PA BREEDING BIRD BLITZ
for CONSERVATION
June 6-16, 2025
Blitzing Without Boundaries
A New Contest
For Those Outside of PA
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Working together to conserve all of our Pennsylvania birds.
Manada Conservancy is an accredited land trust dedicated to preserving the natural, historic, agricultural and scenic resources of Dauphin County through land conservation, environmental education, and community engagement. This request is in support of our Swatara Creek Preserve Expansion and Bird Habitat Enhancement Project. Since Manada Conservancy’s inception nearly 30 years ago, land protection and stewardship along the Swatara Creek has been highly prioritized. The Conservancy owns a 6.5-acre creek-side preserve which, containing woodland, meadow, and wetland, provides diverse wildlife habitats and is regularly used for birding and nature walks. Through the recent acquisition of two parcels neighboring, the preserve has gained space for on-site visitor parking as well as direct access to the Swatara Creek for recreation.
Any funding received will be used to cover a portion of acquisition expenses such as the survey and environmental study in addition to funding a fall planting to restore the property’s riparian buffer and areas in which invasive plants are being removed this spring. Native tree and shrub species have been selected that are suitable to site conditions and will best provide habitat for select bird species of greatest conservation need including the Rusty Blackbird which has been identified onsite.
Through this project, the preserve will be an accessible space, rich in biodiversity, and enjoyable for the local community.
(Photo Credit: Michael Illio)
Since 1945, the Pymatuning Lake Association, has striven to preserve, enhance, and promote Pymatuning Lake and its surrounding region through dedicated volunteer-driven efforts and partnership with both the Pennsylvania and Ohio Pymatuning State Park. As the dedicated non-profit organization for Pymatuning State Park, we have collaborated on many projects over the last 80 years. By partnering with the Pennsylvania Ornithological Society for B4C, we hope to expand our conservation efforts to have more of an impact on our regional bird population. The Pymatuning Lake region is listed as an Important Bird Area, particularly for migrating waterfowl. The Pymatuning IBA supports the state endangered Common Tern, Great Egret, Short-eared Owl, Upland Sandpiper, Black Tern, American Bittern, and Least Bittern. We also support all three state recovered species: Bald Eagle, Osprey, and Peregrine Falcon. As of late February, thirteen Bald Eagle nests were identified around the lake, with ten being confirmed as active. Last year, Pymatuning supported at least six known active Osprey nests and is part of one of the six clusters of nests identified by the Pennsylvania Game Commission in their 2016 Comprehensive Osprey Survey. The commonality amongst these species of both concern and recovery is their fishy diet, which is supported by the abundance of warmwater fish including perch, bluegill, crappie, and bass.
Despite the fact that the land is conserved and water monitored regularly, there are still threats to these species. Invasive species continue to dominate in areas of the lake, both terrestrial and aquatic. The last several years, volunteers have assisted with the removal of European Frog-bit and Hydrilla in the lake. However, with a 17,000+ acre body of water, it sometimes is not enough. Funds raised through B4C to assist with the purchase of tools for invasive aquatic plant removal and the creation of outreach materials to teach more Park visitors how to recognize these threatening plant species.
Visitorship is one of the other threats posed to these birds. Pymatuning State Park is consistently the second most visited state park in the DCNR system, bringing in on average 3.5 million visitors a year. Many of those visitors come for the rich fishery the lake provides, however, they often leave parts of their visit behind in the form of snarls of fishing line. While we have a number of fishing line receptacles around the lake, more are necessary as well as updated signage so people are aware of how to use them. With the high visitation rate, we also have a unique opportunity to expand awareness of the conservation needs for bird species in our IBA, such as the Osprey. Along with the expansion of programmatic resources, we also hope to host training sessions with our area wildlife rehabilitation center, who specializes in rehabilitation of waterfowl and raptors. Training sessions would focus on how to recognize a waterfowl or raptor in distress and what to do with it. Use of B4C funds will allow us to hold these sessions for free, increasing the awareness of threats to these birds and how we can help them. (Photo Credit: Laura Jackson)
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Lycoming Audubon is a vibrant Chapter of the National Audubon Society serving Lycoming and Clinton counties in the Pennsylvania Wilds. Among its activities, our Chapter of approximately 350 members:
● hosts 40 or so field trips annually to area birding hotspots
● offers educational programming for youth in schools and for the general public at monthly Chapter meetings
● promotes landscaping with native plants at tabling events and at area nurseries through our Bird Friendly Blooms project
● builds partnerships with public and private entities like the Robert Porter Allen Natural Area, the City of Williamsport (Bird Town), and Rider Park to build healthy habitats for birds by curtailing the spread of invasives and encouraging the planting of native plants, shrubs, and trees.
One of Lycoming Audubon’s most exciting projects is the ongoing ecological restoration of more than 100 acres at the Robert Porter Allen Natural Area, composed of restored grasslands and wetlands along an ancient riverbed of the Susquehanna River. Robert Porter Allen, “the man who saved the Whooping Crane,” and the first National Research Director of the Audubon Society, grew up on this property.
PSO funds will augment more than $10,000 that Lycoming Audubon is already investing in the curtailment of invasives on this property, and make possible the continued ecological restoration of grasslands and wetlands by enhancing native plant biodiversity along the riparian edges of the wetlands. In addition to the purchase of native plant species and the ongoing control of invasive plants, PSO funds will provide for educational signs that highlight the value of healthy habitats to birds and other wildlife. Signage will highlight how vital grass meadows are to birds like the Grasshopper Sparrow, which has declined in population by roughly 75% over the past 50 or so years, according to the North American Breeding Bird Survey. Without significant investments in their namesake habitat, it is estimated the population of Grasshopper Sparrows will decline by roughly another 50% over the coming fifty years or so. This natural area’s combination of marsh areas adjoining upland grasslands is truly a unique habitat in north-central PA, one that will benefit greatly from Breeding Bird Blitz funding. (Photo Credit: Carl Thomson)