PA BREEDING BIRD BLITZ for CONSERVATION
June 5-15, 2026
Website is open for 2026 team registrations and donations.
Bird the Blitz. Raise the funds. Protect the birds of PA.
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Local Avian Conservation Education Project:
​This project seeks to inspire greater awareness and appreciation for birds and bird conservation across Schuylkill County through engaging educational programs for youth, young adults, and community members of all ages. Presentations and activities will take place in a variety of public settings including school classrooms and auditoriums, summer day camps at Frog Hollow Nature Center, field trips at the Penn State Schuylkill campus, and Youth Outdoor Learning Days at Locust Lake State Park.
The initiative aims to increase understanding of the ecological importance of birds, foster enthusiasm for the remarkable species found in the region, and encourage practical conservation actions that support healthy bird populations. By combining education with hands-on experiences, the project seeks to nurture lifelong curiosity about birds and the natural world.
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The program follows a three-part educational approach:
First, classroom presentations will introduce students to local birds through engaging instruction that includes live bird demonstrations and visual materials. These programs will be delivered by experienced educators and wildlife professionals from organizations such as Red Creek Wildlife Center and the Schuylkill Conservation District. The goal is to spark curiosity while teaching students about bird behavior, habitat needs, and conservation challenges.
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Second, participants will take part in field-based learning experiences where they can observe birds directly in their natural habitats. Students visiting the Penn State Schuylkill campus will study nesting gray catbirds as part of an ongoing monitoring project led by Associate Professor Lucas Redmond. Additional opportunities will be offered through summer programs at Frog Hollow Nature Center, where the wetland environment provides an ideal setting to learn about birds such as herons and other wetland species.
The third component engages the broader community through a pledge-based fundraising campaign connected to the Breeding Bird Blitz. Participants pledge a small donation for each bird species recorded during the event, helping raise funds while encouraging public participation in bird conservation efforts.
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Together, these educational, experiential, and community engagement activities support long-term stewardship of habitats essential to Pennsylvania’s Bird Species of Greatest Conservation Need, including forest songbirds (such as Cerulean Warbler), grassland birds, wetland species, and aerial insectivores (such as Purple Martin).
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Pennsylvania Bird Atlas Project
The Third Pennsylvania Bird Atlas is a statewide research and conservation initiative designed to document the distribution and abundance of birds breeding and wintering across the Commonwealth from 2024 through early 2029. Led through a collaboration between Hawk Mountain Sanctuary, PA Game Commission, conservation organizations, state agencies, and the birding community, the Atlas will provide critical information that supports bird conservation, scientific research, and public education for decades. ​​
The project builds upon previous statewide bird atlases by combining the efforts of thousands of volunteer birders with standardized scientific surveys. Together, these efforts create the most comprehensive picture possible of Pennsylvania’s bird populations and how they are changing over time.
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A key component of the Atlas is a series of standardized point count surveys conducted across the state during each breeding season. These surveys allow researchers to directly compare bird abundance with data collected during Pennsylvania’s Second Breeding Bird Atlas (2004–2009). By revisiting approximately 30,000 established survey points, scientists will be able to update distribution maps and population estimates for nearly 200 breeding bird species.
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To ensure the accuracy and consistency of these surveys, the project hires highly trained field technicians each year. These technicians conduct intensive eight-week field seasons, collecting bird observations using established protocols. The Atlas provides technicians with training, equipment, travel reimbursement, and basic housing support.
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For the 2026 field season, the project aims to hire ten technicians to expand coverage across the Commonwealth. The initial budget anticipated six technicians, but the first year of field work demonstrated that additional staff are necessary to adequately survey Pennsylvania’s diverse landscapes and habitats.
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The Atlas records data for all bird species breeding and wintering in Pennsylvania, with special attention given to rare and conservation-priority birds. This includes the 62 priority species tracked by the Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program, many of which are also designated as Species of Greatest Conservation Need. Species such as Red-headed Woodpecker, Purple Martin, and Cerulean Warbler. All are Atlas priority species, and population sizes were able to be estimated for all of them from point count data in the last atlas (and presumably will be again with updated data).
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Field data collection for the Atlas will continue through early 2028, with the 2026 survey season concluding in mid-July. After the final field season, an estimated two years will be dedicated to analyzing the data and producing reports and maps that will guide conservation and research efforts well into the future.