Photo By Ted Nichols | Birders take part in a bird walk led by the installation's wildlife staff, May 27,...... read more read more
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FORT INDIANTOWN GAP, Pa. - The ascending buzz of a prairie warbler, the raspy bee-buzz of a blue-winged warbler and the odd cackles, clucks, whistles and hoots of the yellow-breasted chat saturated ones auditory senses as they stood in the middle of Fort Indiantown Gap’s expansive 17,000 acres of diverse habitat.
More than 40 bird enthusiasts, or birders as they like to be called, from the Lancaster County Bird Club, Baird Ornithological Society (Berks County) and Pennsylvania Society for Ornithology, traveled to the installation to take part in a bird walk led by the installation’s wildlife staff, May 27, 2015.
“We like to do a trip here because the staff here is so welcoming and the variety and size of the habitat here is somewhat unique,” said Barbara Hunsberger, president of the Lancaster County Bird Club. “This is our third year doing the trip and a number of those present have been here each year. It’s a great opportunity to get into an area that is normally off-limits.”
Despite an early start on what was already a hot and humid spring day, the sounds of Mother Nature weren’t the only thing in the air as individuals wielding various binoculars and spotting scopes trudged around the only live-fire, maneuver training facility in the state – excitement was clearly in the air.
“I’ve never birded out here and really wanted to see the variety of habitat that is preserved at the installation,” said Vern Gauthier, board member for the Pennsylvania Society for Ornithology. “There are a lot of great birds reported out of Fort Indiantown Gap, and it’s great to have an opportunity to visit here and see what makes this such a unique place for birding in central Pennsylvania and particularly Lebanon County.”
For Tim Becker, who compiles bird data for Lebanon County for the Pennsylvania Society for Ornithology and their quarterly journal Pennsylvania Birds, Fort Indiantown Gap’s unique habitat is a treasure trove of important data.
“Much of Lebanon County is a monoculture of various row crops and pasture, interspersed with small stands of mature forest. By contrast the vast training areas of Fort Indiantown Gap include marshes, grassland, regenerating timbered areas and lots of shrubby thickets that are attractive to a diverse collection of bird species,” explained Becker. “Fort Indiantown Gap regularly produces certain species that are difficult to find in other parts of the county. These would include red-headed woodpeckers, blue grosbeaks, sora and Virginia rails, and the state's only chuck-will's-widow, to name just a few.”
“Diverse” and “unique habitat” became token words of the day. Some may have a hard time contemplating how an active military facility, which is normally buzzing with fighter aircraft overhead, artillery booming from various ranges and consistent prescribed burns, could be so attractive to birds.
“The Gap has a wide variety of habitat including some of the most diversity found in any block during the last statewide breeding bird atlas: mature forest, native grassland, open water, wet meadow, ridgetop forest and openings, and raptor migration corridor,” said David McNaughton, assistant wildlife program manager at the installation. “On top of that, our land use has been both consistent and beneficial to our bird populations for more than 85 years with rare management techniques like wildland fire applied consistently despite statewide suppression efforts through the middle of the 20th century. Lastly, we do manage to get some great birds and opportunities to see them up close.”
One also might not think that the habitat used to train a soldier would also make for good bird habitat, but the same terrain features used a soldier to remain out of view of the enemy are exactly what most birds seek.
“We create soldier habitat, which provides birds with concealment, cover and durable structure year-round,” McNaughton continued. “We do this through active management techniques like prescribed fire, targeted and selective herbicide, mechanical treatments and by letting the soldiers and airmen do what they need to do here. We also encourage native species like elder, winterberry, arrowwood, and native grasses that feed and house birds in all four seasons.”
The Gap is no stranger to being well known in the natural world. The installation is home to the largest population of the rare regal fritillary butterfly east of the Mississippi and each year welcomes more than a thousand visitors out to a nearly identical habitat to see this Pennsylvania critically endangered species on public tours. Not surprisingly, good butterfly habitat is also good for Mother Nature’s avian friends.
“The main habitat for the regal fritillary is native warm-season little-bluestem/broomsedge grasslands, which are a community of concern statewide. Over 99 percent of Pennsylvania’s native grasslands are gone to urbanization, forest encroachment, permanent flooding, and other stressors,” said McNaughton. “These grasslands not only sustain our regal fritillary, but they also attract and sustain grasshopper sparrow, blue-winged warbler, prairie warbler, northern harrier, and blue grosbeak. Managing for the regal is managing for what’s referred to as a keystone species: the success of that keystone is an indication of the quality of the specialized grassland habitat it uses.”
While the bird walk allowed an opportunity for the ordinary person to experience the habitat and birds the installation is home to, birds are serious business for the wildlife staff at the installation year round.
“Fort Indiantown Gap is very well-covered by Gap biologists, who conduct regular surveys and share their information with me to be included in my reports,” said Becker. “Because the Gap is such a large area comprised of many unique habitats, species that are uncommon elsewhere are often discovered.”
“We perform annual monitoring in the form of point counts, winter raptor surveys, and rarity records using full-time, seasonal, and even volunteer staff such as those who count at Second Mountain Hawk Watch,” explained McNaughton. “We coordinate the BASH [bird/animal airstrike hazard] assessment and programs for the air-to-ground range and Muir Army Airfield. We provide the opportunity for hunting and game bird recreation. Most importantly, we do a lot of habitat management and maintenance to keep a stable and productive home for our breeding, migratory, and wintering birds. You may also see our results in citizen science projects like eBird, the Christmas Bird Count and the Pennsylvania Migration Count.”
According to Fort Indiantown Gap’s wildlife office Fort Indiantown Gap currently provides habitat for 40 species of mammals, 249 species of birds, 36 species of reptiles and amphibians, 27 species of fish and many notable species of invertebrates including 83 species of butterflies and 241 species of moths. This includes excellent populations of deer, turkey, bear, bobcat, rabbit, squirrel, wild trout, amphibians, reptiles, small mammals and songbirds. The installation covers more than 17,000 acres, including approximately 1,000 acres of scrub oak and pitch pine scrubland and 4,500 acres of native grassland habitat – the largest in the commonwealth.
If you’re interested in birding on the installation, publicly accessible areas popular amongst birders include Marquette and Shuey Lakes, the wetlands trail across from Middle Road at Memorial Lake State Park and the Second Mountain Hawk Watch. Opportunities to get into restricted areas are limited to public tours such as the July regal fritillary butterfly tours and other tour opportunities organized by the installation wildlife office. Volunteers can also gain some additional access. To join the installation volunteer program, or for more information on public wildlife tours, send an email to RA-DMVA-Wildlife@pa.gov.
More information on the Pennsylvania Society for Ornithology is available at www.pabirds.org, information on the Lancaster County Bird Club at www.lancasterbirdclub.org, information on the Baird Ornithological Society at www.bairdornithological.club and information on Second Mountain Hawk Watch at www.2ndmtn.shutterfly.com.
| Date Taken: | 06.02.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 06.02.2015 12:32 |
| Story ID: | 165202 |
| Location: | FORT INDIANTOWN GAP, PA, US |
| Web Views: | 682 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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