Welcome
Welcome to the Presque Isle Audubon Society web site. PIAS is a chapter of the National Audubon Society and a member of Audubon Pennsylvania serving northwestern Pennsylvania including Erie, Crawford and Warren counties. It is named after Presque Isle, a peninsula on the shores of Lake Erie near the city of Erie.
Activities
The Presque Isle Audubon Society provides educational and recreational activities throughout the year which are centered around the natural world and open to the public. PIAS holds meetings on the third Friday of the month in September, October, November, February, March, April, May, and June. A wide variety of field trips are offered throughout the year. PIAS publishes a newsletter, Tern of Events, every month except in January and July.
In addition to field trips and monthly programs, the Presque Isle Audubon Society is involved in other nature-related activities. PIAS conducts the Erie, PA Christmas Bird Count and hosts the "Festival of the Birds" in May. PIAS owns and maintains the 50-acre Laura Olsen Memorial Sanctuary in Crawford County, the 33-acre Fern Wood Sanctuary near Fairview, and is co-owner (with the Botanical Society of Western Pennsylvania) of the 89-acre Titus Bog Sanctuary in Erie County. PIAS maintains a collection of nature books at the Nash Library of Gannon University and was instrumental in establishing the Presque Isle Research Library at Presque Isle State Park.
The Presque Isle Audubon Society provides volunteer services to the Erie National Wildlife Refuge and co-sponsors a biennial nature photo contest with the Refuge. As part of the Important Bird Area Program, PIAS monitors breeding birds at Roderick Reserve.
Erie National Wildlife Refuge, Pool 9
PIAS is a member of the Erie County Environmental Coalition. The Society is also a member of the annual Allegany Nature Pilgrimage held at Allegany State Park, NY in June. PIAS participates in the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation's Adopt-A-Highway program. The Society's Education Committee provides free subscriptions to Audubon Adventures to numerous classrooms and school libraries in northwest Pennsylvania.
Allegany State Park, NY
"Wings, Sand, and Song:
Presque Isle's Habitat"
DVD on Sale
"Wings, Sand and Song," produced by Moonfire Productions, journeys through the unique habitats of Presque Isle during all four seasons to view some of the most intimate moments of bird life: watch a Yellow Warbler build her nest, a Killdeer clutch hatch and take their first steps, Baltimore Oriole fledglings fed by their parents and a multitude of other species who call Presque Isle State Park their home - either for a brief moment during migration or all year long.
We currently have the DVDs available at our monthly meetings and at the Nature Shop at the Tom Ridge Environmental Center. If you purchase a DVD from PIAS the cost is $15. Or if you use the order form and want it mailed, the cost will include shipping at $5.95. Click here for the order form.
Festival of the Birds
May 7, 8, 9, 2010
Enjoy the height of spring bird migration at Presque Isle State Park, a natural concentration point along the Atlantic flyway where 320 species of birds have been recorded.
Our Mission
Our mission is to promote the conservation and protection of wildlife, plants, soil, and water in relation to human activity; to initiate and carry out plans and activities which would contribute to the conservation and protection of these natural resources; and to provide opportunities to become more aware and appreciative of our physical and biological environment.
Next Meeting
"The Grizzly Bears of Yellowstone National Park"
February 19, 2010
Steve Ropski, a biology professor at Gannon University and a PIAS member, will present a slide program, "The Grizzly Bears of Yellowstone National Park," at our next meeting on February 19. Steve has been leading summer field trips to Yellowstone for many years as well as studying the ecology of the flora and fauna of the region including the great grizzly bears.
Place: Tom Ridge Environmental Center
Address: 301 Peninsula Drive, Room 112
Social: 7:00 pm
Program: 7:30 pm
FREE and open to the public.
From February 12 to 15, you are invited by the National Audubon Society and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology to take part in the Great Backyard Bird Count, an annual four-day event that engages bird watchers of all ages in counting birds to create a real-time picture of where the birds are across the continent.
Anyone can participate, from beginning bird watchers to experts. Participants count birds anywhere for as little or as long as they wish during the four-day period. They tally the highest number of birds of each species seen together at any one time. To find directions and report your count, go to the Great Backyard Bird Count website at
http://www.birdsource.org/gbbc.
Presque Isle Audubon Great Backyard Bird Count
February 13, 2010
Would you like to participate in a GBBC count at Presque Isle? Would you like help identifying the birds you see at your feeder during the winter? Would you also like to learn more about participating in the Great Backyard Bird Count and why it is held?
Then join us Saturday morning, February 13, 9:00 AM to noon, at Cabin 2 at Presque Isle State Park. This event is free and no registration is required.
The event will also include: hints to attract birds to your backyard; a crafting activity; and a nature walk (weather permitting). Coffee, hot cocoa and light snacks will be served. Participants are encouraged to bring binoculars if they have them and warm clothes.
In conjunction with the GBBC we will be having a presentation at the PIAS general meeting on the 19th of February that will include photos and highlights from the PIAS GBBC, our count totals and perhaps count totals from other locals as available.
Erie, PA Christmas Bird Count Results
December 19, 2009
Many thanks to everyone who helped to make this year's Christmas Bird Count a success. Twenty-eight of us set out on a cold and snowy Saturday to count the birds of the Erie CBC circle. Most of our volunteers were veteran counters but a few were new to this annual tradition. We ended up with 69 species for the day and had 3 more species for the count week period (3 days before and after the official count day).
Red-throated Loon
Birds of note included a Red-throated Loon, White-winged and Black Scoters, Bald Eagle, Peregrine Falcon, Iceland Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, and Glaucous Gull.
Click here for the complete results of the Erie Christmas Bird Count in PDF format
Count Compiler
Chuck Gehringer