Current bird sightings in the State
College area (all points within 25 miles of Old Main at University
Park) are mainly shared by e-mail
distributed by
the listserv group
scbirdcl. However,
sightings can also be shared from various websites and from the field
with cellphones. The following list briefly describes several
groups in which sightings from the State
College and adjoining areas may appear.
Listserv
group SCBIRDCL
Current information about raptor, warbler, or water fowl migration in the State College area can be found on the listserv discussion group scbirdcl that is associated with the State College Bird Club. In addition to local bird sighting data, information about the Bird Club will be posted here. You may join the scbirdcl group by sending the message "subscribe scbirdcl your-name" to listserv@lists.psu.edu. The "From" field in the e-mail header should have the address of where you will be sending and receiving e-mail to or from the list. Your subscription will be confirmed with a "welcome" message with detailed instructions about using the list. After you are subscribed, you will receive a copy of every message posted to the list, and you may post your own messages to the list.
Facebook group State College Bird Club
Current postings to the Facebook group "State College Bird Club" may be read at www.facebook.com/scbirdcl (click on Wall in left column). Posting to this group requires a Facebook account.
Cellphone
text message group for notable bird alerts
The purpose of this service to
alert birders of notable unexpected bird sightings or events (e.g.,
Sandhill Cranes at Curtin Wetland, big waterfowl fallout at BESP, etc).
You can sign up for a free account at GroupMe.com and then contact Andrew Weber at his e-mail address
with the email address or phone number you signed up with. After you
are added, send a hello text to (323) 522-9212 to be officially added
to the group. Once you have joined, any message you send to (323)
522-9212 will be sent to all members.
In addition to using text (SMS) messages, there are several free
GroupMe apps available for iPhone, Android, Blackberry, Windows Phone
7. The apps make it easy to attach photos to the rare bird alert. You
can also log on to GroupMe.com to see all of the alerts. For more info on the service, you can read their FAQ.
Website eBird
The
website ebird.org
provides a public global listing service for entering bird sighting
data. The local data entered here might be by birders who do not post
to
SCBIRDCL or PABIRDS. Some birders enter their data on eBird and then
extract that data and post it on SCBIRDCL or PABIRDS.
This link shows all the birds reported to eBird within 25 miles of Old Main, University Park.
Facebook group PA - Birds
Current postings to the Facebook group "PA - Birds" may be read at www.facebook.com by searching for "PA Birds". Posting to this group requires a Facebook account.
Listserv
group PABIRDS
Current information about raptor, warbler, or water fowl migration in all parts of Pennsylvania can be found on the listserv group pabirds. You may join the pabird list (Pennsylvania Birds) by sending the message "subscribe pabirds your-name" to listserv@list.audubon.org. The "From" field in the e-mail header should have the address of where you will be sending and receiving e-mail to or from the list. Your subscription will be confirmed with a "welcome" message with detailed instructions about using the list. After you are subscribed, you will receive a copy of every message posted to the list, and you may post your own messages to the list.
Hawkwatch
sightings
The organization HMANA collects data from Hawkwatch compilers from all over North America and distributes that data in a standardized format through the listserv group BIRDHAWK which may be subscribed to at HMANA. For example, compilers from Jack's Mt, Stone Mt., and Tussey Mt. Hawkwatches all send their data to HMANA. Close to the spring hawkwatch at Tussey Mt. is a fall hawkwatch at Jo Hays Vista.