DIRECTIONS: From Indiana, take US 422 west to the Parkwood Road exit. Turn left (west) and go 3.6 miles to the stop (right turn keep moving) sign. Turn right and continue for another 3.3 miles, where this road merges with Old PA 56. Proceed west on Old PA 56 for 2.3 miles, into and through the town of West Lebanon. Take the third left after West Lebanon, Olivet Road. (The first left goes to Iselin, the second is George Road.) In winter, Red-tailed Hawk and Northern Harrier are often found near this intersection. The field on the northeast corner of this intersection is a good spot to look for Short-eared Owl in winter. Proceed down the hill to the marshy area. Golden-crowned Kinglet frequently associate with the mixed winter flocks of chickadees and titmice. Check the dead trees for woodpeckers. Swamp Sparrow is often listed here. In summer, Yellow Warbler and Common Yellowthroat nest. As you proceed up the road, stop periodically to check the scrub growth for Yellow-breasted Chat and Blue-winged Warbler. The grasslands yield Vesper, Grasshopper, and Henslow's sparrows. At 1 mile, after passing the strip shop (the building surrounded by cyclone fencing) on your left, you will see an intersection. By turning left, a 0.5 mile jaunt will take you to a marsh. Willow Flycatcher and Eastern Kingbird nest here. Watch overhead for Common Raven and listen for their distinctive croaks. Rough-legged Hawk may occur during the winter anywhere along this entire route. Check the grasslands for sparrows and Eastern Meadowlark as you retrace your route to the intersection. At the intersection, continue on the road 0.3 mile to a dirt road to the left. Several hundred yards up the dirt road is a pond where Spotted and Solitary sandpipers have both been listed in spring and fall. Check the tree cavities here for nesting bluebirds, starlings, and woodpeckers. This is Rosensteel Road. Continue along this road past a farm pond on the left where Great Egret, Great Blue Heron, and Green Heron have all been noted. Just past the barn on the right flocks of Wilson's Snipe have been sighted in the stream bottom in early spring. The fields on the left have yielded Rough-legged Hawk in winter. Continue on Rosensteel to a stop sign. Turn right. This road will take you into the village of Elders Ridge to a stop sign on Old PA 56. Proceed at an angle across the intersection so that the church is on your right and the cemetery on your left. Check the wires to your right for American Kestrel. Check the wires to your right for American Kestrel. Stop at the next T and search the fields for Short-eared Owl and Northern Harrier in winter and grassland sparrows in spring and summer. Continue down hill to your left. This has been a consistent spot for finding Eastern Meadowlark in winter. At the bottom of the hill, continue straight to the bridge. A Northern Shrike wintered here in 1986 and again in 1987; another was seen at this spot during the fall/winter of 1995-96. In spring and summer, Willow Flycatcher can usually be heard singing all along this stream valley. Continue up the hill past the abandoned rusty farm equipment. Watch the road in spring and summer for Killdeer and their young. In winter the fields on both sides of the road harbor Horned Lark and an occasional Lapland Longspur; be sure to check the lark flocks carefully. The level spot at the top of the hill offers not only a panoramic view of the area but a great view of raptors that are present. Red-tailed Hawk nest consistently in the woodlot straight ahead, and Northern Harrier hunt these fields in winter. This is also a good spot from which to observe the spring courtship flight of the American Woodcock. Migrant Bobolink can sometimes be seen here in May. Continue down the hill to the marsh. Virginia Rail and Eastern Screech-Owl have been heard here. (This is also an excellent spot to see bats on warm summer evenings.) Sparrows, including American Tree, Field, Song, Swamp, and White-throated, frequent this area in winter. Just past the marsh to the left is a pond. Check the edges in spring and summer for shorebirds. Northern Rough-winged Swallow frequently scoop insects from the water's surface. Further along, the road notoriously worsens, so you may wish to turn around near the pond. If you do continue up the road, the area immediately surrounding the next intersection at the top of the hill is a prime vantage point from which to scan for birds of prey. However, to continue on this tour retrace your route to the intersection by the house. Turn right; this road parallels the stream valley. Check the trees for woodpeckers; and watch the ridges on both sides in winter for Short-eared Owl and Northern Harrier. About 0.2 mile after the stop sign, the stream widens. Mallard and American Black Duck winter here until the water freezes over. A drive farther up the stream valley often produces Great Blue Heron or Green Heron. Again, turn around and retrace your route back to Elders Ridge. To return to Indiana, turn left between the church and cemetery in Elders Ridge. Then proceed 100 feet to the main road and turn right on the road to Iselin. Proceed through Iselin to Clarksburg. In Clarksburg turn left (east) on PA 286. Indiana is 15 miles from Clarksburg. Or you may retrace your entire route with the hope of seeing what you missed the first time!