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 (refreshments at 7 pm). A room number for the SMAS meeting will be posted on the front lobby entry inner door.

Bonnie Portzline (profile - courtesy of The Gettysburg Times) 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.

Local Bird Sightings in 2023

The high point of the year was the recently created beaver pond next to Devil's Den in Gettysburg NMP. The first sighting of a Lesser Bittern in Adams County was at the pond, as was the first breeding record of a Virginia Rail. Other notable sightings in the county were of a Golden Eagle, Orange-crowned Warbler, and Connecticut Warbler.

In the grasslands IBA we had the first records of an Eurasian Collared Dove and a Northern Saw-whet Owl.

The only notable sighting in the South Mountain IBA was a Herring Gull, the previous record was from 2016.

Meetings and other Activities

Monday, October 21, Meeting Carter Johnson will present "Pre-Colonial Pennsylvania." His program will cover extinct and extirpated species from our state, along with forest composition changes over time and a bit of indigenous history of the area. Carter is a Parks Naturalist for York County Parks at Nixon Park in Jacobus, PA.

Saturday, November 2 Oakside Park, Biglerville. The Park is about a mile east of Biglerville on route 394. We will meet at 8:00 AM at the parking lot on the left as you enter the Park.

Monday, November 18, Meeting "Feathers" by Kathy Gingerich Feathers are unique to birds and every feather tells a story. A feather will tell you its purpose, where it is located on the bird's body, and how the feather's color is produced. How feathers grow, how long they last, how and when they are replaced, and how they are kept in their streamlined position will all be covered in this presentation. You'll never look at a feather the same way again!

Kathy Gingerich taught Earth Science and Astronomy for 28 years, mostly at Red Land High School in York County. She ran the West Shore School District's Environmental Center at Pinchot State Park for 10 years. She was awarded for having the top Environmental Program in the state of Pennsylvania. Kathy is a past recipient of grants from Audubon and National Geographic Society, National Secondary Teacher of the Year award winner, and was a teacher consultant to the Society for many years.

Saturday, December 21 Christmas Bird Count Contact Evan Vaeth at 877-764-7382 if you are interested in participating either through joining a small group birding an area, or to count birds at your feeder.

Monday, January 20, 2025 Meeting Dr. Andy Wilson, Associate Professor of Environmental Studies at Gettysburg College, will up date us on his songbird research using drones. He will also share preliminary results from marsh bird studies being conducted this summer along the Chesapeake Bay.

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: the2nomads@gmail.com

Tel.: 717-809-3911

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

Educational Initiatives

South Mountain Audubon sponsors educational efforts on natural history in the local schools. This year it financed the purchase of books by the Bermudian Middle School.

Field Trips

FIELD TRIPS - Field trips will be planned on an annual basis and a tentative list will be sent in late December to those on our email list. Details for day trips will be announced in the monthly email blasts, and details for overnight trips will be announced a few months in advance. Also, information can be found on this website. Each monthly email will list a contact person and a meeting place and time for the upcoming events. If you are not on our email list, you can contact Mike Bertram at the2nomads@gmail.com or call 717-809-3911 (please leave a voicemail) if you have questions or need other details. Field trip cancellations will be announced by email as soon as possible and also on this website.

International Migratory Birds Day

On Saturday, the 11th May, which was International Migratory Bird Day, SMAS took its annual walk around the Spangler's Spring area of Gettysburg NMP. An amazing 74 species were observed.

Scarlet Tanager catching insect

Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Notice the insect in its beak

Photos by Linette Mansberger

Bird Walk

On Saturday, the 25th May, SMAS walked around Oakside Park outside Biglerville. 40 species were observed.

Northern Flicker Chicks

Cedar Waxwings collecting nest material

Photos by Linette Mansberger

Devil's Den Area,
Gettysburg NMP

On the 1st of June South Mountain Audubon birded around the Devil's Den area in Gettysburg Park; 62 species were observed.

Group at Beaver Pond

Blue Grosbeak

Photos by Linette Mansberger

Slyder Farm Horse Trails

On the 21st September SMAS visited Slyder Farm, Gettysburg NMP, and walked the horse trail, observing 33 species.

Oakside Park, Biglerville

On Saturday, 12th October, a group of SMAS members walked round Oakside Park, outside Biglerville. 39 species were observed. The Lincoln and Savannah Sparrows had not been seen at Oakside previously.

Lincoln Sparrow

Savannah Sparrow

Immature Red-headed Woodpecker

Photos by Evan Vaeth and Linette Mansberger