2022-12-07 09:04:48
Make sure to BYOB—bring your own binoculars!—when you make your way to Pennsylvania’s incredible birding areas. All year long, you’re sure to spot something awe inspiring. Find even more places to go birdwatching at visitPA.com/birdwatching. PILEATED WOODPECKER dryocopus pileatus FUN FACT: This is the largest type of woodpecker found in North America. VOICE: A succession of loud, bark-like cries that crescendo and fade HABITAT: With a diet of ants and other insects, as well as wild fruits and nuts, these birds forage in dead wood, making forestlands a common home. WHERE TO SEE IT: Explore the 500-acre Harrison Hills Park in Natrona Heights, where you can choose from 14 miles of trails, including the paved, wheelchair-accessible Watts Meadow Trail, and keep an eye out for the pileated woodpecker. YELLOW WARBLER setophaga petechia FUN FACT: This is part of the wood warbler family. VOICE: An even series of sweet chirps, followed by a trill of varied notes HABITAT: Find them in shrubs, thickets, and woodlands along the edges of waterbodies such as lakes and streams. WHERE TO SEE IT: An urban oasis in Philadelphia, John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge at tinicum boasts the state’s largest remaining freshwater tidal marsh, and more than 300 bird species have been recorded here. WOOD DUCK aix sponsa FUN FACT: Females look entirely different than males! They are mostly brown or grey with dapples of white on the body and iridescent color on the wings. VOICE: (Males) Long, even, high-pitched squeal; (Females) Bicycle horn-like squawking HABITAT: Eating largely aquatic plants, seeds and acorns, these birds live in wooded swamps, shallow lakes, ponds, and other slow-moving waterbodies surrounded by woodlands. WHERE TO SEE IT: Spring through fall, stroll along the shoreline of the 720-acre Yellow Creek Lake at Yellow Creek State Park in Penn Run, where wood ducks are often seen. BALD EAGLE haliaeetus leucocephalus FUN FACT: This bird is the national symbol of the United States of America. VOICE: Short, punctuated screeches and squeals HABITAT: As bald eagles eat mostly fish, they are typically found near water—whether the ocean, large lakes, or rivers. WHERE TO SEE IT: As its name suggests, Bald Eagle State Park in Howard is an ideal place to spot these majestic birds, which can be viewed year-round and nest along the upper edge of the lake. SCARLET TANAGER haliaeetus leucocephalus piranga olivacea FUN FACT: Females and non-breeding males have similar features but yellow coloring instead of red. VOICE: Swinging, repetitive warble with a nasal tone HABITAT: These bright birds live mostly among forests and leafy shade trees. WHERE TO SEE IT: The nature center area at Peace Valley Park in Doylestown features two bird blinds and 15 miles of trails for plenty of opportunities to spot this dazzling bird during spring and summer.
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Of a Feather
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