Birding the PA Mountains

     Over the weekend of May 15th through the 17th, my family and I went out to Juniata County, PA for my cousin's college graduation.  While we had a lot of left over time before and after the graduation, we birded a short section of a nearby park that wrapped around Raystown Lake in Huntington County.  My mom and I went hiking up the first trail we came across and very shortly got our lifer Cerulean Warbler on the edge of a power line cut.  While watching the Cerulean Warbler, we also heard a Ruffed Grouse drumming in the distance.  After hiking a bit farther up the trail and seeing a few more warbler species, we decided to head home.
     The last day before we left, we went to a different section of the same park.  After crossing a few Eastern Box Turtles off of the road, we heard another Cerulean Warbler singing.  Just a few minutes later, he came down a little bit lower to be visible.  After spending a few minutes with him, we drove down the path a little bit further until I heard a Prairie Warbler singing.  I got out of the car to see if he was in the open, and I heard a Golden-winged Warbler.  This was a lifer and a major nemesis bird.  Waiting a few minutes for him to come out in the open, he finally did.  However he was staying high up and far away.  We watched him for a little while and then we went home.

Eastern Box Turtle

Eastern Box Turtle

 



Cerulean Warbler

Cerulean Warbler

Golden-winged Warbler

Golden-winged Warbler