through in autumn. Some of the harder-to-spot ducks include buffleheads, ruddy ducks, lesser scaup, hooded mergansers, blue-winged teal and wood ducks. The best location to find wood ducks is at the series of ponds at the dead end road just before turning right to reach Stop #4 on the driving tour. Canada geese are commonly found year-round throughout the fields surrounding the lake and ponds. The ponds and streams that attract waterfowl also provide viewing opportunities for belted kingfishers and other smaller water birds. Ospreys often are seen in spring and fall during migration.

As the driving tour leaves Hopeland Road, the tour passes through a small section of woodland and then opens to grasslands and crop fields as it meets Chapel Road. A right- or left-hand turn on Chapel Road will provide opportunities to encounter grassland birds, such as grasshopper sparrows, bobolinks, red-winged blackbirds and eastern meadowlarks. American kestrels, red-tailed hawks and northern harriers hunt these fields for voles, mice and other prey. Eastern bluebirds and tree swallows are common near the bird boxes throughout the complex. Killdeer, spotted sandpipers and least sandpipers are common at the muddy edges of the ponds and puddles while lesser and greater yellowlegs may be found wading in the shallow waters. The pools also are a place to find blue-winged teal, Wilson's snipe, green herons, solitary sandpipers and rusty blackbirds in migration.

Songbirds like the gray catbird, northern cardinal, willow flycatcher, yellow warbler, common yellowthroat, eastern towhee and brown thrasher may be seen in the shrubby areas bordering the woodlands and fields. Both Baltimore and orchard orioles can be found in the tall trees at Middle Creek. The woodlands and their edges are good places to find the eastern wood-pewee, great crested flycatcher, wood thrush, veery and ovenbird. Hedgerows and open areas give you a chance to see tail-wagging eastern phoebe, the indominatible eastern kingbird, as well as the ever-popular and colorful indigo bunting and American goldfinch.

In winter, the open fields of Middle Creek can be good places to spot rough-legged hawks, northern harriers, or, perhaps, short-eared owls, in addition to the resident red-tailed hawks. Horned larks, American pipits and snow buntings are among the prized open field birds that can be spotted on snowy fields.

For additional information, contact:

Pennsylvania Game Commission, Southeast Region, 448 Snyder Rd., Reading, PA 19605-9254. Telephone: 610-926-3136. Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area Visitors Center Telephone: 717-733-1512 (Closed Mondays.)

A Raystown Lake Snapshot

Facilities: U. S. Army Corps of Engineers

Driving Directions: From the Pennsylvania Turnpike at Breezewood (Exit 12), take Route 30 west to Route 26 north. Follow Rt. 26 to Raystown Lake. From Huntingdon, take Route 26 South. Follow Rt. 26 to Raystown Lake.

Viewing Directions: Begin at the Seven Points Visitor Center

Property Hours: Day use and over-night accommodations

Best Eagle Viewing Season: Year-round

Activities at the site: Hunting, fishing, boating, birding, hiking, camping

Other Wildlife: Osprey, waterfowl, songbirds, aquatic and semi-aquatic mammals

Where to go, what to look for

A flood control dam along the Raystown Branch of the Juniata River formed this 28-mile-long lake. Its shoreline snakes and bends 118 miles around the lake's perimeter creating jutting points, v-shaped inlets and deep coves. Several coves branch back into a series of inlets and conceal small marshy wetlands. This 8,300-acre impoundment offers a lot of open-water habitat for eagles, waterfowl, and other water birds. It is the largest body of water that is wholly within Pennsylvania's borders. The lake's deep waters allow ice-free conditions to exist in winters when other bodies of water are locked in ice. The lake has a healthy fish population, including striped bass and gizzard shad.

In spite of heavy recreational use during summer, bald eagles thrive here because there are so many miles of shoreline and so many places for them to perch in trees. Mature and immature eagles are seen year-round, as long as open water remains through winter. In fact, this lake may offer a refuge for eagles that primarily use streams during periods of high water or icing along those streams. By mid-winter, eagle pairs are renewing their pair bonds with courtship rituals such as rearranging the grass-lined center of the nest and adding new twigs and branches to the mass of interwoven sticks. During this courtship period, the pair is frequently seen together. They often soar together, sometimes performing impressive aerial displays, whirling, plummeting and chasing one another.

A great variety of waterfowl stops at Raystown Lake during spring and fall migration. The Pennsylvania Game Commission manages a large tract along the lake's west shore. This waterfowl management area includes a restricted propagation area, but most of the mitigation area is open to the public from September through February and accessible from the Aitch Recreation Area.

There also are several no wake coves throughout the lake. Migrating ducks may rest and feed in any of the quiet coves or out on the open water as recreation slows. It is possible to find floating clusters of ring-necked ducks, red-breasted mergansers, common mergansers, hooded mergansers, ruddy ducks, buffleheads and northern pintails. Horned grebes, pied-billed grebes and the occasional red-necked grebe may be seen as well. During early spring, small numbers of blue-winged teal, common loons and American scoters may show up on the lake as well. Gulls are a familiar site in the early morning at the Aitch Access boat launch. Ring-billed gulls and herring gulls are frequently seen and sometimes Bonaparte's gulls. The latter species is most often observed in the deepest waters of the lake.

The winding shoreline provides opportunity to see river otters and mink slipping in and out of the water while hunting. River otters frequent large, lakeside rocks on which they repeatedly leave scat. The droppings, an obvious sign of their presence, usually contain indigestible parts of prey, like fish fins and crayfish shells. Mink, another member of the weasel family, also forage along the shore for prey. This sleek, proficient hunter methodically scours every log and rock pile along the shoreline. Solitary sandpipers, spotted sandpipers and killdeer comb the muddy shoreline as well. It also is common to see green herons and great blue herons stalking the lake's edge.

Some of the marshy wetlands around the lake provide habitat for some of the rarer birds of the state. The Old Crow Wetland is along Route 22, south of the road about a quarter-mile east of the intersection of Routes 22 and 26. It is less than 10 acres, but gives some access to the emergent vegetation where many birds can be found.

This is where you can find green herons, willow flycatchers, and red-winged blackbirds, as well as many waterfowl species in migration. It seems to be a rarity hotspot, because it is a wetland in an otherwise forested and agricultural landscape — a little cattail oasis. Various backwater areas with small wetlands have been places to find bitterns and marsh wrens.

River Road along the Raystown Branch of the Juniata River has a diversity of bird habitats. The Point Access is a Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission boat launch where the Raystown Branch joins the main stem of the Juniata River. River Road parallels the Raystown Branch and ends at the dam breast. There are places to see turkeys, hawks, and many other birds species. This sheltered area often hosts many of those ―semi-hardy‖ wintering songbirds often sought by birders. The loquacious Carolina wren is a common resident.

Five trails, providing 70 miles of hiking, wind through a variety of habitats at Raystown Lake. Hillside Nature Trail is a half-mile trail accessible at the Seven Points Visitor Center. This short trail traverses shrubby field and forestland with hemlock, dogwood, beech, maple, viburnum, and tangles of grapevine. This area also has a man-made pond and a great view of Seven Points Bay. Many common birds inhabit the field and woodland along the trail, including hairy and downy woodpeckers, song sparrows, yellow-billed cuckoos, northern cardinals, mourning doves, Baltimore orioles and eastern bluebirds. Pileated woodpeckers are found throughout the woods around the lake in all seasons. In the evenings, barred owls and eastern screech-owls can be heard in the woods around the lake.

The Riverside trail is another short trail that covers multiple habitats. The trail begins downstream of the dam at the Old Schoolhouse area. The trail parallels the Raystown Branch of the Juniata River at its beginning. Belted kingfisher, chimney swifts, tree swallows, yellow-throated vireos, warbling vireos and wood ducks are common in this section. This is a good place for a variety of woodpeckers. Soon the trail passes through wetland habitat. An arch span bridge crosses the lower end of the wetland. At the far end of the bridge, an observation platform provides a view of the wetland where many waterfowl and marsh birds can be found. Muskrats and beavers are common here. The trail then passes through successional forest and open fields with crop plantings. American woodcock, ruffed grouse and wild turkeys may be seen at this end of the trail.

Other good places for convenient birding include the Ridenour Lookout, the Seven Points Recreational Area, the Hilltop Picnic area, the Brumbaugh homestead, and the Aitch Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission boat access near Marklesburg, the Entriken Overlook near the south end of the lake, and the Trough Creek State Park. Near Markesburg, the Aitch Propagation Area provides nesting waterfowl habitat. It is restricted access area, so the interior ponds are off limits to the public during nesting season to protect the nesting ducks and geese.

Trough Creek State Park includes 554 acres around Trough Creek on the east side of the lake. There are many forest and edge species here, including some that live in the conifers — red-breasted nuthatches, blue-headed vireos, pine warblers, and Blackburnian warblers. This park is known as a migrant trap in spring migration.

The mid-winter bald eagle survey is very successful each year, demonstrating that this lake is an excellent place to see eagles during the cold and snowy months. As many as 19 bald eagles have been recorded during an annual, mid-winter survey conducted at the lake. A great place to find eagles in winter is at the lake's northern end, below the dam and spillway. Eagles may be perched on trees in this area and downstream along the river. Also, the Aitch Recreational Area on the west side and the Tatman Run Access Area on the east side both can have high numbers of wintering eagles. Reports of 15–20 eagles are not unusual near Tatman Run. Some of the wintering eagles are residents; others have migrated from northern breeding territories. When streams in the region are high from snowmelt or recent rains, eagles often seek still water where foraging for fish is easier. Then, Raystown Lake can be a real eagle hotspot.

In winter, there are many birding highlights at Lake Raystown besides eagles. There has been a Christmas Bird Count conducted here since 1993, centered at the Seven Points Marina. Many waterfowl, especially the three mergansers, are counted each winter because much of the lake remains open. Also, some semi-hardy birds, like eastern phoebes, winter wrens, hermit thrush, and yellow-rumped warblers, are found near the lake in the count regularly.

The forests along the Juniata River and the Lower Branch of the Juniata are among the best places in the state for the cerulean warbler, which is on the U.S. WatchList for Birds of Conservation ConcernOpens In A New Window. This beautiful blue warbler inhabits tall trees along streams or on ridgetops. The northern parula, yellow-throated warbler and other canopy dwellers also are found in these forests.

Raystown Lake is nestled in a valley surrounded by ridges. Tussey Mountain to the west is an important migration corridor for golden and bald eagles, especially in spring. The Allegheny Front and other ridges in the southcentral region are very important for the migration of the Eastern United States' golden eagle population.

More explicit recommendations for bird-watching locations at Raystown Lake are offered by David and Trudy Kyler in Chapter 17 of the Birds of Central Pennsylvania, edited by Nick Bolgiano and Greg Grove (Stone Mountain Publishing, State College).

For additional information, contact:

Pennsylvania Game Commission, Southcentral Region, 8627 William Penn Highway, Huntingdon, PA 16652. Telephone:814-643-1831.

U. S. Army Corps of Engineers, 6145 Seven Points Rd., Hesston, PA 16652. Telephone: 814-658-3405.

Trough Creek State Park, 16362 Little Valley Road, James Creek, PA 16657-9302. Tele-phone: 814-658-3847.

A Glendale Lake Snapshot

Facilities: Park Office, restrooms, camping, cabins, organized group tenting, picnic tables/pavilions, public swimming.

Driving Directions: From U.S. Route 219 at Carrolltown, turn onto State Route 4015. At Patton, take U.S. Route 36 East to Glendale Lake Road.

Viewing Directions: Access points and observation lookouts provide a view of the lake. Eagles may be spotted from any of these vantage points.

Property Hours: Day use and over-night accommodations.

Best Eagle Viewing Season: Year-round.

Activities at the site: Hunting, fishing, boating (up to 20 hp), sail-boating, birding, hiking, biking, snowmobiling, snowshoeing and cross-country skiing.

Other Wildlife: Osprey, waterfowl, songbirds, white-tailed deer, black bear, beaver.

Where to go, what to look for

The open waters of Glendale Lake at Prince Gallitzin State Park attract migrating bald eagles in late winter as they pass through Pennsylvania on their way north. Wintering eagles dwell here, too. Eagles have not nested in the park, but regularly spend time throughout the seasons. A mature eagle, with its striking white head and tail, stands out in winter against the mid-tone grays and browns of the deciduous forest surrounding the lake. An eagle, even a sub-adult, which lacks the white head and tail plumage, is rather conspicuous when perched on a bare limb. Its size and distinctive upright posture, curved bill, and formidable yellow talons are unmistakable characteristics of this large bird of prey. Bald eagles sometimes favor a particular tree limb overlooking an active fishing hole. An eagle may use the same perch throughout a season.

In spring, summer and fall, mature and immature eagles fish at Glendale Lake. The state's bald eagle population has increased to the point that there are unmated adults that visit various good aquatic habitats in Pennsylvania without nesting. Some southern eagles will visit this area after they have completed nesting and disperse to the north. A bald eagle could be spotted from just about any open point around the lake, including the park office along Marina Road. Park staff and visitors routinely see eagles from the office view of the lake. The Killbuck Launch Area, accessible from Long Road, offers a good vantage point as well. Muskrat Beach, on the wooded peninsula, and the Pickerel Pond Area, on the opposite shore, provide a north and south view of the main lake. Both Mckee's Run and Beaverdam boat access, at the north end of the lake, also provide a broad view of the lake. Beaverdam boat access provides an added view of the more remote Slate Lick branch of Glendale Lake. The Slate Lick section is accessible only by boat or hiking the Old Glendale Road Trail, which runs parallel to the northeast shore.

Prince Gallitzin State Park is a high-use recreation area during summer. However, the 1,635 acre, odd-shaped lake holds numerous out-of-the way inlets where wildlife abounds. State Game Land 108, which includes three separate tracts, borders the park and provides additional recreational opportunities.

Canada geese and mallards are widespread around the lake. Wood ducks, great blue herons and belted kingfishers are common at its wooded edges and shallow coves. During waterfowl migrations, especially in March and April, a variety of water birds stop to rest and feed. Early arrivals include tundra swans, hooded mergansers, American wigeon, American black ducks, northern pintails, green-winged teal, canvasback, and horned and pied-billed grebes. They are followed by bufflehead, ruddy ducks, lesser scaup, blue-winged teal, red-breasted mergansers, double-crested cormorants, American coots and common loons. Some birds make only a brief stop to refuel and rest before continuing their northbound migration; others stop through April.

Ring-billed and Bonaparte's gulls are a common site on the lake in April and early May. Migrating shorebirds, like solitary sandpipers and greater yellowlegs, also stop by the lake edge and wetlands.

Fewer waterfowl stop on their way south in autumn, but it is possible to see common goldeneye, American coots, pied-billed grebes, ruddy ducks, bufflehead, hooded mergansers, lesser scaup, ring-necked ducks and American black ducks during fall migration.

Twelve miles of trails create a circuit of short, fairly easy hiking trails. The trails wind through the forest land surrounding the lake. Most trails on the west side of Glendale Lake are accessible from Point Trailhead near the Crooked Run Campground and also the Beaver Valley Marina area.

Point Trail, a moderately rugged route, follows the lake shore and then climbs through a mix of hardwoods and hemlock trees. Along this trail, it is possible to see or hear common yellowthroats, cedar waxwings, wood thrush, ovenbirds, American redstarts, yellow-rumped warblers, and black-throated green warblers. This trail also is a good place to listen for the elusive, but loud, pileated woodpecker. Many of the same birds also are found along Crooked Run Trail.

Footprint Trail ascends a small hill overlooking the lake. From this vantage point, osprey and eagles may be spotted over the lake.

Deer Trail passes through a section of State Game Land 108. A wildlife food plot along this trail breaks up the forest habitat and adds opportunity to see eastern bluebirds, gray catbirds, tree swallows, northern cardinals, yellow warblers and eastern tow-hees.

A large wooded peninsula splits the main lake and the Slate Lick branch. Peninsula Trail traverses a mature oak forest with very little undergrowth. The eastern wood-pewee, black-capped chickadee, tufted titmouse, white-breasted nuthatch, brown creeper, scarlet tanager and red-bellied woodpecker also inhabit this open woodland. In the scrubby area, willow flycatchers announce themselves with their "fitz-bew" song. Eastern kingbirds proudly defend their turf along the field edges and tree rows. In some of the lakeside marshy areas, they are plenty of red-winged blackbirds, some swamp sparrows, and an occasional Virginia rail or Wilson's snipe. The declining rusty blackbird also sometimes stop by in migration.

For additional information, contact:

Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Prince Gallitzin State Park, 966 Marina Road, Patton, PA 16668. Telephone: 814-674-1000.

Pennsylvania Game Commission, Southwest Region, 4820 Route 711, Bolivar, PA 15923. Telephone: 724-238-9523.

A Delaware Water Gap and Upper Delaware River Snapshot

Facilities: Seasonal visitor centers, multiple access and accommodations.

Driving Directions: To Lackawaxen: From Interstate 84, take exit 34 for State Route 739 toward Lords Valley/Dingmans Ferry. Turn left at State Route 739 N/Dingmans Turnpike. Proceed about a mile and turn right onto State Route 434 N/Well Road. In 5.5 miles, continue onto State Route 590 West and go 4.4 miles to Lackawaxen.

Viewing Directions: Begin at the winter field office in Lackawaxen. All access points along the Upper Delaware River and Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area provide the opportunity to spot wintering eagles.

Property Hours: Sunrise to sunset.

Best Eagle Viewing Season: Winter, but good eagle watching in all seasons.

Activities at the site: Hunting and fishing in designated areas, whitewater boating, birding, hiking and camping.

Other Wildlife: Birds of prey, songbirds, shorebirds, aquatic mammals.

Where to go, what to look for

Even during the coldest of winters, the waters along parts of the Upper Delaware River remain open. The river narrows in places where the water churns and tumbles, strengthening the current and preventing freezing. The flowing river keeps an abundant supply of fish available for bald eagles. As lakes and rivers in the northern United States and Canada freeze over, bald eagles migrate south. Some birds travel more than 900 miles to the area in search of open water bordered by substantial forestland. Undisturbed stands of trees are important to wintering eagles. In winter, this large bird of prey needs protective trees for roosting at night and during bad weather, and perch sites for hunting fish and resting during the day.

The Upper Delaware River has the largest concentration of wintering bald eagles in Pennsylvania and is part of the largest wintering eagle habitat in Northeast. Between 150 and 200 eagles migrate to the region each winter. On the Pennsylvania side of the river, a strip one mile wide, running 73 miles along the Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River and, below Milford, another 38 miles along the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, is designated as an Important Bird Area. The extensive site is especially important for migrating birds and wading birds, including Species of Greatest Conservation Need that frequent the area during spring and fall migrations.

Depending on weather patterns up north, eagles may begin arriving on the Upper Delaware in mid December. Eagle numbers peak in January and February, and by mid to late March, most migrating eagles have returned to their breeding territories in the north. The Upper Delaware is home to about 20 adult eagle pairs that remain to nest and raise young there. These resident eagles, along with several immature birds too young to breed and some additional adult eagles, are seen throughout spring and summer along the Upper Delaware River.

The Eagle Institute is a non-profit organization concerned with protecting eagles and eagle habitat. In cooperation with the National Park Service, the organization operates a winter field office in Lackawaxen, Pennsylvania between January and mid March. The Eagle Institute provides weekend educational and interpretive programs, maps and directions to public viewing sites, and guided tours. Trained volunteers are stationed at the viewing sites to collect data, monitor eagles and assist visitors in spotting eagles. The winter field office is along Lackawaxen Scenic Drive just south of the Roebling Bridge.

Bald eagles spend the majority of their time perched on sturdy branches along the river. Some branches overlook productive fishing holes, while others are just suitable places to rest or eat a fresh catch. Perch branches must be sturdy enough to support this 8- to 12-pound bird and the limb usually provides a favorable vantage point to spot any threat. Eagles also may fish on the wing by flying over the water while scanning for prey that swims near the surface. Watching an eagle plunge into the icy water for a fish is a thrilling sight. Sometimes eagles catch a fish and tear it apart at the shallow edge of the river or on a sheet of stationary or floating ice.

Bald Eagle Nest Etiquette to avoid disturbing or flushing an eagle. Flushing eagles in winter makes them waste valuable energy, increases stress, and decreases their ability to forage in favored locations during the most critical time of year for obtaining nutrition.

To the north is another Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission boat access called the Narrowsburg Access along Route 652/Honesdale and Delaware Turnpike. This parking and boat launch is across the river from Narrowsburg, NY, a designated eagle viewing site in NY. The National Park Service has access points at Buckingham, Callicoon and Matamoras. It is possible to see eagles from any of the boat launches and river accesses.

To the south, the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area begins above Milford. The river valley widens in this section, with broader bottomlands, river islands and large pools of calm water. Periods of low water expose sand and gravel bars. The best places to look for eagles along this section of the river are at Milford Beach on Route 209 and Smithfield Beach on River Road. The Bushkill Access also is a good place to spot eagles.

The bald eagle is not the only bird of prey inhabiting the Upper Delaware as ospreys also fish the river and nest along its shores. Common raptors of the area include broadwinged, sharp-shinned, Cooper's, red-tailed and red-shouldered hawks. Most of these species are associated with the extensive forests along the river and in the Pocono Mountains. The northern goshawk is a rare and local nesting species in the mature stands of hemlock and mixed deciduous and conifer forests of the region. There also is a history of peregrine falcons nesting on cliffs along the Delaware River. On occasion, a golden eagle is seen migrating over the ridges here in addition to the bald eagles. More than 260 bird species have been identified in the river corridor and bordering habitats.

Deciduous forest covers much of the land inter-mixed with hemlock-covered slopes and ravines. Where hemlock dominates, birds such as the Blackburnian warbler, black-throated green warbler, blue-headed vireo, golden-crowned kinglet, magnolia warbler, and winter wren can be found. Along the Delaware and its tributaries, it is possible to find the Acadian flycatcher, Louisiana waterthrush and other riparian forest song-birds in the ravines, especially where there are some hemlocks. The ruffed grouse, red-eyed vireo, wood thrush, and ovenbird are common in the forest. The tall trees along the river and in hollows also are home to the Audubon Priority Species, such as the cerulean warbler and other canopy specialists like warbling vireo and northern parula. The expansion of cerulean warbler into the Upper Delaware River region in recent decades is a positive trend contrary to its generally negative decline. It is common for trout anglers and boaters to see bands of cedar waxwings catching flies and picking cherries off of trees overhanging the water. It also is a woodpecker hot-spot. It is fairly easy to see red-bellied and pileated woodpeckers. It is one of the few places in eastern Pennsylvania where red-headed woodpeckers also can be found. Several swallow species are commonly found along the river, especially northern rough-winged and cliff swallows that nest on bridges. Given the mix of habitats, the Delaware Water Gap National Recreational Area is one of the best places in the watershed to find migrating warblers. During spring and fall migration, 30 warbler species can be found throughout the area.

Like much of the region, the birds of early succession habitat including old fields, thickets, and young forests, have declined in the Delaware River Valley, particularly in the National Recreational Area. Yet, the persistent field observer can find places where there are willow flycatchers, gray catbirds, prairie warblers, song sparrows, and red-winged blackbirds. Colorful yellow warblers, indigo buntings, and common yellow-throats are locally common. Tree swallows and eastern bluebirds use nest boxes here and easily can be found. Dark-eyed juncos and white-throated sparrows are common in migration and winter, but move north or to higher elevations in the summer. Of course, in winter, the common woods birds like tufted titmouse white-breasted nut-hatch, and northern cardinal are fairly easy to see.

For additional information, contact:

Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, Visitor Services Division, Bushkill, PA 18324-9999. Phone: 570-426-2452.

Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreation River, Superintendent, 274 River Road, Beach Lake, PA 18405. Telephone: 570-729-7134.

An SGL 180, Shohola Lake, Snapshot

Facilities: Restrooms (seasonal).

Driving Directions: From Interstate 84, take Exit 9, State Route 739. Travel north on 739 for 0.7 miles to Well Road. Turn right on Well Road and travel 3.8 miles to U.S. Route 6. Turn right onto Route 6 and travel east two miles to the Shohola Falls Water-fowl Management Area.

Viewing Directions: Observation tower and boat launch sites.

Property Hours: Sunrise to sunset.

Best Eagle Viewing Season: Spring, summer into fall.

Activities at the site: Hunting and fishing in designated areas, birding, hiking.

Other Wildlife: Waterfowl, songbirds, shorebirds, mammals.

Where to go, what to look for

Shohola Lake played a vital role in Pennsylvania's Bald Eagle Restoration Program. It was one of two eagle release sites during the recovery program in the 1980s. With financial support provided by the Federal Endangered Species Fund and the Richard King Mellon Foundation, the Pennsylvania Game Commission imported young bald eagles from Canada over a period of seven years.

The Game Commission's eagle recovery team captured young eagles in Saskatchewan and transferred them to hack towers on Shohola Lake in Pike County and on Haldeman Island along the Susquehanna River. The birds were fed and protected in the hack towers until they were old enough to fledge — about 12 weeks old. When mature, at about five years, bald eagles often return to nest in the region where they fledged. During the recovery project, 88 young eagles were released into Pennsylvania. Today, descendants of those Canada-hatched birds nest in Pennsylvania and neighboring states.

Bald eagles nest at Shohola Lake. An observation tower along Willis Hill Trail provides a panoramic view of Shohola Lake and its wetlands. The tower provides an excellent view of an eagle nest on the opposite shore. Another eagle viewing station is along the Springbrook Road, which can be accessed from Route 6 before crossing Shohola Creek. Nesting activity may begin in late winter as lake ice melts. Each eagle pair adds sticks to the massive nest at the start of the breeding season. Once on eggs, male and female eagles take turns incubating, usually one to three eggs, and foraging for food, mostly fish. Activity increases as the eggs hatch and the nestlings begin to eat. Adults frequently fly to and from the nest bringing back food for the rapidly growing eaglets. As they become larger, the young eagles become more visible in the nest and by early summer are often perched on adjacent branches. Even after fledging, young eagles remain nearby as the adult eagles continue to deliver fish and other prey. The best way to watch activity at the nest is with binoculars or a spotting scope.

When Shohola Creek was dammed and the lake formed, low-lying stands of timber were flooded. The impounded water left standing dead trees, which gave eagles plenty of perching snags over the water. An adult eagle, with its brilliant white head and tail, stands out at a considerable distance on this dead wood.

Many other birds utilize the decaying trees. Cavity nesters, such as the wood duck, hooded merganser, eastern screech-owl, northern (yellow-shafted) flicker, and hairy and downy woodpeckers nest in such trees. Great blue herons, green herons, waterfowl and osprey also perch on snags.

Canada geese, American black ducks, mallards, hooded mergansers, and wood ducks nest on State Game Land 180. Along the lake's edges and throughout its wetlands, duck nest boxes have been set up to promote nesting. During spring and fall migration, many additional species of waterfowl stop at Shohola Lake. Up to 500 mallards and similar numbers of common mergansers migrate through. It also is common to see common loons, pied-billed and horned grebes, northern pintails, buffleheads, common goldeneyes, ring-necked ducks and greater scaup. April is a very good time to find a variety of diving and dabbling ducks. Two boat ramps offer a broad view of the lake and flocks of waterfowl.

Shohola Lake has been designated as Pennsylvania Important Bird Area by Audubon Pennsylvania. Although managed for waterfowl, this game land provides habitat for many wildlife species. A variety of shorebirds stop to forage the marshy areas and shoreline during spring and fall migrations. The wetlands are thick with alders, sedges, rushes and buttonbush, valuable food and cover plants for migrating and nesting birds. Two sections of lake and wetlands are designated propagation areas. These areas are closed to the public to protect nesting waterfowl and other water birds.

At the northern end of the lake, below the dam, Shohola Creek continues its course. The creek descends dramatically through a hemlock-shrouded gorge. It drops 80 feet, falling over nine rock ledges and spraying the surrounding rocks, mosses and ferns with a constant mist. Hiking trails, with wooden steps and a platform overlooking the falls, afford access to this damp ravine. Songbirds like the acadian flycatcher, blue-headed vireo, blackburnian warbler, black-throated green warbler and pine warbler may be found in this forest. The woods along the lake provide habitat for attractive forest songbirds such as the yellow-throated vireo, scarlet tanager, rose-breasted grosbeak, and northern oriole. Some forest song-birds like the eastern wood-pewee, black-capped chickadee, wood thrush, and veery are fairly wide-spread in the woods at Shohola Falls. Some "northern birds" like dark-eyed juncos and purple finches also are easily found here. The shrubby wetlands and wet meadows are home to willow fly-catchers, yellow warblers and swamp sparrows. In emergent vegetation along water's edge, soras and red-winged blackbirds make themselves known with their loud songs. Shorebirds are represented by killdeer and spotted sandpiper in summer, but these water edges become important stopover habitat for solitary sandpiper, greater and lesser yellowlegs, and many other wading shorebirds during migration. So, the lake and its associated wet habitats support both game and nongame birds very well.

Several hiking trails branch off the Farms Road on the northwest side of Shohola Lake. A circuit of trails traverses this section of State Game Land 180. The habitat ranges from thick lakeside brush, to upland, woodland edges and rolling mixed woodland with interspersed swampy areas and wet meadows. The wild turkey, American woodcock and ruffed grouse are prevalent here as well as a mix of smaller birds at the shrubby woodland edges include the gray catbird, golden-winged warbler, chestnut-sided warbler, American redstart, indigo bunting, eastern towhee and song sparrow. The loud onomatopoeic songs of eastern whip-poor-wills can be heard here at night. Eastern phoebes and barn swallows take advantage of the State Game Land buildings where they can build their nests while tree swallows, house wrens and eastern bluebirds nest in the bluebird boxes around the property.

The golden-winged warbler is a WatchList Species because it has declined dramatically in recent decades. They nest at the edges of food plots, in overgrown fields, in young forests, in wet meadows and tamarack bogs. They prefer a mosaic of vegetation types and heights, so active management of woody vegetation is required to maintain their population.

For additional information, contact:

Pennsylvania Game Commission, Northeast Region, P.O. Box 220, Dallas, PA 18612. Telephone: 570-675-1143

A Bald Eagle State Park Snapshot

Facilities: Restrooms, camping, cabins, lodge, environmental center. 

Driving Directions: From the west, take Interstate 80 to exit 158. Follow Route 150 north about eight miles to the main park entrance on the right. From the east, take Interstate 80 to exit 178. Follow U.S. Route 220 north to PA Route 150. Follow Route 150 south for about 13 miles.

Viewing Directions: A nest is visible from the Hunter Run Cove area at the end of Foster Joseph Sayers Road. The nest is on the south side of the lake.

Property Hours: Sunrise to sunset.

Best Eagle Viewing Season: Year-round

Activities at the site: Boating (unlimited hp), hunting, fishing, birding, hiking and swimming.

Other Wildlife: Birds of prey, songbirds, upland ground birds, waterfowl, mammals, butterflies.

Where to go, what to look for

Bald Eagle State Park lies at the junction of two distinct geologic provinces. The Allegheny Plateau, with a rolling landscape of hills, uplands and forked streams, borders the northwest side of the park's Foster Joseph Sayers Lake. On the southeast side, the forest slopes up Bald Eagle Mountain, the first anticline in the Ridge and Valley Province. This part of the ridge is situated on the west edge of the Appalachian Mountains.

The surrounding mountains create a scenic backdrop for the 1,730-acre reservoir. Impounded by an earthen dam, this man-made lake stretches 7.5 miles and provides 23 miles of shoreline. The mountain ridges in this geologic region are natural flyways for migrating birds. A great number of bird species migrate along the ridgetops and many drop down to stopover at the park. The park is part of Important Bird Area #32 selected because of the importance of the Bald Eagle Mountain to migrating raptors.

Numerous birds, from the ruby-throated hummingbird to the bald eagle, nest and raise young within Bald Eagle State Park. A pair of bald eagles nests on the upper end of the lake. The eagles built the nest on the rugged, more remote, ridge side of the lake, south of the access points where visitors can see it. This nest is watchable from the opposite shoreline in the Fisherman's Access Area at the end of Foster Joseph Sayers Road.

An eagle pair returns to the same territory and nest area each breeding season. The pair rebuilds or repairs this nest annually, depending on how much it has been damaged in autumnal and winter storms. Eagle pairs regularly enlarge and renovate their nest before incubation begins. If the nest tree remains intact through inclement weather, natural aging and other environmental factors, over the years a nest may reach enormous dimensions. A nest may exceed eight feet wide, 12 feet deep and weigh more than a ton. Typical nests are five to six feet wide and more than three feet deep. Bald eagles build the largest nest of any North American bird. Eagle nests are usually at the edge of or near a lake, river or large creek and a pair often chooses the largest tree in the area. This pair is particularly persistent in its use of the lake each year, often starting incubation in February after doing considerable repair work to their nest, which is susceptible to winter winds and bad weather. Despite the challenging conditions, this is one of the most productive eagle nests in the state and regularly fledges two or three eaglets.

Activity at the nest may begin in mid to late winter and continues through spring. Binoculars or a spotting scope provide the best opportunity to enjoy eagles on the nest. Typical breeding behavior may include an eagle flying to the nest with a twig or branch in its talons, the pair rearranging nesting material or engaging in soaring and aerial maneuvers together. During this period eagles are often seen perched near one other.

During most winters, much of the lake remains ice-free. Therefore, it is common to see eagles year-round at the park. Throughout the year, another good vantage point from which to spot eagles is the lookout above Pavilion #5 along Skyline Drive.

Bald Eagle State Park features not only a lake, but a mix of fields, thickets, and woods that make it a great place to see a variety of birds quickly. Birds of thickets and edge are easily found along the roads and trails of the park. It is an easy place to find mourning doves, northern flickers, indigo buntings, field sparrows, and song sparrows. Red-winged blackbirds are conspicuous in the fields and wet areas, but it takes more effort to find the local swamp sparrows. The woodland bisected by Skyline Drive is a good place to identify migrating and breeding warblers and other songbirds in the spring. In the forest, wood thrushes, ovenbirds, and scarlet tanagers are regular breeding species and migrants. Many other species, such as Tennessee, yellow-rumped, and Canada warblers, are seen in migration. Nearly 30 warblers have been identified at the park.

Below Skyline Drive, the Butterfly Trail and Skyline Trail circle Frog Pond, a small pond with bordering wetland. This area is good for warblers, songbirds and waterfowl in spring, summer and fall. Breeding birds include the Canada goose, red-winged black-bird, ruby-throated hummingbird, northern cardinal, gray catbird, cedar waxwing, song sparrow, yellow-breasted chat, yellow warbler and common yellowthroat. During migration wood ducks, ring-necked ducks and hooded mergansers drop in to feed and rest at Frog Pond and on the lake.

Around the lake from the beach area, Hunter Run Cove, Marina and other launch sites, it is common to spot waterfowl. This is a popular stopover for tundra swans in spring. The common merganser is a regular visitor to the lake with dozens — sometimes even hundreds — seen in early spring on the lake. Both the green-headed drakes and dull-colored hens forage on fish in the deep waters of the lake. Autumn migration may bring horned grebes, pied-billed grebes, red-breasted mergansers, common goldeneye, greater and lesser scaup, bufflehead, ruddy duck, long-tailed duck, common loons and American coot to the lake. Shorebirds like the solitary sandpiper, spotted sandpiper, greater and lesser yellowlegs, pectoral sandpiper, least sand-piper, killdeer and dunlin may stop to forage the shoreline during autumn migration. Great blue herons and osprey are regular visitors.

The numbers of water birds varies greatly from year to year. Inclement weather sometimes causes fallouts of migrating waterfowl and other water birds. This park is one of the best places in the region to find accidental rarities that are attracted to this isolated body of water.

Spring migration brings green-winged teal, blue-winged teal, ruddy duck, tun-dra swans and American black ducks. During migrations it is also possible to see Virginia rail, sora, Wilson's snipe and several gulls and terns including ring-billed, herring, and Bonaparte's gulls; and black, Forster's common and Caspian terns. Bald Eagle Mountain is an important corridor for migrating raptors, including the golden eagle.

The American woodcock, also known as a "timberdoodle," is found in good numbers at Bald Eagle State Park. The woodcock requires early succession habitats and moist woodlands with plenty of earthworms that it probes from the soil. With the help of native plant and early succession stage habitat restoration projects at the park, it is common to see and hear woodcocks at several places, including the area around the park office, the land between the Marina and Marina Road up to and beyond the Main Park Road, and the Letterman Campground. Breeding and migrating woodcock utilize these prime habitats. This also is one of the best places to observe golden-winged warblers, an Audubon Priority Species that requires young forest habitat to nest successfully. This handsome small songbird needs a mosaic of herb cover, shrubs, small trees, with a few larger trees mixed in.

Management on behalf of woodcocks and golden-winged warblers may look messy, because it requires cutting and removing brush and trees. But it is necessary to disturb areas to create good nesting habitat for these species. Other early succession and young forest birds, such as the ruffed grouse, willow flycatcher, gray catbird, brown thrasher, chestnut-sided warbler, prairie warbler, common yellowthroat, and eastern towhee, also use this habitat. You also can hear the calls of the eastern whip-poor-will in the evenings in these managed young forests. This guild of birds has declined greatly over the last few decades given lack of disturbance in some areas and because of permanent loss of shrub land and young forest to development in other areas. It is good cottontail rabbit habitat, too. Bald Eagle State Park works with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Pennsylvania Game Commission, Ruffed Grouse Society, Woodcock Limited of Pennsylvania, and Indiana University of Pennsylvania to manage for young forest habitat that support these declining species.

A bluebird trail provides bluebirds and other cavity-nesters with 60 boxes designed primarily for bluebirds. Bluebirds are common throughout the park's open areas. Tree swallows also commonly use these boxes. Purple martins that nest in nearby Howard can be seen flying over the lake and around the park. Lakes like this one are a great place to see a variety of swallows.

In winter, this park is known for hosting northern shrike, a rare visitor from the arctic tundra. The shrikes methodically perch high — like sentinels — on treetops and shrubs, where they search for prey, then swoop low to fly up to their next perch. Their black, grey, and white plumage, black mask, and sharply hooked beak are indicative field marks. The lakeshore also is a place to find visiting snow buntings and American tree sparrows. Bald Eagle State Park and the adjacent State Game Lands 92 and Bald Eagle Mountain provide good bird habitat in all seasons.

For additional information, contact:

Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Bald Eagle State Park, 149 Main Park Road, Howard, PA 16841. telephone: 814-625-2775

A Pine Creek Valley Snapshot

Facilities: Multiple parking and access areas; limited comfort stations.

Driving Directions: From Williamsport, take Route 220 west to the Avis exit, Route 44. Follow Route 44 north through the valley to Route 414 above Jersey Mills. Watch for access area signs. There are two ways to access Pine Creek Valley From Wellsboro: take Route 660 to Route 362 to the trailhead at Ansonia. Also, from Wellsboro, take Route 287 south to Route 414, then go west to Blackwell and rail trail access.

Viewing Directions: The following parking/access areas: Clark Farm/Utceter Station Parking, Black Walnut Bottom Access, Slate Run Access and Rattlesnake Rocks Access.

Property Hours: SGLs 68, 75 and 208, sunrise to sunset; Tioga and Tiadaghton state forests, day-use areas and camping areas.

Best Eagle Viewing Season: Year-round.

Activities at the site: Hunting, fishing, birding, hiking, biking, canoeing, rafting.

Other Wildlife: Osprey, owls, raptors, song-birds, mammals.

Where to go, what to look for

Bald eagles fit perfectly into the rugged, mountainous landscape of Pine Creek Valley. At the northern end of the valley, the creek cuts through a glacially-carved canyon to form Pine Creek Gorge. From the creek bed, the excessively steep forested walls rise sharply to 1,450 feet at the highest point. Rock outcrops crown sections of the canyon rims. Rim to rim, the impressive canyon is nearly three quarters of a mile in some places.

The Pine Creek Gorge Natural Area and its surroundings are designated as an Important Bird AreaOpens In A New Window (IBA) because of the unique gorge habitat and large-scale mature forest. This contiguous northern hardwood forest has substantial stands of white pine and hemlock, some of which are old-growth stands. A pair of bald eagles was nesting in the gorge near Tiadaghton when the Pennsylvania Audubon Society selected the area as number 28 on the state‟s IBA list. Presently, six pairs of bald eagles nest in Pine Creek Valley attesting to the area‟s importance to wildlife. Bald eagles can be seen throughout the valley year-round.

A pair of eagles nests at Little Pine State Park, along Little Pine Creek, just north of Waterville. Eagles nest at the upper end of the park‟s 94-acre man-made lake. A designated eagle-viewing area opposite the nest site enables visitors to observe eagle activity during nesting season without disturbing the eagles. Binoculars or a spotting scope provide the best opportunity to watch adult eagles feeding the nestlings or the eaglets as they grow and fledge. When young eagles leave the nest at about 12 weeks old, parents continue to bring food to the young birds until they learn to hunt on their own. The eagle family usually remains near the nest area through much of summer.

Three eagle nests are spaced out along the stretch of Pine Creek between the villages of Cammal and Blackwell. Land topography and dense foliage conceal the nests, but several access areas along the Pine Creek Rail TrailOpens In A New Window and the trail itself provide excellent opportunities for spotting and watching eagles. Float trips down the creek also may provide views of eagles. A pair of eagles nests near the Clark Farm/Utceter Station Access and Black Walnut Bottom Access areas below Slate Run. During nesting, the adult eagles regularly fly up and down this stretch of creek, hunting and bringing fish back to the nest. The mountainside rises steeply on the far side of the creek and the rail trail sits high, so eagles often fly past just above eye level. The eagles frequently call to each other, so listening for this high-pitched gull-like cackle is a great way to locate eagles.

The parking area at the Slate Run Bridge also is a good place to spot eagles. The creek widens here offering a broad view above and below the bridge. There are several fishing holes in this section where Slate Run and Little Slate Run join Pine Creek.

Another nest near the village of Cedar Run keeps eagles in this area through most of spring and summer. There is no trail parking access area here, but eagles spend a good bit of time on the mountainside opposite town or flying to and from the nest. Beach Road in town runs parallel with the creek and affords a creek-front view.

There is another eagle nest between Cedar Run and Blackwell along a very rugged and inaccessible stretch of the creek. Bicycling or hiking south from Rattlesnake Rock Access AreaOpens In A New Window offers the best chance at discovering eagle activity here. The remoteness of these eagle nests helps ensure their protection from human intrusion.

In addition to the nest in the gorge near Tiadaghton, bald eagles nest on forestland near the Darling Run Access, which is at the northern end of the valley. Please keep a safe distance from all of these nests and keep your voice down so you do not disturb the eagles or interfere with their feeding activities. Eagles can be flushed from their nest, exposing the their eggs or young to cold, wet weather and predators.

Adult and young eagles disperse in late summer, but some remain in the area and other eagles move through the valley during fall migration. Several eagles winter in Pine Creek Valley as long as portions of the creek remain unfrozen. Wintering eagles routinely hunt productive fishing holes. They may perch on a particular branch over-looking a fishing hole at about the same time each day for weeks at a time. Crows often mob eagles at these sites, so locating the raucous clamoring of a flock of crows could reveal an eagle.

In addition to eagles, ospreys utilize Pine Creek and its tributaries throughout much of the year, but are most easily seen during their spring and fall migration. The clean waters of Pine Creek also provide great habitat for belted kingfishers, common mergansers and wood ducks that nest along the creek. Cedar waxwings, yellow warblers and tree swallows are common in the open sycamore bottomlands. In spring and summer, Louisiana waterthrush fly along the rocky streams and perch on rocks and logs, bobbing up and down as they forage for aquatic insects. They arrive in the valley just when trout season begins.

Pine Creek‟s numerous tributaries rush through narrow ravines and hollows often cascading over moss-covered rocks and layered grottos. This is a great place to get acquainted with the "big forest‟ birds of the Commonwealth. The forest surrounding these streams hold large populations of many of our forest interior species, such as the wood thrush, black-throated green warbler, ovenbird and scarlet tanager. Familiar forest birds such as the pileated woodpecker, black-capped chickadee, white-breasted nuthatch, and brown creeper are common in the creek valley. Not only are there eagles and vultures, but broad-winged hawks and a very few northern goshawks can be found here. The deep croaking of common ravens can accompany the canyon visitor all day either by flight overhead or from rimrock cliffs above. Overhead, it is not unusual to see common nighthawks in flight over the canyon swooping for flying insects. These relatives of whip-poor-wills are regular in migration, especially in August, and may nest in the canyon in small numbers.

The hemlock and pine stands are especially good for finding breeding birds. There, you can find the red-breasted nuthatch, golden-crowned kinglet, blue-headed vireo, magnolia warbler, pine warbler, Black-burnian warbler, yellow-rumped warbler and many others. Where there is a healthy understory, black-throated blue warblers and Canada warblers can be found. The great songster, the hermit thrush, is fairly common in these woods, but thrushes are not the only great songsters of the canyon. The warbling of the purple finch is another delight of the north woods that can be heard here. Winter wrens sing their miraculously loud and complex bubbly song in the glens of tributary streams. In these woods, dark-eyed juncos are not a "feeder bird," but a common songbird. Of course, this is just the place to encounter the state‟s upland game birds, wild turkeys and ruffed grouse, along the trails. The bogs and swamps in the highlands are places where you can find the rare nesting species like the Nashville warbler, northern waterthrush, and white-throated sparrow. The deep woods are home to big, hooting barred owls and the diminutive saw-whet owls. In winter, small flocks of red crossbills and evening grosbeaks may show up in the valley and surrounding mountains. Occasionally, the conifers attract red crossbills in spring and summer when they may nest. It is common to see white-tailed deer, gray foxes and black bears in the forest here. River otter and mink thrive on Pine Creek's fish and aquatic invertebrates. Both animals den along the banks of the creek. Timber rattlesnakes can be found along the trails in the canyon, so visitors should be careful where they walk.

Pine Creek Valley  

For additional information, contact:

Pennsylvania Game Commission, Northcentral Region, 1566 South 44 Highway, P.O. Box 5038, Jersey Shore, PA 17740. Telephone: 570-398-4744.

Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Bureau of Forestry, Forest District 12, 423 East Central Ave., S. Williamsport, PA 17702. Telephone: 570-327-3450.

Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Bureau of Forestry, Forest District 16, One Nessmuk Lane, Wellsboro, PA 16901. Telephone: 570-724-2868.

An Erie National Wildlife Refuge Snapshot

Facilities: Visitor Contact Station, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Driving Directions: From the south, take Interstate 79 north to Exit 141. Follow 285 East to Rt. 173 North, toward Cochranton. Continue north on Rt. 173 for eight miles. Turn right onto State Rt. 27 East/Guys Mills Rd. Follow this road one mile and turn left onto State Rt. 198 west. In 2.7 miles, turn left to stay on 198 West. Follow one mile and make a left at Wood Duck Lane.

From the north, take Interstate 79 south to Exit 154. Follow 198 East three miles to Saegertown. Turn right on Main Street, staying on 198 East. In 0.7-mile, turn left to stay on 198 East. Continue on 198 East for about 13 miles to Guys Mills. Make a left at Guys Mills, staying on 198 East and proceed 0.75-mile to Wood Duck Lane on the right.

Viewing Directions: Eagle nests at the Erie National Wildlife Refuge are not viewable, but eagles are spotted regularly on the refuge. The best opportunities are from the fishing pier on Pool K and the Deer Run Trail Observation Deck. Both sites are within the Sugar Lake Division.

Property Hours: Outdoor facilities are open daily from one half hour before sunrise until sunset.

Best Eagle Viewing Season: Late winter through summer.

Activities at the site: Hiking, birding, hunting, fishing, cross-country skiing

Other Wildlife: Waterfowl, songbirds, birds of prey, semi-aquatic mammals, a wide variety of plant and animal species of concern.

Where to go, what to look for

Three pairs of bald eagles nest at Erie National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge includes two separate land tracts about 10 miles apart. One nest is on the Seneca Division, a 3,594-acre tract of mostly forested valley with streams, creeks, wetlands and upland forest. Two other active nests are on the Sugar Lake Division, which consists of 5,206 acres in the Woodcock Creek Drainage. The nests are not watchable at either site, but with six adult eagles inhabiting the refuge, the chance of spotting an eagle is probable.

Bald eagles are consistently spotted on both divisions of the refuge. However, the Sugar Lake Division near Guys Mills is a bit more favorable for eagles. The Sugar Lake Division has many impoundments including the 130-acre lake called Pool 9, located on Allen Road. Use the Deer Run Trail Observation Deck — a fully-accessible, roofed shelter with benches for watching wildlife — at Pool 9. Bald eagles frequent Pool K as well. The fishing pier on Pool K provides a good opportunity to observe eagles fishing over-head or roosting on a tree at the edge of the water. Eagle viewing at the refuge is best from January through August. By midsummer, young eagles have fledged the nest, but remain in the vicinity as they learn to forage on their own. The large, immature birds can be seen soaring or perching over the impoundments and marshes. After fledging, the adults and young frequently call to one another. This harsh, gull-like cackle is distinct and often reveals a roosting or perching site.

About 2,500 acres of the refuge consists of a mix of wet habitats such as marshes, beaver floodings, swamps, soggy meadows, riparian corridors and man-made ponds. The refuge also holds mixed hardwood forest, grassland, shrubby areas, cropland, and mature stands of eastern hemlock. The mix of habitat harbors a wide assortment of plant and animal species. Because of its diverse wetlands, the refuge is designated an Important Bird Area by the Audubon Society.

Throughout the seasons, 237 bird species may utilize Erie National Wildlife Refuge and of those, 112 species breed and nest here. Other wildlife includes 47 species of mammals, 37 reptiles and amphibians, 22 varieties of freshwater mussels and a mosaic of wildflowers from the early spring ephemerals to the late summer wildflowers that wither away in October. More than 100 wildflower species bloom on the refuge. Many wildflowers bloom along Tsuga Trail, Deer Run Trail and Beaver Run Trail on the Sugar Lake Division. Trolley Line Trail and Muddy Creek Trail on the Seneca Division are especially productive from April through July.

The Tsuga Nature Trail, a 1.6-mile flat loop, passes through a beaver pond by way of a boardwalk. The backed waters of the beaver pond created a marsh with standing dead trees. These snags are beneficial to a variety of birds. Eagles, hawks, osprey, green herons, great blue herons and belted kingfisher use the snags for hunting and perching. Flickers, woodpeckers and chickadees excavate cavities in the dead wood to use for nests, while tree swallows, screech owls and wood ducks utilize existing holes created by woodpeckers and natural hollows formed by weather and decay. Wood ducks use these natural cavities and nest boxes installed throughout the refuge.

The wood duck is the most common waterfowl species to nest on the refuge. The refuge has one of the highest densities of wood ducks in the state. Other nesters include mallards, blue-winged teal, hooded mergansers and Canada geese. American coots and pied-billed grebes also nest here in the emergent vegetation at the edges of the marshes.

Reitz Pond, also on the Sugar Lake Division, has an observation blind for watching and photographing wildlife. The blind is a good spot to see many ducks. Waterfowl migrations on the refuge peak in March to early April in spring and September to November in the fall. These seasonal gatherings may bring 4,500 Canada geese and 2,500 ducks, including northern pintails, green-winged teals, American wigeon, greater and lesser scaup, common goldeneye, ring-necked ducks and black ducks.

Many birds are seen or heard in the marshy areas and their shrubby edges. Some include American and least bitterns, sora, common snipe, marsh wren, sedge wren, mourning warbler and blue-winged warbler. The occasional sandhill crane and great egret stop to forage the marsh edges during migration.

For additional information, contact:

US Fish and Wildlife Service, Erie National Wildlife Refuge, 11296 Wood Duck Lane, Guys Mills, PA 16327. Telephone: 814-789-3585

Conneaut Marsh, Geneva Marsh, SGL 213 Snapshot

Facilities: No facilities.

Driving Directions: From Interstate 79, take Exit 141 and follow Route 285 west. Continue on Rt. 285 a short distance to Route 19 North (Perry Highway) on the right. Route 19 crosses the marsh. At the north end of the bridge, pull over to a parking area on the left.

Viewing Directions: Route 19 spans the marsh. Just beyond the north end of the bridge, pull over to a parking area on the west side of the road. Looking southwest toward Route 285, an eagle's nest sits on the hillside and is visible in winter and spring with binoculars or a spotting scope.

Property Hours: Sunrise to sunset.

Best Eagle Viewing Season: Late winter and spring before trees leaf-out, but eagles can be found in all seasons.

Activities at the site: Waterfowl hunting, birding, canoeing/kayaking and fishing.

Other Wildlife: Wetland birds, waterfowl, raptors, numerous threatened and endangered species.

Where to go, what to look for

Interstate79 and Route 19 cross the lower third of Conneaut Marsh. The panoramic views from the highway bridges reveal only a glimpse of this great marsh. From its Conneaut Lake headwaters, the marsh stretches more than 12 miles before reaching French Creek. Its width averages a half mile, but in places expands to more than a mile. More than 5,500 acres of the mixed wetland habitats are preserved as State Game Land 213

This extensive wetland is extremely valuable to many breeding and migrating birds and is designated as Site 7 on Pennsylvania's Important Bird Area (IBA list) It actually comprises several kinds of wetlands, including emergent marsh, open water, and wooded swamps. The mix of these kinds of wetlands make it especially valuable to a wide diversity of bird species and offers many kinds of foraging and nesting opportunities for birds. Numerous bird species of special conservation concern nest in the wetlands or utilize the site during migration. It not only is important as a nesting habitat, but also as a stopover for migrants seeking wetlands. Several rare plant and animal species occur here as well. One of the most important features of the wetland is the open water between dense vegetation. Active management is required occasionally to maintain this open-water space.

Bald eagles have nested consistently in Conneaut Marsh and as recently as 2003, four pairs nested here. On average, about eight eagles hunt the marsh through winter. For this large bird of prey, the marsh provides an abundant supply of fish and other quarry, protected space and suitable trees for roosting and nesting.

One eagle nest is visible from the parking area on the north end of the bridge along Route 19. Looking southwest across the marsh, a nest can be seen on the distant hillside when trees are bare during winter and early spring. By mid-May, foliage conceals the nest. This lot provides a broad view of the marsh. Eagles roost on the snags of standing dead trees out in the marsh and they are often seen soaring above or flying low to scan the open marsh. A boat launch north of Geneva, near the intersection of Watson Run Road and Geneva Road, offers a wide view of the middle marsh.

Another launch with good visibility is about a mile east of Geneva, off of Route 285. This also is a likely spot to find eagles. A few miles further east, Route 285 reaches the town of Custards. Mercer Pike intersects Route 285 and travels north crossing the lower marsh. Mercer Pike and the second parking area provide good observation points for eagles and many other birds.

This lower section of the marsh narrows with a mix of open pools fringed with duck-weed, emergent marsh with stands of cattails and spatterdock, and forest swamp at its edges. During migration, both species of scaup, bufflehead, common goldeneye, ruddy ducks and canvasback, may be spotted on the main channel of open water. Dabbling ducks, such as the northern shoveler, green-winged teal, gadwall, northern pintail, American wigeon, and blue-winged teal, feed in the cover of the cattails, bulrushes, reeds and grassy hummocks. The ubiquitous mallard is fairly common as a nesting bird, but a few blue-winged teals can be found here, too. Red-winged blackbirds, common yellowthroats, and swamp sparrows are common songbirds of the marsh. The loud gurgling song of the marsh wren can be heard in many parts of the marsh where it can be locally abundant here despite its spotty distribution across the state. The eastern kingbird and yellow warbler are among the more conspicuous birds that can be found along the marsh edge. In dead trees, there are a few places where the rare, but audaciously plumaged, red-headed woodpecker nests.

Toward the middle of the marsh, the wetland gets thick with shrubby plants. Green herons, Wilson's snipe, belted kingfishers, American coot, and common moorhens are attracted to the small openings of open water. Smaller birds, such as willow flycatchers tree swallows, yellow warblers, common yellowthroats, and swamp sparrows, also are found here. The middle marsh widens with open water winding through water lilies, pickerelweed, smartweed, cattails and spatter-dock. Many ducks feed and hide throughout the emergent plants of the middle marsh. This also is a good section to find the marsh wren and other interesting birds such as the American bittern, least bittern, pied-billed grebe, Virginia rail, sora, and common moorhen, all of which nest at Conneaut Marsh. The very rare black tern has nested here in past years and hopefully will nest here regularly again. During migration, great egrets and great blue herons are conspicuous visitors in the marsh. Migration also brings common loons, Canada geese, American black ducks, tundra swans, and gulls to the open water.

The upper marsh, from Browns Hill Road up to the outlet at Conneaut Lake, changes to forest swamp. It is possible to see prothonotary warblers nesting here. This cavity nesting warbler builds a cup nest of twigs, leaves and moss in a cavity of a standing dead tree, stump, or nest box. It is common to see or hear wood ducks, vireos, wood thrushes, pileated wood-peckers and barred owls in this wooded swamp. In migration, this and other larger wetlands are important stopover locations for the rusty blackbird, a U.S. WatchList Bird of Greatest Conservation Concern strongly associated with wetlands. The rusty blackbird migrates from the boreal forests to the swamps of the Southeast, where most spend the winter.

The best way to spot eagles and other birds of Conneaut Marsh is by launching a canoe or kayak at one of the boat launches and paddling the main channel and the open water woven throughout. This marsh also is the kingdom of mink and muskrat and many other swamp creatures.

For additional information, contact:

Pennsylvania Game Commission, Northwest Region, P. O. Box 31, 1509 Pittsburgh Rd., Franklin, PA 16323. Telephone: 814-432-3188