Monthly Meetings and Programs
PIAS holds meetings on the third Friday of each month (except for holidays) from September through June, excluding December and January. Our Annual Banquet is the third Friday of September. The meetings are held at the Tom Ridge Environmental Center, Room 112, 301 Peninsula Drive in Erie. They begin with a social gathering at 7 p.m., followed by a 7:30 program. Everyone is invited; you need not be a member to attend PIAS meetings and enjoy the informative, educational and fun programs.
Next Meeting
"Members' Night"
May 17, 2013
You still have time to prepare your Members' Night presentation. This is your night, YOU, are the program. We look forward to seeing your slides and your art, hearing about your exciting trip, interesting experience and adventure and enjoying your music, poetry and other nature-related subjects. Sharing your interests, and talents with your fellow Auduboners is very rewarding. Your adherence to the five (5) minute time limit will be appreciated by
To participate, call Jean at 474-3395 before Tuesday, May 14. If she is not available, please leave your name and number on the answering machine at 868-4423, and Jean will get back to you. Come on out and have fun with "Where Is It?" by Michelle Rundquist Franz and enjoy Bob Gallivan's always interesting presentations and Chuck Kern's "Kids' Animal Stories.'" How about you? Do you have a kids' animal story that you would like to share with us? We'd love to hear it.
Place: Tom Ridge Environmental Center
Address: 301 Peninsula Drive, Room 112
Social: 7:00 pm
Program: 7:30 pm
Allegany Nature Pilgrimage
May 31 - June 2, 2013
It's time to get ready for the 2013 Allegany Nature Pilmgrimage to be held from Friday to Sunday, May 31-June 2. The Nature Pilgrmage has been providing a nature retreat in Allegany State Park, NY for over 50 years. Members, their families and friends from Buffalo, Jamestown, and Presque Isle Audubon Societies and Burroughs Nature Club gather to enjoy the outdoors and discover more about the world we live in.
Over 90 different field trips, adventures and classes are held. Nature topics include trees, flowers, ferns, insects, birds, salamanders, reptiles, tracks and signs, mammals, geology, astronomy, ecology, and more. You might also find a class in yoga, paper-making, photography, sketching, nature games... There are evening programs and speakers under the big tent and a chicken barbecue on Saturday evening. Click here to download a 2013 ANP brochure. To register and find out more go to the NEW Allegany Nature Pilgrimage website at:
www.alleganynaturepilgrimage.com.
2013 Spring Bird Banding at Presque Isle
Spring bird banding starts Friday, May 3rd. Banding is sponsored by Audubon PA at Presque Isle and will operate Tuesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through the end of May. We will alternate between Fry's Landing and Niagara Boat Launch: Tuesday and Saturday at Niagara Boat Launch, and Friday and Sunday at Fry's Landing.
In general we will try to open by 8 AM and continue through 1 PM. On Tuesdays we may open slightly later. There is no banding if it is raining or too windy.
You are welcome to come and watch. We look forward to seeing some of you around the banding table.
http://pispbirdbanding.blogspot.com
The Presque Isle Official Hawk Watch
March through May 2013
The Presque Isle Hawk Watch begins recording hawk migration along the south shore of Lake Erie beginning in March and continues through at least early May. The data collected at the hawk watch will be used by the North American Hawk Watch Association to monitor the health of the raptor populations throughout the continent. Jerry McWilliams, Presque Isle Hawk Watch Coordinator, invites anyone interested to help him spot and count hawks that migrate along Lake Erie.
The hawk watch is held at the south end of the parking lot at the Tom Ridge Environmental Center. Jerry starts about 9:00 or 9:30 and counts until 2:00 or 3:00. If birds are moving away from the shore, the alternate site is in the West Erie Plaza parking lot. You don't have to know how to identify hawks to help with the counts. Jerry can always use more eyes on the sky to spot migrant raptors. Hawk watching is conducted every day through the spring as long as conditions are suitable for a flight. Jerry's vehicle will be marked with signs, so you should have no trouble finding him.
Ornithology at Hog island
Enjoy world-class ornithology sessions at Audubon's spectacular Hog Island, located in Maine's Muscongus Bay. Taught by some of the country's leading birders and ornithologists, these dynamic sessions are for both beginners and experienced bird enthusiasts who seek field experience to learn more about the remarkable lives of wild birds. Two of these programs provide opportunities to work directly in the field with Project Puffin biologists on important seabird colony islands. Read about the experience of PIAS member, Lee Ann Reiners, at the camp this past summer on the PIAS Blog. Registration for summer sessions of 2013 begins October 15th.
See: http://www.projectpuffin.org/OrnithCamps.html.
Festival of the Birds at Presque Isle
Our next Festival will be held in 2014. The 2012 Festival of the Birds at Presque Isle was the best ever with good weather, tons of migrating birds, and great participants. For a summary of the weekend, checkout our blog at: www.presqueisleaudubon.org/blog.
Field Trips and Activities
Presque Isle Audubon Society offers a variety of field trips which provide individuals with recreational and educational experiences throughout the year. In addition, PIAS sponsors other activities including the Erie Christmas Bird Count, a Great Backyard Bird Count workshop, Hawk Watch in the spring, and the Festival of the Birds in May. Details for upcoming trips and activities will be published below and in our newsletter, Tern of Events. Unless otherwise indicated, these activities are free and open to the public. Bring a friend!
2013 Trips and Activities
Canoe Oil Creek Through the Valley That Changed the World
A joint trip with Allegheny Canoe Club
Saturday, May 4, 10 a.m.
(You will be asked to wear your PFD while on the water)
We'll be seeing many birds and wildflowers and probably even some fish on this canoe and kayak trip. Bring a change of clothes in a dry bag, just in case. Also bring a canoe or kayak, pack lunch, water, and whatever other equipment you'd like to bring such as a camera-in a dry bag! Meet at 10 a.m. in the Jersey Bridge/Oil Creek Bike Trail parking lot near Drake Well. From Titusville, follow Rt. 8 south, cross the bridge over Oil Creek on the way out of town. At the first intersection after the bridge, turn left toward Drake Well Museum. In about a mile, there is a bridge over Oil Creek. The parking lot is on the right just before that bridge. Contact the trip coordinator in advance to let us know if you plan to attend.
Trip Co-ordinator: Lee Ann Reiners, 814-282-1512 or larch@zoominternet.net (email preferable).
Oil Creek State Park Warbler Walk
Saturday, May 11, 8:30 a.m.
Meet at 8:30 a.m. at the Blood Farm day use area. This is a joint trip with Seneca Rocks Audubon Society and will be led by one of their members. But if you need more information, contact Lee Ann Reiners at larch@zoominternet.net or 814-282-1512 (email preferable).
THE PENNSYLVANIA ANNUAL MIGRATION COUNT
Saturday, May 11, 2013
The Pennsylvania Migration Count takes place each spring on the second Saturday in May, in conjunction with International Migratory Bird Day. PAMC is similar to the Christmas Bird Count (CBC). The difference is that PAMC takes place on a countywide basis, rather than within the confines of a CBC circle. The rules are simple: spend some time in the field counting all birds encountered in a specified area, and keep track of miles traveled and time spent counting. Participants are free to roam their favorite county birding locales at any time during the 24 hour period, starting at 12:01am, counting every bird that they find. Totals are passed along to county compilers, who, in turn, report to the state compiler. The state compiler maintains the PAMC data, and an annual report is published in Pennsylvania Birds, the journal of the Pennsylvania Society for Ornithology (PSO). Forms and information for PAMC participation are available at http://www.pabirds.org/PAMC. For further info contact Michele Rundquist-Franz, PIAS president and PAMC coordinator for Erie Co., president@presqueisleaudubon.org.
Spring Migrants, Presque Isle State Park
Sunday, May 12, 8 a.m.
Meet at 8 a.m. in the first parking lot on the right after you enter Presque Isle State Park. This is officially Migratory Bird weekend! The height of migration usually takes place the first few weeks in May on Presque Isle so it should be a terrific morning to spend looking for spring song birds and also a chance to learn more about Presque Isle migrants. Bring binoculars and a field guide. Trip coordinator is avid birder, Susan Smith. Contact Susan at ssbirding@gmail.com.
CANCELLED - Birding at Jamie Hill's Wetlands,
Saturday, May 25, 7:30 a.m.
Jamie offered this trip last June and all the participants had a great time! Many folks even added some bird species to their Life Lists! Participants will (hopefully) get to see Jamie's nesting Osprey and get to look in on his nice colony of nesting Purple Martins. Also included is an easy walk through multiple habitats which promises to reveal about 60 species of birds. Bring rubber knee boots. Contact Jamie in advance to let him know if you plan to attend, 814-323-2001 or jhill@purplemartin.org.
Reptiles and Amphibians on Presque Isle
Sunday, May 26, 6 p.m.
Meet at 6 p.m. at the Ranger Station on Presque Isle. This will be a great chance to learn more about the herps of the peninsula with Mark Lethaby from Natural History Museum at the Tom Ridge Environmental Center. For information, contact Lee Ann Reiners at larch@zoominternet.net.
Wildflowers Along the Tanbark Trail
(joint trip with Allegheny Canoe Club)
Saturday, June 15, 11 a.m.
Mountain Laurel is the Pennsylvania state flower, and there is no lack of these shrubs along the beautiful Tanbark Trail in the Allegheny National Forest south of Warren. A mostly easy 3 mile walk, with some tricky sections of rock scrambling. We will hike from Heart's Content Rd. to Sandstone Spring. Bring your camera, binoculars, some trail snacks and water. A walking stick might come in handy too. We'll hike through a boulder city along the way and look for the ghost! Meet at Sandstone Spring at 11 a.m. on Old Rt. 337/SR3005. Contact the trip coordinator in advance to let us know if you plan to attend. GoogleMapped here: http://goo.gl/maps/Do8YZ. Coordinator Lee Ann Reiners at larch@zoominternet.net or 814-282-1512.
Wattsburg Fen
(joint trip with PIAS and Western PA Botanical Society)
Sunday, June 23
Tim Lyons, Trip Coodinator. Tentative
Paddling the Presque Isle Lagoon
(joint trip with PIAS and Allegheny Canoe Club)
Saturday, June 29, 10 a.m.
Meet at Sara's ice cream stand at the entrance of PI, at the foot of the entrance hill, at 10 am. We will drive to the put in, probably at PI Marina. Estimated paddle distance: 5 miles, time approx 3 hours. Bring canoe or kayak, paddles, PFD, water, snacks, lunch. (Tho we can eat at Sara's afterward.) This is a unique paddle through the interior lagoons of Presque Isle, returning via Presque Isle Bay with maybe a detour around Horseshoe Pond to check out the turtles and Fragrant Water Lilies (and houseboats). This is a combined PIAS/ACC paddle so bring binocs also. The paddle is dependent on weather: too big of a westerly wind will make headway in that direction difficult. However usually weather conditions are good. If you plan to attend, call Issy at 814-774-8264 for details.
Titus Bog
Saturday, July 20
Tim Lyons,Trip Coordinator. Tentative
Nature Photography on Presque Isle
Sunday, July 28, 12:00 noon
Grab your camera, lenses and other photo equipment and meet us at noon at the first parking lot on the right after you enter Presque Isle State Park. Please contact me, preferably via email, if you plan on attending this event.
Lee Ann Reiners, larch@zoominternet.net or 814-282-1512 (email preferable).
Let's Look at Bugs on Land o' Lakes
(SGL 277, Cambridge Springs)
Saturday, August 10, Saturday, 11 a.m.
Meet at 11 a.m. in the parking lot on Miller Station Rd.: GoogleMap: http://goo.gl/maps/vBzRo. Bring a camera and an insect and/or butterfly field guide and we'll explore as a group and share our discoveries! Please contact me, preferably via email, if you plan on attending this event.
Lee Ann Reiners, larch@zoominternet.net or 814-282-1512 (email preferable).
Field trips are coordinated by the Presque Isle Audubon Society and other groups. Participants assume their own risk and are responsible for their own safety - all safety measures must be observed. Unless stated otherwise in the field trip description, contact the field trip coordinator in advance to inform him or her of your plans to attend so that in the event of last-minute changes or cancellations, we can notify you.