Bird watching in PA

[walter_karroll]

<p>I am wondering does anyone know of great bird watching spots in northeastern PA? I would love to try my luck at taking photo's of owls, but do not know where to begin. Direction would be helpful.</p>

[tom_mann1]

<p>Hawk Mtn is probably the best known birdwatching spot for raptors and other migrants ... not sure about owls. They (... the mountain, not the owls ... ;-) ) have a website.</p>

<p>Lots of info on the web, eg, http://www.fallinpa.com/fallinpa/birdWatching.jsp and 8000 more hits by Googling {+"bird watching" +"PA" +owls}. Many look relevant.</p>

<p>Tom M<br>

Washington, DC</p>

[walter_karroll]

<p>thank you</p>

[kerry_grim]

<p>For bird watching spots: <a href="http://www.pabirds.org/">http://www.pabirds.org/</a></p>

<p>The same question was asked in July regarding owls, twice I believe. Do a search.</p>

<p>Basically, unless you are proficient at location owls nesting; Great Horned Owls on a nest, or Eastern-Screech or Northern Saw-whet Owls at a nesting cavity, your only chance to photograph owls would be on a winter roost.</p>

<p>Obviously it is the wrong time of year to seach for nesting owls and a total waste of time unless familiar with looking for signs of nesting.</p>

<p>As for wintering owls, most birders never divulge the location of winter roosts. That includes me simply because owls are under stress during winter and do not need to be disturbed by photographers. For that reason I do little to no searching for roosting owls and should I find owls I would not disturb them again, especially for a photograph.</p>

<p>I've become proficient at find nesting Great Horned Owls during winter. When I find a nest, I will observe from a distance, not approach a nest, and when there is a passing motorist, I will focus in another direction so not to expose a nest to anyone. In addition, they are always on private property.</p>

<p>If I sound discouraging, that is my intention. NO PHOTOGRAPH is worth jeopardizing the safety of the bird.</p>

<p>That being said, the biggest human threat to owls is not photographers but bird watchers themselves, especially the listers.</p>

 

[walter_karroll]

<p>Well, I have seen great photographs of owls on this forum, some are flying others are sitting in snow. No your not discouraging just annoying by your post. My whole agenda is to capture the beauty of an owl. I don't watch birds. I wanted to start photographing them. I don't want to jeapardize their safety or bother them in anyway, just record their essence. So next time time you decide to post on a forum to someone that you don't, it would be best to understand my intentions first, instead of trying to discourage a photographer trying to learn something new. It would be better to offer advice, what kind of lens, what should you wear so your not seen, how far away should you keep away, film, what to look for, ect. By the way your whole post seems contradicting. No photgraph is worth harming an owl, owls don't need to be bothered by photographers, the bugges threat to owls is not photographer, but bird watchers them selves. !? </p>

[tom_mann1]

<p>Hi Walter -</p>

<p>I think that Kerry was just trying to get across that owls (especially at certain times of the year) are vastly more sensitive to the proximity of humans than any non-expert can possibly believe. It's reasonable to assume that a photographer who obviously isn't an amateur birder will be less sensitive to such issues than amateur birders, who, in turn, will be less sensitive than professional wildlife biologists. I suspect this is why he/she was advocating the need for a level of care bordering on secrecy.</p>

<p>That being said, I also agree with you that pointing you to on-line resources written by the pros in this area which discuss this issue at more length (incl. what's permitted and what's not) would have been a bit smoother. ;-) He / she just wants to keep the birds safe, as we all do.</p>

<p>Cheers,</p>

<p>Tom M<br /> Washington, DC</p>

[kerry_grim]

<p>

<p >I agree the photos of owls I have seen on this forum are terrific. A lot of them you are referring to are Snowy Owls. Also, some if not the majority of them (especially when the owl is flying directly to the photographer) are lured close by mice or voles the photographer has near them. </p>

<p >What I am trying to convey is, owl photography is not easy at all. In Pennsylvania, Snowy Owls are rare. Perhaps you would join the Pennsylvania Birds listserv and read the posts, especially during winter. It is possible that one may show up within a reasonable distance for you to drive to. <a href="http://www.pabirds.org/">http://www.pabirds.org/</a></p>

<p >Another possibility is Ontario Field Ornithologists <a href="http://www.ofo.ca/">http://www.ofo.ca/</a> During late winter it is not uncommon for many, many owls to show up on Amherst Island in Lake Ontario. This is well known to birders/photographers and I am sure a lot is available on the internet. I have not been there but have heard many stories. No doubt some owls could be photographed with a lens as short as 200mm. </p>

<p >Another possibility would be to visit a hawk watching site. Already, Bald Eagles are moving south. You could check with HMANA (Hawk migration Association of North America) as here are sites all over the northeast. See <cite><a href="http://www.hmana.org/">www.hmana.org/</a></cite></p>

<p ><cite>What I am trying to state, which was overly blunt on my part is simply the safety and welfare of the owl must come first. Of course that applies to all wildlife. There are many, many horror stories I could tell about birders, rare birds, and poor ethics, but I do not assume you are like this. Bird behavior is not easy nor always apparent for birders or photographers. But when it comes to a rare species, birder ethics (not all birders) has gone way down hill.</cite></p>

<p >One of the great things about nature for me is the learning process. Photography is no different. While I have been discouraging in regards to owl photography, that is because of the difficulty of it. There are many books available discussing bird photography. Study them, and practice. </p>

<p >Another on-line source of information regarding bird photography is Arthur Morris BIRDS AS ART Please see <a href="http://www.birdsasart.com/">http://www.birdsasart.com/</a> Don’t forget to scroll to the bottom and read his Bulletin Archives.<br>

BTW, I am a guy. Great luck with your photography!</p>

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[walter_karroll]

<p>Thank you for your input. Added them all to my favorites.</p>

[Robert DeCandido PhD]

<p>For those who may not know it, Kerry counted raptors in migration for many years (on autumn weekends) as an official hawk watch enumerator at the Hawk Mtn Sanctuary near Kempton, Pennsylvania (sorta NE Pennsylvania). Besides being an all-around nice and kind guy, he is first a (dad) birder and then a photographer...I first met him in autumn 1985 - when I was an intern there - we have stayed in occasional contact since then.</p>

<p>Kerry, if you see Mark Blauer, please tell him that us folks in Yankee-land are enjoying life again...he still has time to make the conversion from the Metropolitans to the bx team</p>

<p>rdc/nyc</p>