Annual Meeting
The next PSO Annual Meeting will be held in Meadville, Crawford County on September 14-16, 2018.
The Italian Civic Club, 869 Water St., Meadville, PA 16335
Registration now open!
If you had not renewed your membership yet, you can download it here.
Econolodge, Meadville (2 Miles from Italian Club) 11237 Shaw Ave. 814-724-6366. 30 rooms blocked at $71.99 Continental breakfast 5 am. Make reservations by September 1 to receive this rate. To get special rate mention PSO for dates September 14-15.
Quality Inn , Meadville (3 Miles from Italian Club) 17259 Conneaut Lake Road 814-333-8883 or 814-333-1998. 30 rooms blocked at $99.99 Breakfast 5:30 am to 9 am Make reservations by September 3 to receive rate.
Hampton Inn , Meadville (3 Miles from Italian Club) 11446 N. Dawn Drive 814-807-1446. 60 rooms blocked at $139.00 Continental breakfast at 5:30 am; full breakfast at 6 am Make reservations by August 24 to receive rate.
Friday September 14
5:00 – 7:00 pm – Registration
6:00 -7:00 pm – Social with Cash Bar
7:00 pm – Business Meeting
7:30 pm – Bird Trivia, Emily Thomas
Saturday September 15
7:00 am – Depart for Field Trips
Lunch on your own following the field trips
2:00 – 2:45 pm – Brenda Peebles, Pennsylvania Game Commission: Bald Eagles in the Pymatuning Area
2:45 – 3:15 pm – Break, Vendors
3: 15 – 4:00 pm – Joe Siegrist, Purple Martin Conservation Association
6:00 – 7:00 pm – Social with Cash Bar, Vendors
7:00 – 8:00 pm – Dinner
8:00 pm – Awards Presentation, Banquet Speaker
Banquet Speaker: Dr. Ronald Mumme, Allegheny College: The Tradeoff between Molt and Parental Care in Hooded Warblers
Sunday September 16
7:00 am – Depart for Field Trips
1. Field Trips are limited in the number participants. The limit is set depending on the trip. If you see a trip you like, register early before it fills up!
2. You must be a paid the Annual Meeting Registration Fee or a PSO guest to sign up for a field trip.3. All field trips run both Saturday and Sunday. Please do not sign up for the same trip both days.
CUSTARDS ACCESS AND THE WELLS ACCESS, GENEVA MARSH
A birding by road area, the open marsh and wet forest provide good habitat for a variety of species. We can also
bird along Mud Pike where flooded forests offer possibilities for migrants. The Wells area will require walking
down a hill along a dirt game lands road that dead ends at the marsh. The road is forested. No restrooms at this
site however there is a nearby gas station. The Trip leader on Saturday is Chad Kauffman and Sunday is Mike Leahy.
ERIE NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE
Only one of two National Wildlife Refuges in the state, this area offers a wide variety of habitats including
forest, brushy areas and marshes. A variety of migrants may be found here and most birding is done from the
road or on short walks. The website for more info can be found at the following link
https://www.fws.gov/refuge/Erie/wildlife_and_habitat/index.html
The Trip leader on Saturday will be Michael David. On Sunday it will be Glen Koppel.
HARTSTOWN MARSH
One of many extensive and impressive wetlands in Crawford County. The marsh is home to breeding rails,
American Bitterns, Bald Eagles, Wood Ducks, Common Moorhens, Willow and Alder Flycatchers, Swamp
Sparrows and formerly Black Terns. Occasionally Red-headed Woodpeckers are spotted among the snags. This
shallow aquatic habitat is rich with emergent vegetation, providing habitat for marsh birds. There is woodland
bordering the marsh where migrants can be found and various waterfowl and perhaps a few shorebirds should
be in the area. The marsh is part of State Game Lands 214. Birding will be by car and short walks along a dike.
No restrooms. The Trip leader is Mike Leahy on Saturday and Mike Fialkovich on Sunday.
HELEN B. KATZ NATURAL AREA
The combination of floodplain, wetland, upland forest, and old field provide habitat for a diversity of wildlife.
Wood ducks frequent the wetlands and Cussewago Creek. There’s also abundant beaver activity. As part of an
Audubon Society Important Bird Area, habitat exists for a variety of birds, including Cerulean Warbler, Hooded
Warbler, Marsh Wren, Green-winged Teal, and Pied-billed Grebe. This should be a good place to get a variety
of migrants. The website for more info can be found at https://waterlandlife.org/land-conservation/explore-ourproperties/
helen-b-katz-natural-area/ This trip will be led by David Yeany II.
One of several access points to the extensive marsh offers resident Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers, Brown Creepers,
Purple Finches and Red-headed Woodpeckers in the wet forest. The road crosses open marsh where rails,
bitterns and others nest. Early waterfowl migrants and warblers are possible in the wooded section of the road.
Birding will be from the roads as there are no trails. Note there are no restrooms at this location. This trip is
being led by Adam & Andy Troyer on Saturday, with the Sunday leader - Chad Kauffman.
This tour will visit all locations and can be started at either end with plenty of parking at all sites. The Miller
Ponds area consists of open fields and two small ponds that are attractive to migrant shorebirds. Rare migrants
over the years include Willet, Wilson’s Phalarope and American Golden Plover. Some waterfowl may be
present including Blue-winged Teal. A new pond that was under construction this year may be ready by our
meeting time so we will check it as well. style="text-align: left;">The Spillway is a roadside attraction where numerous carp are fed by visitors. Looking through the gulls may turn up something unusual. This was the site of a beautiful Sabine’s Gull several years ago at this time of year.
Laughing Gull was another rarity at this location. Bald Eagles should be visible almost anywhere.
Ford Island is the site of the former Wildlife Museum that was torn down a few years ago (it’s slated to be
rebuilt at some point in the future). A 0.25 mile nature trail through lakeside forest may yield migrant warblers,
vireos and thrushes. We will also check the brushy edges around the parking lot for migrants.
The Linesville Fish Hatchery is a good place to search for early waterfowl, shorebirds and migrant warblers.
We can walk around the ponds to search for various species. The Miller Ponds and Spillway do not require
walking. The trail at Ford Island is easy to walk as well as the areas around the fish hatchery. The fish hatchery
and spillway have restrooms. This trip is being led by Mike Fialkovich on Saturday and Mary Birdsong on Sunday.
This swimming area at Pymatuning State Park features brush and woods where we can search for migrants.
Red-headed Woodpeckers are resident. Walking will be easy around the parking lots. We can drive to the
causeway and park in the middle of the lake to scan for any waterfowl, gulls or cormorants that may be present.
This trip is being led by Bob Van Newkirk
Woodcock Lake is a good shorebird site. Notable shorebirds seen here last year included Red Knot, Rednecked
Phalarope, American Golden Plover, Ruddy Turnstone, Sanderling, Stilt Sandpiper, White-rumped
Sandpiper, and Baird’s Sandpiper, among others. We will likely start out birding the Causeway area where we
will park along the causeway and scope the mudflats for migrant shorebirds, assuming they have begun draining
the lake as they usually have this time of year. From there we will drive to the head of the Abandoned Road
Trail. This is a paved trail which goes through a variety of wooded, marsh and field habitat. Migrant warblers
and sparrows are good possibilities. At the end of the trail we will arrive at the mudflats viewed from the
Causeway where we will get better view of any migrant shorebirds. We can also check the lake for migrant
waterfowl and also bird a number of game land paths along the lake.
The Abandoned Road Trail is a one way trail about ¾ of a mile in length and is paved the whole way. The last
part of it often floods so mud boots are recommended. A scope will be useful for the shorebirds and waterfowl.
If you have a lightweight tripod that would be useful as well as some of us may want to bring scopes to the end
of the trail where we will be able to view the mudflats. There are restrooms available at Woodcock Lake. The
website for more info can be found at http://www.woodcocklakepark.com/ This trip is being led by Rob
Hodgson.
The following is a partial list of the bird clubs, conservation organizations, and birding businesses that will have tables set up at our meeting location. They will be there to meet you, get acquainted, and offer information and products of interest to the Pennsylvania birding community.
Vendor registration is still open, so check back over the next few weeks as the list of participants will be growing.
Three Rivers Birding Club - Club information, membership forms, free newsletters
Troyer's Birds Paradise - Bluebird boxes, Purple Martin gourds, Oriole and Bluebird feeders for sale
Sheree Daugherty - Wildlife art -paintings on canvas, panel and driftwood, hand-painted ornaments for sale
Birds By Botzan - Needle-felted birds, crochet birds, silver feather keychains, photography prints for sale
Juniata Valley Audubon Society - Shade grown, organic Honduran coffee and nature prints for sale, free information, free coffee samples
T-Shirts! We have t-shirts once again, the profits of which goes to help support the Youth Scholarships. This year the colors are Light Blue and Sport Gray. On the front is a PSO Logo that says, PSO 2018 on the top and Crawford County on the bottom. On the back is a Bald Eagle which is this year’s pin as well. As last year they come in both men’s and women’s cuts.
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Each year, the PSO provides funds to pay for a young birder to attend the Annual Meeting.
You can nominate a young birder for this scholarship be submiting this application.