Meetings

Unless indicated otherwise, all SMAS Programs are held at the Adams County Agricultural Resource Center, 670 Old Harrisburg Road, Gettysburg, PA at 7:30 pm. A room number for the SMAS meeting will be posted on the front lobby entry inner door.

Bonnie Portzline is happy to give her presentation ‘Birds with a Gettysburg address’ to interested parties. The presentation is based on her wonderful photographs of local birds.

Saturday, 16th June, Conococheague Audubon Field Trip: 7:30 AM. SUMMER RESIDENTS for beginning birders. Menno Haven Creekside Nature Trail. Bring binoculars and field guide. Dress for wet grass conditions. Valerie Barnes, 717-352-4397.

Monday 18th June Presentation by Jean-François Therrien on the Kestrel Project at Hawk Mountain.

Friday 22nd June Bird Walk at Oakside Park, Biglerville. Meet at the parking lot off route 394; time: 8 am. Any questions - contact Mike Bertram on 717-809-3911

Saturday 21st July Bird Walk at Oakside Park, Biglerville. Meet at the parking lot off route 394; time: 8 am. Any questions - contact Mike Bertram on 717-809-3911

Monday 13th August Annual Picnic at Kathy & Mike’s house. Arrive around 5 pm, bring dish and beverage; eat around 6 pm. Any questions - contact Mike Bertram on 717-809-3911

Sunday, 16th to Friday 21st September 2018, NatureStabler Exploration is running a Hudson River Trip. See Tentative Schedule and Activity Descriptions for details. Reservations needed by the 1st August.

Monday 17th September B.J. Small from the Cheasapeake Bay Foundation will be speaking.

Monday 15th October ‘My Educational Tools - Nature & Travel’, presentation by Cindy Ross. Cindy Ross is the author of six published books on the outdoors as well as over 1,000 magazine articles. Her 7th book, The World is Our Classroom- How One Family Used Nature & Travel to Shape an Extraordinary Education is coming out September 1, 2018.

Home Schoolers

On the 23rd March the Society hosted a group of home schoolers at Caledonia State Park. Linette Mansberger gave a presentation on birds likely to be seen at bird feeders. The group then went outside and viewed the feeders around the visitor’s center.

Brown-headed Cowbird
Photographs by Linette Mansberger

Citizen Scientists Wanted!

The Pennsylvania Amphibian & Reptile Survey is looking for interested citizen scientists to participate in their survey in this area. Willingness to record and report amphibian and reptile observations is needed. The 2 websites listed below provide more information on the project, the opportunity to sign up, and links to help with identification of herps: PARS and Pennsylvania Herp Identification

For more additional information contact the Adams County coordinator Sue Muller. Her email address is: adams@paherpsurvey.org

The South Mountain Audubon Society aims are to conserve and restore natural ecosystems, focusing on birds, other wildlife, and their habitats for the benefit of humanity and the earth's biological diversity focusing on Adams County, PA.

The Society works towards those aims with meetings, birding trips, and conservation activities.

There are 2 Important Bird Areas locally:

• South Mountain
  
• South Adams County Grasslands

Click here to join National Audubon and the South Mountain Audubon Society. Please select U17 as the Chapter code from the drop down menu on the form.

If you only want to join the South Mountain Audubon Society only then sign up at the next event you attend. The annual membership is $15.

The Society can be contacted in the following ways:

email: SMAS@southmountainaudubon.org

Tel.: 717-352-7936

Mail: SMAS, P.O. Box 3671, Gettysburg, PA 17325.

Field Trips

FIELD TRIPS - Field trips will be announced in the quarterly newsletters (when possible) and on this website.  Each field trip will list a contact person and a meeting place.  Please be sure to notify the  listed contact person of your planned attendance so that you can be alerted to any changes in the schedule or meeting place. 

Bird Arrivals and Departures

SMAS is developing a friendly competition to document the dates of bird arrivals and depatures in Adams County. Feedback is requested on the concept and a draft web page which documents the dates.

Global Big Day

On the 5th May South Mountain Audubon participated in the Global Big Day Bird Count. Don Gilbert led a walk around the Harrisburg Hospital site. We saw 64 species. The most surprising was seeing a flight of Common Loons overhead.
Northern Waterthrush
Hooded Warbler
Swainson’s Thrush
Photos by Linette Mansberger

Milesburn Road,
Michaux State Forest

On the 8th May South Mountain Audubon had a bird walk down Milesburn Road. 31 species were observed including a number of warblers.

Scarlet Tanager
Hooded Warbler

Black-throated Blue Warbler
Photos by Kathy King

Spangler’s Spring,
Gettysburg National Military Park

On International Migratory Bird Day, the 12th May, South Mountain Audubon had its usual bird walk at Spangler’s Spring. 68 species of birds were observed including many warblers.

Northern Parula
Cape May Warbler

Bay-breasted Warbler
Photos by Linette Mansberger

Field trips to Oakside Park, Biglerville

The monthly bird walks at Oakside Park, Biglerville continue (see left column). 43 species were observed in April including 6 migrating Broad-winged Hawks. A bird list for the Park is available.American Robin on nest
Broad-winged Hawk

Photos by Linette Manserberger