Birding in Westmoreland County, southwestern Pennsylvania.
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Birding in Westmoreland County, southwestern Pennsylvania

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Sightings | Places to bird | Look for | Beyond Westmoreland | Attracting birds | Organizations
Endangered species | Personal | About Westmoreland County | Directions to places & hotspots
Westmoreland Bird & Nature Club | Site map
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Bird Sightings in Westmoreland County, PA
2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999 1997-98
Directions to birding places & hotspots

Places to bird in Westmoreland County, PA

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Places to bird include State Parks, State Forests, State Game Lands, Fish & Boat Commission Lakes, County Parks, Township Parks, City/Community Parks, Rail-to-Trail Greenways. Each level of government has its own web sites. Search the web using place names nearest you. The following links will help get you started.

Directions to places & birding hotspots in Westmoreland County [Nonframe version]


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Look for

Programs at Keystone State Park
Programs at Powdermill Nature Reserve and the Nimick Nature Center
Bird-banding Program at Powdermill Biological Station
Star Route South, Rector, PA 15677. Phone: 724-593-2221
Wild Bird (Marketplace), RD 7 Box 255-A Sandhill Rd, Greensburg PA 15601, 724-539-0644. Located just south of Rt 30 at the Beatty Crossroads traffic light. Feed, Feeders, Books, Gifts, Accessories. WBNC members get a 10% discount.
Recent Postings from The Pennsylvania Birding List, latest news about birding in PA. A state wide email birding list.

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Places to bird beyond Westmoreland County, PA


Use the PA DCNR web site to find a State Park and/or State Forest. Be sure to check out the following areas:
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Attracting birds

To make a yard attractive to wild birds provide: To attract the greatest variety of species then present the above in a variety of ways. Water can be presented at ground level, in an elevated bird bath, with running or dripping water, and heated water in the freeze of winter. Provide a variety of foods in the appropriate type of feeders; millet; oil & striped sunflower seeds for chickadees, titmice, cardinals, nuthatches, etc.; cracked corn, ear corn, peanuts in the shell, for crows, blue jays & other nonbird wildlife; beef suet &/or home-made suet for woodpeckers, nuthatches, brown creeper; peanut butter placed into holes drilled into wood for wrens, nuthatches, woodpeckers; niger/thistle seed for goldfinch, pine siskin, redpolls (upside feeders help to discourage house sparrows & house finches from hogging this expensive seed); mealworms in a dish for bluebirds. Many bird species love thick evergreen shrubs & trees for year round shelter, roosting, and nesting. Plant pine trees, spruces, junipers, and rhododendron; preferrably plant species native to your region. Provide bird houses for cavity nesting species; open-sided platforms or ledges beneath the eaves of buildings for robins, swallows, and phoebe. You can even go so far as to provide wet muddy ground in the spring & early summer for species that collect mud in nest building (barn swallow, cliff swallow, phoebe), & place out soft materials that birds can find for use as nest material; yarn, loose hair (human/pet from combs/brushes). A patch of bare ground will be used by birds for taking dust baths. If left unused wild bird seeds will produce caterpillars/moths & attract rodents, so you might want to store bulk seed outside in a shed or garage, in a covered container. Keep everything clean & fresh for the health of the birds, to prevent the spread of disease due to mold & bacteria, etc.

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May Madness

When the waves of migrants pass through in the month of May, and singing on breeding territory, the plethora of bird sounds can be confusing, to say the least. To help learn the species of singing warbler, the songs can be categorized into groups of similar type or structure:

Songs with multiple parts or phrases, tweetering notes, and with some complexity:
Tennessee, Nashville, Yellow, Chestnut-sided, Magnolia, Yellow-rumped, Blackburnian, American Redstart, Swainson's, Ovenbird, Northern Waterthrush, Louisiana Waterthrush, Kentucky, Connecticut, Mourning, Common Yellowthroat, Hooded, Canada, Mourning, Yellow-breasted Chat.

Buzzy songs:
Blue-winged, Golden-winged, Parula, Black-throated Blue, Black-throated Green, Prairie, Cerulean.

Trilling songs, fast:
Orange-crowned, Pine, Palm, Worm-eating, Wilson's; also Chipping Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco.

Songs of simple notes, not as fast as trilling songs:
Cape May, Blackburnian, Palm, Bay-breasted, Blackpoll, Black & White, Yellow-throated, Prothonotary; also Swamp Sparrow.

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Local Organizations


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Extinct Species, Endangered & Threatened Species

Extinct bird species of North America (my page)
Daisy's Forest Homepage w/links about extinction

Endangered & Threatened Species of Pennsylvania:
Game Commission
DCNR
Fish & Boat Commission

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Personal

My birding began in the summer of 1969. My first field guide was bought at Flamingo, Florida, the southern tip of mainland Florida in the Everglades. I was in Florida with my family that summer during the week of the Apollo 11 blast-off to the moon. The book was the Golden A Guide to Field Identification, Birds of North America. It cost $2.95 (now they cost $12.95). For many years I knew no other birders, and had to learn on my own with the help of some books. My brand of birding includes many hours & miles on bicycle, kayak, & walking; my preferred methods of birding. I am not a "lister", a "chaser", or a "sport" (competition) birder. Keeping lists can become compulsive - day lists, month lists, year lists, trip lists, place lists, yard list, life list - after awhile the lists become more important than the birds. I figure the bird species I am meant to see & hear in my lifetime I will see & hear without excessive effort on my part - the Tao of Birding.
For some of my earliest bird sightings and recollections in the Latrobe area, go here.
Other interests include general nature study, reading, metaphysics, astronomy, photography, bicycling, kayaking (touring) & canoeing, computers, chess. Some of my favorite outdoor action/adventure movies are Born Free, Man in the Wilderness, Jeremiah Johnson, Black Robe, Dances with Wolves, Last of the Mahicans.


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About Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania

Named after a county in northwest England, "Land of the western moors".

Located in southwestern Pennsylvania, Westmoreland County was formed from Bedford County by the act of 26th of February 1773, the first county west of the Allegheny Mountains and the 11th county established by the Pennsylvania colony, the last under the hereditary Penn Propriety Government. The county lies in a physiographic province of Pennsylvania known as the Appalachian Plateau. At the eastern edge of the Appalachian Plateau, at the county line of Somerset & Bedford counties, is the Allegheny Front, a prominent scarp facing the Valley and Ridge geographic province of Pennsylvania. No natural lakes occur within the county but there are man-made lakes and ponds. The larger natural wetlands have been filled in, some remnants of these remain, such as at the Youngwood Swamp. The county is rich in streams and rivers, though too many of these have been tainted by drainage from old coal mines, a legacy of the coal mining past. Many of the small villages and hamlets that dot the county were founded as coal mining towns or "patches" from the beehive coke oven years. ("The beehive coke years started shortly after the mid 1800's and continued until the early 1970's...One of the country's largest reserves of top grade coking coal was located beneath the foothills of Fayette and Westmoreland Counties. Because of these reserves and their proximity to the steel mills of Pittsburgh, this area had the largest concentration of beehive ovens in the world. More than forty thousand at one time. " -The Beehive Coke Years by John K. Gates) All watersheds flow into the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers, these two rivers form the Ohio River in nearby Pittsburgh. Watersheds within the county include the Conemaugh & Kiskiminetas Rivers forming the northern boundary of the county; the Loyalhanna Creek, which flows into the Conemaugh (forming the Kiskiminetas); the Youghiogheny River which flows into the Monongahela River. River names have their origins with the Native Americans - Allegheny, Conemaugh, Kiskiminetas, Loyalhanna, Monongahela, Ohio, Youghiogheny.

Westmoreland County had sixteen Charcoal Iron Furnaces (1810s-1850s). Three of these old iron furnaces can still easily be seen from car in the Ligonier Valley. Laurel Hill Furnace, 1.2 mile southeast of New Florence on Furnace Lane. Ross Furnace at Ross Mountain Park on SR1007, near Tubmill Reservoir. Valley (Hillsview) Furnace 4.6 miles north of Ligonier diamond, 1/4 mile east of Rt711 on SR1009 (turn right onto road between houses 1.9 miles from the Rt711/Rt271 intersection heading north).

The eastern half of the county is dominated by two ridges running in a NNE/SSW direction, Chestnut Ridge and Laurel Ridge (Laurel Hill, Laurel Mountain). The summit of Laurel Ridge is the eastern boundary of the county, bordering Somerset and Cambria counties. The highest land elevations occur along the southeastern boundary of the county, on Laurel Ridge summit. Pea Vine Hill 2910ft, Bald Knob 2930ft, Painter Rock Hill 2930ft, Birch Rock Hill 2934ft, an unnamed hill at 2951ft. The Laurel Hill Summit sign on Rt30 says 2684 ft, near the AT&T; communication towers. The Laurel Summit sign on Rt31 at the Somerset County line says 2728 ft. A sign where Rt30 crosses the Allegheny Front says 2906 ft, and nearby to the east a sign says 2464 ft elevation where the old Ship Hotel once stood. A sign where Rt271 crests Laurel Ridge says 2743 ft. Laurel Ridge summit is part of the "snow belt". The body of water with the highest elevation in the county is probably the sizable pond at the old Laurel Mountain ski slopes at 2720ft. The Bear Cave 60ft steel fire tower on the summit of Chestnut Ridge is at an elevation of 2,629 feet. The lowest land elevation is around 800 feet in the western portion of the county, along the rivers. The wide range of land elevations in the county, over 2000 ft, is amongst the highest in the state. The total land area is 1,024 square miles.

Some northern breeding species breed southward at the higher elevations of the Appalachian Mountains (vertical zonation). The summits of Chestnut Ridge and particularly Laurel Ridge are part of this breeding range. For birds this means Northern Goshawk, Sawwhet Owl, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, Alder Flycatcher, Least Flycatcher, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Brown Creeper, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Hermit Thrush, Veery, Blue-headed (Solitary) Vireo, Nashville Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Black-throated Green Warbler, Magnolia Warbler, Black-throated Blue Warbler, Pine Warbler, Northern Waterthrush (possibly), Mourning Warbler, Canada Warbler, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Blackburnian Warbler, Dark-eyed Junco, Purple Finch, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, & Lincoln's Sparrow (possibly). Northern Raven has increased in numbers and nests on Laurel Ridge and Chestnut Ridge. The county is good for Warblers. Migrating and breeding Warblers is one of the county's birding strengths. Yellow-rumped Warblers winter within the county, relying upon Poison Ivy berries for food.

Some southern breeding species have followed the Ohio River basin northward into the western and southwestern parts of the county, and expanded their ranges from there. For birds this includes Red-bellied Woodpecker, Carolina Chickadee, Yellow-throated Warbler, Summer Tanager.

Belted Kingfisher and Great Blue Heron are present year-round along the numerous waterways, through even the severest of winters.

Being without any major lakes and wetlands Westmoreland County does not receive large concentrations of migrating waterfowl or shorebirds, except for the uncommon to rare "fall-out" of large migrating flocks of waterfowl due to adverse weather conditions. The most impressive fall-outs occur during inclement weather in November. The major migrating flyways are to the east and to the west. But we are in the path of waterfowl & shorebirds migrating from the great lakes region to the Chesepeake Bay. In autumn, during the first half of November, flocks of Tundra Swan can be seen (& heard) overhead, flying in an easterly direction. Sometimes, though not often enough for birders, large flocks of swan will land on a body of water within the county. These gatherings of Tundra Swan can number over a thousand.
With the increase of Beaver dams in the county it can be expected that certain species might take advantage of this type of habitat for breeding, such as Hooded Merganser, Bitterns, Night Herons, Prothonotary Warbler,....

The Ridge and Valley geographic region to the east of Westmoreland County is good for migrating raptors in the spring & fall. There are several ridgetop "hawk watches" where on a good day, depending upon the weather and wind direction, several hundred to over a thousand migrating raptors can be seen flying by. The migrating birds take advantage of the air currents produced over the ridges, and thermals over the fields in the valleys. Bald Eagle, Golden Eagle, and Pergrine Falcon can be seen. Hawk watch locations are: Allegheny Front Hawk Watch on the Somerset Co./Bedford Co. line, Bake Oven Knob on the Lehigh Co./Carbon Co. line, Council Cup Scenic Overlook in Luzerne County, Blue Mountain in Dauphin County, Everett Hawk Watch on Tussey Mountain in northern Bedford Co., Hawk Mountain Sanctuary atop Blue Mountain in Schuykill Co. & Berks Co., Jack's Mountain Hawk Watch in Miffllin County, Little Gap Hawk Site in Northampton County, Rocky Ridge Hawk Watch in York County, Rose Tree Park Hawkwatch in Delaware County, Second Mountain Hawk Watch in Lebanon County, Stone Mountain Hawkwatch in Huntingdon County, Tussey Mountain on the Centre Co./Huntingdon Co. line, Tuscarora Summit (The Pulpit) in western Franklin County, Waggoner's Gap Hawk Watch on Blue Mountain in Cumberland County, White Deer Ridge Hawkwatch in southern Lycoming County.

Osprey are nesting in Westmoreland County, using man-made nesting platforms placed in strategic locations. At one location Osprey have raised 1 young in 2002, 1 in 2001, 2 in 2000, 3 in 1999, 3 in 1998, 2 in 1997, 3 in 1996, 1 in 1995. At another location a pair of Osprey raised 2 young in 2001, 3 in 2002.

The first active Bald Eagle nest known in Westmoreland County occurred in 2003. However, one of the adult eagles was shot and wounded. The incident was reported to the PA Game Commission and a criminal investigation has begun. The wounded eagle was taken to a wildlife rehabilitation center experienced in working with eagles. The eagle will be released back into the wild if it makes a full recovery.

Breeding grassland species do surprisingly well in the county, due to the agriculture and the reclaimed strip mines. These species include Upland Sandpiper, Bobolink, Horned Lark, Savannah Sparrow, Grasshopper Sparrow, Vesper Sparrow, Henslow's Sparrow, and rarely Dickcissel.
In winter the higher open fields can attract Snow Bunting, Lapland Longspur, Northern Harrier, Short-eared Owl, Rough-legged Hawk, & rarely Snowy Owl.

Lincoln Highway (U.S. Rt30), the first transcontinental highway, a scenic roadway, traverses the county east-west. Other major highways in Westmoreland County are U.S. Rt22, Interstate Rt70, Interstate Rt76 (Pennsylvania Turnpike).

The city of Greensburg is the county seat (since 1785), centrally located within the county at 40.307359 North Latitude and 79.542439 West Longitude. The original county seat was Hannastown, burned by the British and Indians on July 13, 1782.

History of Latrobe.

Pennsylvania is rich with Native American history. Native American tribes that used western Pennsylvania are the Delaware (Lenni-Lenape), Munsee (a division of the Delaware), & Shawnee, having been forced westward as the white european settlements expanded in the east (a theory purports the Shawnee may be descendants of the mysterious Monongahela). The Iroquois Seneca ranged southward from western New York. Catawba & Cherokee ranged northward from the south. Wyandot, remnants of the Huron that were defeated by the Iroquois and forced westward after a war between those tribes that started in 1603 & was completed by 1650, ranged eastward from Ohio. The Erie Tribe in northwestern PA that were exterminated by the Iroquois in a war beginning in 1653 and completed by 1656. Mingo, a loose confederation of indians from different tribes formed by the Iroquois Cayuga indian Talgayeeta (Chief Logan) prior to the French and Indian War. The Miami, ranging eastward from Ohio. In times earlier yet, before the colonial period, there was a group called the Monongahela known to have lived in southwestern PA from 900 AD to 1600. Of this group over 200 villages have been recorded in SW PA, Maryland, West Virginia, & Ohio. A Mound Builder group of Indians existed in the Ohio River Valley in early times. Mounds have been found in Erie & Crawford Counties, along the Ohio & Allegheny Rivers, the Monongahela River & its tributaries. Mention is made of a mound along the Loyalhanna Creek near New Alexandria.
Other tribes that used western PA (for travel, hunting, trade, warfare, ...) included the Chickasaw, Chippewas, Ottawas, Potawatomies, Mahican, and Sacs.
The Catawba Trail, used by the Seneca Iroquois in wars against the southern Cherokee & Catawba tribes, passed through Westmoreland County. Other indian trails and trader paths were Glades Path, Nemacolin's Path, Raystown Path, Salt Lick Path, and Sewickley Old Town Path.. The creation of Braddock's Road in 1755 & Forbe's Road in 1758 began the transformation of southwestern Pennsylvania from a primeval forest to a region of settlement by white europeans. "By 1775 the Ligonier Valley was filled with settlements. A number of blockhouses were built for the protection of these settlements." The Treaty of Fort Stanwix (Rome NY) in 1768 opened western PA to settlers. The War of 1812 (1812-1815) saw the last of indian warfare in Pennsylvania.

Indian warfare in southwestern PA occurred during the French and Indian War (1755-1763), Pontiac's War (1763-1764), and the American Revolutionary War (1775-1783). Some key dates in these conflicts are: On May 28 1754 George Washington fights his first battle. This battle, during which the French commander Coulon de Jumonville is killed, starts the French and Indian War. On July 3 1754 George Washington battles the French and Indians at Fort Necessity (Fayette County) and surrenders to the French. General Edward Braddock's army, including George Washington, is defeated on July 9 1755 near what is now Pittsburgh. Construction of Fort Ligonier begins in September 1758. On September 14 1758 Major James Grant is defeated at Grant's Hill (Pittsburgh). On November 24 1758 the French abandon & burn Fort Duquesne. On November 25 1758 Brigadier General John Forbes begins construction of Fort Pitt in place of Fort Duquesne.
During Pontiac's War, the Battle of Bushy Run is won by troops under the command of Colonel Henry Bouquet on August 5-6 1763.
During the Revolutionary War, Hannastown, the original Westmoreland County seat, is burned & destroyed by the Indians (Seneca) and some British (Canadian Rangers) on July 13 1782.

A legacy of Native American culture is the beauty of place names derived from Native American language that enriches our language: Conemaugh, Kiskiminetas, Loyalhanna, Allegheny, Monongahela, Aliquippa, Youghiogheny, Nemacolin, Pymatuning.

The Meadowcroft Rock Shelter [link] in southwestern PA is one of the earliest documented archaeological sites in North America. History links: [Society for Pennsylvania Archaeology, Inc.] [Pennsylvania Archaeology Links] [Westmoreland County Genealogy Project] [RootsWeb - Pennsylvania County Histories and Pennsylvania Biographies] [Links to Western Pennsylvania Coal Mining Sites ]

Twig

Click for Latrobe, Pennsylvania Forecast Tim Vechter

This site was started: August 1997
Home URL: http://www.westol.com/~towhee/redtail.htm

"In short, all good things are wild and free."
"..., that in Wildness is the preservation of the world." -Henry David Thoreau

~~~The Tao of Birding~~~

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