Birds and Water

Birds and Water: Three Examples from Our Area
By Joe Gyekis

The fabulous avian biodiversity of the Centre Region depends on our water. Without moist soil, we won't have complex forests that can support dozens of nesting species in a single acre. Without groundwater and rain, we wouldn't have streams that create habitat for riparian and wetland specialists. In honor of the water theme of this year's World Migratory Bird Day, here are three groups of water-loving birds of the Spring Creek Watershed. 

Plovers
Pluvia is Latin for rain, and in the spring and late summer, most plover species that visit our region appear suddenly on muddy fields during a spring or summer storm and immediately depart afterwards. These birds migrate from the giant Atlantic coastal wetlands to the high tundra and back again, powerful enough to flap for days without pause when the skies are clear, but they sometimes get pushed to the ground by thunderheads. They seem pretty happy for a quick rainy visit. As any astute sidewalk toddler knows, rain drives worms and other small creatures up out of the soil. How convenient for the plover when forced layovers align with easy migration snacks!

Killdeer photograph by Debra Rittellmann

We have one species of plover that nests in our area--the Killdeer, named for its "killeee" cry. Take a listen to this recording by local birder Julia Plummer...it's probably a sound you'll recognize https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/373219561 . Perhaps you've heard this from overhead at the grocery store parking lot day or night, or perhaps if you frequent a gravel driveway it's been passionately screamed your way by a nervous Killdeer parent. Their precocious little babies can run around and feed themselves the same day they hatch, tiny little fluff balls on oversized stilt legs. Once they can fly, they flock up and rove around the region, often coalescing around puddles and wetlands like the intersection of Whitehall and Tadpole Roads at Fairbrook. 

Waterthrushes
Waterthrushes are little warblers, with thrush-like colors, that forage and nest near water. We have two species: Louisiana (we're in the northern part of their breeding range) and Northern (we're in the southern part of their breeding range). Both choose to nest at the intersection of forest and water. In the summer in Pennsylvania, Northern Waterthrushes prefer bogs with standing water, such as Bear Meadows Natural Area and Black Moshannon State Park. Meanwhile Louisiana Waterthrushes love the rush of a mountain stream and the little side puddles that form when a giant old tree topples over in the floodplain, making a vertical wall of roots overhanging a riparian puddle rich with stoneflies, mayflies, and other nutritious aquatic bugs. Starting in April, hike up Shingletown Gap or Musser Gap to listen for the Louisiana Waterthrush's ringing whistle song https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/151414191 . In July they make an early fall departure back to the freshwater swamps of the southern US. A month later the Northern Waterthrushes migrate south too, heading for the salty mangroves of Florida, Central America, and the Caribbean. 

 Louisiana Waterthrush photograph by Debra Rittellmann

Herons
As the headwater runs collect into bigger streams in the valleys, our excellent fish biomass means life is good for those that spear fish for a living. Although we have a variety of migrant herons and egrets, only two species regularly nest in our watershed--the Great Blue Heron and the Green Heron. The mighty Great Blue can be found occasionally on all of our creeks and marshes, but the best spots to find them are near their nesting colonies and late summer roost sites. At the fish hatchery in Spring Creek Canyon, sometimes over a hundred fly in at dusk to spend the night with flocks of vultures. Numbers of Great Blues fade in winter, especially when everything is iced over. Probably in mild winters the ones that stay with us nest much further north, while the ones that nest here are wintering in the southern US or even further south. Green Herons are partial to a small pond or a lake edge, but they're often in our creeks as well. In nesting season, it's common to see them at Millbrook Marsh, Toftrees Pond, Scotia's Ten Acre Pond, and many other spots in the watershed. They arrive in April, raise a brood of fuzzy-headed youngsters, and mostly depart in September. Green Heron photograph by Debra Rittellmann

Migratory birds are out there to enrich our outdoor experiences. May you get lucky with some neat nature moments, and may we all continue working together to preserve the habitats (especially critical riparian areas) that they depend on in the years to come