All field trips are open to members and
non-members.
Please contact Kathy
Bechdel for questions or information about the field
trips.
Sunday, January 11, 2026 10:00am – 12:00pm
Winter Bird Walk on Lower Trail (Huntingdon County)
Trip Leaders: Connor Schmitt and Amber Wiewel
We will meet at the
Mount Etna
trailhead and walk on the smooth and flat Lower Trail
along the Juniata River. We will look for eagles, ducks, and
kingfishers along the river and creepers, kinglets, Hermit
Thrush, and other usual forest/shrub birds along the trail.
A winter survey for the Pennsylvania Bird Atlas will be
conducted during the bird walk, so this will be a nice
introduction if new to the Atlas or an opportunity to ask
questions if a participating atlaser. All are welcome to attend
regardless of interest in the Atlas.
A vault toilet is available at the trailhead. Please consider
the weather and wear appropriate cold weather gear.
Contact
Amber
if interested in carpooling from the State College area.
The field trip is open to members and non-members.
Saturday, February 14, 2026 10:00am – 12:00pm
Winter Bird Walk on Lower Trail (Huntingdon County)
Trip Leaders: Connor Schmitt and Amber Wiewel
We will meet at the
Mount Etna
trailhead and walk on the smooth and flat Lower Trail
along the Juniata River. For those who attended this same field
trip in January, we will be walking in the opposite direction
along the trail this time. We will look for eagles, mergansers,
and kingfishers along the river and creepers, woodpeckers,
kinglets, and other usual forest/shrub birds along the trail.
Tuesday, March 3, 2026 (5:30pm - 6:30 pm)
Sunset Bird Count at Sayer's Dam
Trip Leader: Joe Gyekis
Meet for bird watching at Sayer's Dam at the northeastern end of
Bald Eagle State Park. We will meet at the PFC Foster Joseph
Sayers Statue and War Memorial. If the birding is busy at the
dam, we will stay there, if not, we will walk half a mile down
to a small wetland nearby (see
map).
Target birds include various water birds on the lake and
possible robin/blackbird roost near the wetland.
This field trip is open to members and non-members.
Sunday, March 15, 2026 (8:00 am - 11:00 am)
Bald Eagle State Park
Trip Leader: Bob Snyder
Meet at the Swimming Beach parking lot.
We will be looking for migrating waterfowl: possibly various
ducks and other waterfowl, Tundra Swans, Bald Eagles and winter
hawks that may be in, or passing through the park while heading
back north.
Bring binoculars, a spotting scope (handy if you have one) and a
camera. Please dress for the weather and time of year; we
can still have snow squalls in late March and wear a pair of
sturdy hiking boots, as we might walk down from the war memorial
on the dam to Hunter Run Cove and the spillway marsh.
This field trip is open to members and non-members.
Saturday. April 18, 2026 (10:00am - 11:00 am)
Tudek Park
Trip Leader: Constanza Ehrenhaus
This walk will be designed for beginner birders, especially
families with children. Of course, all are welcome.
The area is stroller-friendly, and the walk will be kept to one
hour to fit younger learners' attention spans. We will
meet near the restrooms at the upper parking lot. To get to
Tudek park: from Martin St, go down Herman Dr and park in the
parking lot near the restrooms or the larger parking lot if the
other one is full.
This field trip is open to members and non-members.
Wednesday, May 13, 2026 (7:30 am - 9:30 am)
Search for Cerulean Warblers on the Lower Trail, Blair
County
Trip Leader: Nick Bolgiano
Please join Nick Bolgiano for a leisurely walk along a stretch
of the Lower Trail in Blair County. The goal of this trip is to
find Cerulean Warblers, in the core of their Lower Trail
habitat. See
webpage
for more information on Nick Bolgiano's search for Cerulean
Warblers. This stretch of the Lower Trail is also great for
Acadian Flycatcher, Yellow-throated Vireo, Warbling Vireo, Wood
Thrush, Louisiana Waterthrush, Yellow-throated Warbler,
Rose-breasted Grosbeak, and Baltimore Oriole.
Meet at the
Mt.
Etna trailhead parking lot at 7:30am
(www.rttcpa.org/index.shtml). Travel West on Route 22 from the
intersection of Route 453 at Water Street. Turn Left on Fox Run
Rd at 3.3 mi (just after the westbound turns to 2 lanes, making
this easier if traffic) or Left on Etna Furnace Rd at 4.6 mile.
Continue Right near the river to reach the Mt. Etna trailhead
parking lot. There is a modern outhouse available.
From the Mt. Etna trailhead parking lot, the group will walk
South along the Lower Trail for 1-2 miles out and back.
This field trip is open to members and non-members.
Saturday, May 16, 2026 (8:00 am - 9:30 am)
Chicory Lane Farm
Trip Leader: Doug Wentzel
Doug Wentzel will lead a bird walk at the Chicory Lane Farm
Symposium. For more details click on the link to their
website below.
Chicory
Lane Symposium
Saturday, May 30, 2026 (8:00 am - 9:30 am)
Penns Prairie
at Tri-County Municipal Park, Centre Hall, PA
Trip Leaders: Andrew Bechdel
Penn's Prairie is a multi-purpose park integrating recreation,
wildlife conservation, and historical prairie restoration and
preservation. The park is located at
2400 Upper Brush
Valley Road, Centre Hall, PA 16828.
Join Andrew Bechdel for a leisurely walk throughout Penns
Prairie Park outside Centre Hall, Pa. This newly developed,
multi-purposed park provides opportunities for a variety of
avian life such as nesting grassland sparrows, Red-headed
Woodpeckers, and American Kestrels. Although this park has been
open to the public since August of 2018, an understanding of
avian life is still in the works and we hope to increase
community efforts in helping understand the changes throughout
the development of the park.
www.pennsprairie.com
This field trip is open to members and non-members.
Swifts and Sweets - Date and Time in July To Be Announced
Birding Events sponsored
by partner organizations
Thursday Bird Walks at The Penn State Arboretum
Meet at
8 am at the
Overlook Pavilion (paid
parking available at law school, free parking at Sunset Park),
end around
9:30am.
Thursday, January 29
Thursday, February 26
Thursday, March 26
Thursdays, April 2, 9, 16, 23, 30
Bird Walks with The State College Bird Club at Millbrook
Marsh Nature Center
Tuesdays, March 31, April 7, 14, 21, 28 from 8 - 9:30 am.
Start your day off right by observing birds that are migrating
to and through the Centre Region. Walks take place at Millbrook
Marsh Nature Center and are led by members of the
State College Bird Club.
This program is open to all ages and is great for beginners.
Please dress for the weather and bring binoculars. In the case
of heavy rain, the walk that morning will be canceled. A
suggested donation of $5 per participant supports Millbrook
Marsh Nature Center. Registration is not required.
Migration Morning Bird Walks at Shaver’s Creek
Environmental Center
Wednesdays, April 1, 8, 15, 22, 29, and May 6, 2025, 7:00 am
– 8:30 am
Join Shaver’s Creek naturalists for a leisurely hike to see,
hear, and appreciate the many bird species migrating through
central Pennsylvania.