For the Birds
The numbers are in from the Dec. 16 Audubon Society South Butler Christmas Bird Count.
And they are looking really good for the American robin and cedar waxwing populations in the county said Chris Kubiak, director of education for the society.
This year's count tallied 54 bird species and numbered 7,855 individual birds, Kubiak said.
“Two of the top species,” Kubiak said, “were the American robin which totaled 622 and the cedar waxwing which numbered 451 in the count.”
“The reason is interesting that the numbers are so up from last year's robin and cedar waxwing counts,” said Kubiak. “It has nothing to do with population increase, but it does have something to do with what the birds eat.
“They are fruit eaters. Last year there was no fruit to eat,” he said. “But this year was a banner year for apples, crab apples and grapes.”
An abundance of acorns this fall was probably the reason that the blue jay population — 471 — was very, very high this month, he said.
The bird count was moved from its traditional Jan. 6 date because extremely low temperatures and dangerous wind chill conditions kept the numbers of both bird sightings and observers low during the January bird census.
On Dec. 16 there were 35 bird counters in the field, he said, and another 22 counting birds at feeders from inside their homes. Despite the early morning rain, Kubiak said the count ran from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The South Butler Christmas Bird Count is conducted within a circular area centered around Mars and running west to Zelienople, south to Cranberry Township, east to the Route 228 corridor and north to Connoquenessing Township.
Kubiak said no one spotted any evening grosbeaks which he had expected to log in the bird count.
“But we did see some new birds,” he said. “We did see three merlins, which are a type of falcon, which never got on our count before.
“That was really interesting. It was a good sign,” he said. “It means they are coming back from a pesticide-induced population decline.”
“The merlins are a near arctic species. They are migrating south and coming down to hunt,” he said.
“We saw one of them in Penn Township, one in Middlesex Township and one near Zelienople.”
Kubiak said he wanted to thank everyone who took part in this month's bird count.“We really appreciate it. The bird counts give us a census and a snapshot of the bird population in wintertime across Pennsylvania and across the nation,” he said.The numbers from the Dec. 15 Christmas Bird Count at the Jennings Environmental Education Center, 2951 Prospect Road in Brady Township, conducted for the Bartramian Audubon Society aren't it yet, said Brandi Miller-Parrish, the center's environmental education specialist.“We submitted all of our results to the Bartramian Society compiler,” Miller-Parrish said.The Jennings count was a feeder count, she said, meaning the 25 people participating in the count from 9 to 11 a.m. counted and identified birds from within the center.“There was nothing during that time that was unusual,” said Miller-Parrish.“We did see a brown creeper, ”she added. “It's not unusual, but we don't see them very often.“It's a very small brown bird. It doesn't go to feeders. It goes up and down the trunks of trees, hunting for insects, ”she said.Miller-Parrish added that's not the end of holiday happenings at Jennings.The center will host a “First Night Hike” beginning at 10:30 p.m. Monday, New Year's Eve.She said, “Come into the parking lot on the prairie side. A guide will take you down a path lit with luminarias to the picnic pavilion where there will be a fire and hot drinks.“Then there will be about an hour hike. We don't use flashlights and we walk to experience New Year's in nature,” she said. The hike will finish at the picnic pavilion in time to ring in 2019.Registration is optional, Miller-Parrish said, but by calling 724-794-6011 to register it will help center staff in planning.
