The County Y will offer a one-hour beginning and advanced waterfowl hunting tactics workshop Nov. 20 at 7:30 p.m.

Mark Spence, a Pro -Staff member for Final Approach and Foiles Migrators Championship Duck and Goose Calls, will lead a seminar that will touch on duck and goose calls, calling techniques, decoy setups, equipment and more. Spence is an Oil City native.

The seminar will be catered to the level of experience of the audience. A Q&A period will follow.

Registration is required. The seminar is free for Y members and $10 for nonmembers. Call (814) 734-5700.

The County Y is located at 12285 YMCA Drive, Edinboro.

Ducks, geese, swans and even flocks of red-winged blackbirds have been visiting Presque Isle Bay and Presque Isle State Park in ever greater numbers these past few weeks. Mergansers are abundant, as are American coots, scaup and goldeneyes.

Bob Grubbs recently captured a photo of another migrant on Marina Lake:

Male Longtail Duck

Be sure to take a drive or walk at the peninsula and check out all the activity for yourself.

Frank Lasky’s ducks are all in a row again thanks to his father’s eye for details and the work of Erie police.

Ben Martz, owner of Lake Effect Decoy Co. in Meadville, explains duck-hunting opportunities and strategies at Presque Isle State Park.

If weather or work is keeping you away from Presque Isle Bay, here’s a glimpse of what you’ve missed this week:

If you’re itching to get outdoors this weekend, a great solution is to head to Linesville to check out two important outdoor facilities.

The Linesville State Fish Hatchery open house is scheduled for April 2 from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Hatchery and Visitor Center, 13300 Hartstown Road.

The free event includes demonstrations of the walleye spawning process; filleting and cooking fish; electrofishing; determining fish age; fly tying; live reptiles, amphibians and invertebrates, plus casting and rod-rigging instruction. Also, get a look at a two-story, 10,000-gallon viewing tank stocked with trophy fish.

The Pymatuning Wildlife Learning Center, 12590 Hartstown Road, also will open for the season April 2.

Operating hours are Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. (excluding April 24) through the third week in September.

In addition to wildlife displays and the hunting heritage room, the center has a number of learning stations regarding wildlife and environmental education. The Wildlife Learning Center also has a wheelchair-accessible nature trail.

The center is one of the great places in northwestern Pennsylvania to view American Bald Eagles and other raptors. Thousands of ducks and cormorants also hang there. And there always are the ever-hungry carp a minute away at the Linesville Spillway.

More fresh faces this weekend at Presque Isle State Park:

Ruddy ducks were grouped in Presque Isle Bay, bobbing like they were made of rubber.

Gadwalls also floated in the bay, as well as on Horseshoe Pond (where American Wigeons still were making themselves at home).

And back on the bay, a few long-necked Horned Grebes did their best to steer clear of the redheads, scaups and other ducks making a ruckus near the first two vistas.

Also sighted: Plenty of boat fisherman; a thin sheet of ice on about half of Marina Bay; and, over the city of Erie, some of the first turkey vultures of the season.

Share your recent sightings here.

Thanks to David Rearick of Avery Outdoors’ Pro-Staff for another season of western Pennsylvania waterfowl migration reports. Here’s his season wrap-up:

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This week’s western Pennsylvania waterfowl migration report from David Rearick, a member of the Avery Outdoors Pro-Staff:

Date: Jan. 17

Location: New Castle

Weather: Snow, freezing rain and some sunshine.

Snow cover: 6-8 inches depending on the location.

Water conditions: Frozen solid in most areas, some moving bodies of water still open.

Feeding conditions: Difficult because of the newly formed ice crust on top of the snow and the melt that is occurring, but leftover grain is still present and available.

Species and numbers: Low numbers of Canada Geese in the area, very few ducks.

Migrations: None to speak of.

Season stage: Late goose season.

Hunting report: Hunting has been slow as birds numbers just aren’t available.

Gossip: Hopefully we get a January warm-up to help drive some of the birds back to the north, as it appears that most of the birds are to the south of us. Mid-January is typically a lull spot in the action, we just have to hope for a change in the weather to put more birds in the area.

This week’s western Pennsylvania waterfowl migration report from David Rearick, a member of the Avery Outdoors Pro-Staff:

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