The fourth in a series of occasional profiles of birdwatchers who are from or spend a lot of time in northwestern Pennsylvania.

Lee Ann Reiners, Field trip director, Presque Isle Audubon Society

Lee Ann Reiners, of Tidioute, encounters a Nazca booby on one of the Galapagos Islands in March 2012. Contributed photo

Age: 62

Lives in: Tidioute, Warren County, and Leesburg, Fla.

Profession: Retired library assistant, Edinboro University of Pennsylvania

Originally from: Pittsburgh

I got into birding …: I don’t remember how old I was. My parents gave my brother and me a little Herbert Zim bird field guide and we used it till it fell apart. Although we lived in Pittsburgh, we had a summer cottage near Cambridge Springs in Crawford County. My brother and I roamed the woods and fields exploring all sorts of habitats and their wildlife. When I was 20, I began birding with a nature group and learned about keeping lists.

Spark birds: All birds fascinated me, so I really can’t single out that one special bird that actually sparked my interest. Possibly cagebirds, parakeets and canaries, which my grandmother raised and I loved to play with, and the feeder birds in our back yard.

Favorite birds: Hummingbirds, chickadees, woodpeckers.

Nemesis bird: Currently, LeConte’s Sparrow. Plus I’d love to see an ivory-billed woodpecker if there are still any alive. I got to hold one in my hand – it was Roger Tory Peterson’s from his skins collection. Unfortunately, long deceased.)

Favorite place(s) to bird in northwestern Pennsylvania: Land o’ Lakes state game lands near Cambridge Springs; Tidioute Bird Trail;  and while canoeing on French Creek, Conneaut Marsh and the Allegheny River.

Strangest place I’ve gone birding: In Trinidad we were taken to a cave where Oilbirds lived. They sleep in the dark cave during the day and come out at night. We were allowed into the cave one person at a time to catch a glimpse of the roosting birds and take a picture by flashlight.

Rarest bird I’ve seen: North America, Whooping Crane; South America, San Isidro Owl

Usual birding partner: My husband, Charles Houpt

Birding gear and equipment I take everywhere: 15×50 Canon IS binoculars; various Canon cameras and lenses; Sibley Field Guide to Birds; monopod walking stick; iPod for ID’ing some of the bird calls I might hear.

Favorite birding field guide or app: Sibley’s

What I like most about birding: The birds, of course! I can sit and watch a chickadee for hours on end. I love to settle in beside a babbling brook and watch whatever flies into my view. Better than jelly donuts!

The best birdwatching day I’ve ever had: A day at Hummingbird Lodge in Ecuador in March 2012 when I actually reached out and touched a hummingbird on its soft little tummy.

The worst birding day I’ve ever had: I am a first responder for Tamarack Wildlife Rehabilitation and Education Center, which means I can transport injured wildlife to the center. Last September I got a call to transport a Bald Eagle from Althom in Warren County to the center. En route I could hear its labored breathing and low moans of pain. That is something I will never forget – the sounds of pain from that magnificent bird. He was showing signs of lead poisoning and a blood test was run. His lead level was so high that it was off the meter. The pain was caused by the lead eating away his internal organs. I watched this bird die. Eagles are opportunistic feeders and will eat already-dead animals they might find. If the animal is killed by lead ammunition, the eagle will ingest the lead, which travels rapidly into their bloodstream. (More information can be seen at http://www.nwhc.usgs.gov/disease_information/lead_poisoning/ & http://www.tamarackwildlife.org/2011/12/bald-eagles-and-lead-poisoning.html )

Dream birding destination: I’ve been to my dream destinations, but would love to go back to Hawai’i to see what I missed the first time, when I was traveling with a non-birder and missed a lot.

Best birding advice you ever got: It was actually canoeing advice that I applied to birding: find the best paddler as you enter the whitewater and follow him, do what he does. With birding, it’s pick out the best birder in the group and stick close by!

Your advice to beginning birders: Join the Audubon Society and attend meetings and field trips so you can learn as you go. And learn birding etiquette, so you won’t be disturbing the birds in their habitat, especially during breeding season.

Should a sighting be counted if you’ve only heard an identifiable bird call but not seen the bird itself? I mark it down as a “heard bird,” but don’t count it on my list till I’ve seen one.

Do you keep a life list? Yes, I do. My current total is 1,083, and I passed the 1,000 mark last month in Ecuador — my husband presented me with a “1,000” applique to sew onto my birding hat! (He also passed 1,000 on that trip!)

Do you approve of the idea of competitions such as a Big Year or Big Day? Yes, because info gathered from those events can be used for statistics in research. And they are fun, as long as the participants aren’t interfering with the natural routine of the birds. (Plus, the Big Year competition inspired a fun movie! We in Presque Isle Audubon Society made the opening night in Erie one of our field trips and we went to it as a group.)

Etc: I post many of my photos to http://www.flickr.com/photos/leeann-charlie/sets/

Previous entries in the Birder Bio series:

No. 1: Shawn Collins

No. 2: Bonnie Ginader

No. 3: Michele Rundquist-Franz

Interested in participating in the Birder Bio profiles series? E-mail matt.martin@timesnews.com for details.

Zach Lyons, 12, of Franklin, shot an 8-point buck Nov. 2 with his compound bow.

Lyons and his grandfather, Tom Young, were hunting on the edge of State Game Land 39 in Venango County.Young was in a tree stand and Lyons in a ground blind. He shot the deer from 15 yards after it responded to rattling.

Vote for the NWPA Outdoors Deer of the Year at goerie.com/deeroftheyear. Voting ends Dec. 31, and the Deer of the Year will be announced Jan. 6 in the Erie Times-News and on www.GoErie.com, along with an Editor’s Choice pick.

You can still submit your deer photo to the GoErie Hunting and Fishing gallery.

The Pennsylvania Game Commission will offer free guided tours of State Game Land 39, in Venango County, and State Game Land 130, in Mercer County, on Sept. 22 at 10 a.m.

Tour participants should meet at the SGL 130 parking area on the right side of Reeds Furnace Road, two-tenths of a mile off Route 965, west of the Venango/Mercer county border. The tour will go on rain or shine and is open to everyone who is  interested in learning about the game lands and their wildlife and habitat management.

The 17-mile tour will display habitat work as well as Marcellus/Utica Shale gas well development, and steps taken to improve habitat and infrastructure on the SGLs. Game Commission officials will talk about the use of a timber sale to promote aspen regeneration. Grassland birds, ruffed grouse, woodcock habitat and more also are on the agenda.

Tour participants also will meet with members of the Sandy Creek Watershed, the Pennsylvania Game Commission and the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission.

Participants may travel in their own vehicles or set up car pools at the meeting site. The commission said four-wheel drive is not necessary, but vehicles with low ground clearance could scrape bottom.

This tour will make stops and will involve short walks. Pack a lunch or snack.

Directions to the starting point: From Mercer, take Route 62 East toward Jackson Center to the junction of Route 965 Continue East on Route 965 through red blinker light at Route 173. Continue about 5 miles to Reeds Furnace Road, then left onto Reeds Furnace Road. From Franklin, take Route 62 West through Polk to junction of Route 965 then about 5 miles to Reeds Furnace Road and turn right onto Reeds Furnace Road to first SGL parking lot on right.

Year two of the three-year timbering project at State Game Land 314 in northwestern Erie County is leaving the Pennsylvania Game Commission-owned property unrecognizable in many places.

That was the plan all along.

Read the rest of this entry »

The ongoing lumbering and habitat management project at State Game Lands 314 in western Erie County is about to resume.

UPDATE June 25: As of June 24, work had not commenced.

The Pennsylvania Game Commission’s Shayne A. Hoachlander said the project on 800 acres is intended to improve habitat for American woodcock, blue-winged warblers and other shrub-associated birds. About 300 acres were completed in 2011.

“Although the target is shrub associated birds, deer and turkeys stand to benefit greatly,” said Hoachlander, a land management group supervisor. “This project will stimulate a lot of browse production within reach of deer and also stimulate soft mast production and cover.”

In other Northwest Region game lands news:

LMGS Jeffery T. Kendall said there are multiple projects going on with habitat management in Lawrence and Butler counties. “Most obvious to the hunter will be large blocks, some more than 30 acres, of dead vegetation,” he said. “These areas have had herbicide applied to kill the invasive species of shrubs. Large areas of multiflora rose, autumn olive and honeysuckle have been treated in an attempt to get back the native species of shrubs and trees. These invasive species take over areas and crowd out the native plants that are good for wildlife and the habitat. Hunters will go to these SGLs this fall and hopefully be pleasantly surprised at all the hard work and money that has been spent to control these invasive species on many areas on the SGLs.”

LMGS Mario L. Piccirilli reports his Food and Cover Corps crews has been maintaining road and culverts , stocking spring breeder pheasants and maintaining equipment. “The Food and Cover Corps crews also have been operating the upland vegetation cutter which controls invasives and promotes shrub release on SGLs,” he said. “Other projects include spreading lime and fertilizer over food plots on SGLs in preparation of planting season.”

Clarion/Jefferson Counties LMGS George J. Miller reports that 37.32 acres of warm-season grasses will be established, 70.14 acres of native and beneficial shrubs will be planted, and 21.48 acres of non-commercial timber will be cut through the cooperation of seven private landowner enrolled in the agency’s Hunter Access Program who took advantage of the VPA/Hip (Volunteer Public Access/Habitat Improvement Program).

Miller reports that several volunteer projects have recently taken place on Clarion County gamelands to promote beneficial habitat and to clean up the environment. “The Clarion University Bios Club recently pick up roadside litter along Bigley Road on SGL 72, and constructed and placed 21 new bluebird boxes on this same SGL,” he said. “The Allegheny Northwoods Chapter of the RGS planted over 1,400 beneficial trees and shrubs on SGL 330 in an area recently designated to be managed as shrub habitat. The pines in this mix were planted to provide thermal-winter cover, and will be topped periodically to assure they remain low to the ground. By completing this practice, they will remain most beneficial to wildlife in the critical winter months.”

Two American bald eagles were released into the wild Wednesday in Crawford County after rehabilitation from injuries at the Tamarack Wildlife Rehabilitation and Education Center.

The Pennsylvania Game Commission oversaw release of the female eagles at the Pymatuning Wildlife Management Area, State Game Lands 214. Pymatuning was selected as the release site because of its abundant eagle habitat.

A 20-year-old mature eagle, first banded in 1992 near Vernon, Ohio, was captured April 16, 2011, near Union City by Erie County Wildlife Conservation Offcer Larry Smith. The eagle showed wing injures, missing tail feathers, emaciation and dehydration. It had suffered pellet wounds from a gunshot. Recurring infections required a long healing period at Tamarack.

Smith also picked up the immature eagle July 17, 2011, near Six Mile Creek east of Erie. The bird is believed to have suffered from West Nile Virus, which caused its feathers to become deformed during development, prohibiting flight. Rehab workers waited and watched as the eagle’s feathers were naturally restored during molting.

“Tamarack is an excellent facility that we have worked with on numerous occasions, and they have proven themselves to be especially skilled when dealing with raptors including bald eagles,” said Keith Harbaugh, Game Commission Northwest Region director. “Sue DeArment and her team at Tamarack are to be commended for their caring and compassionate work rehabilitating these eagles. We would not be here today to return these birds back to the wild if it were not for their investment of time, skill, energy, and money.”

The Game Commission said the mature female eagle was not returned to the Union City area, where she was an established breeder, because her mate successfully paired up with another eagle during her rehabilitation.

The Pennsylvania Game Commission recently reported on goings-on at the more than 1.4 million acres of State Game Lands it maintains for public uses.

From the Game Commission: The Game Commission is mandated, by state law, to spend a specific amount of money on habitat improvement each year. That minimum is based on an established rate of $4.25 for each resident and nonresident adult general hunting license and $2 for each antlerless deer license.  During the 2009-10 license year, the Game Commission sold 846,293 resident and nonresident adult general hunting licenses and 867,697 antlerless deer licenses, for a total minimum of $5,332,139.

“In reality, we spent $5,902,523 on habitat improvement projects, which was $570,384 more that the legislatively-mandated minimum,” Carl G. Roe, executive director, said. “This was not a one-time aberration, however, as we have routinely exceed the minimum threshold set by the Legislature because we recognize how important habitat improvement is for all wildlife.

“However, when you combine our stable license sales with the increasing costs of conducting habitat work – from gas prices to repairs of heavy equipment – we are seeing the amount of work we are able to accomplish stagnate or decline.  Fortunately, with organizations such as the National Wild Turkey Federation and Pheasants Forever, we are able to do more than what our license dollars allow.”

Here’s at look at what’s been going on at game lands in the Northwest Region:

• Forest/Warren Counties LMGS Richard T. Cramer reported that his Food and Cover Corps crews have been busy maintaining SGL boundary lines, maintaining and replacing bluebird nest boxes, preparing equipment for spring planting, readying equipment for prescribed fires and many other duties.
• Crawford/Erie Counties LMGS Shayne A. Hoachlander and all of the Northwest Region Food and Cover Corps crews, foresters, biologists, and LMGSs recently met for a two-day conference that provided or covered: mandatory pesticide license credits, habitat management techniques, commercial drivers license training, Marcellus gas operations on SGLs and other information pertinent to habitat management duties. Crawford County LMGS Jerry A. Bish noted that this training is only done once a year in this format. “In addition, it gives us time to compare strategies and techniques with our colleagues, and we had a little bit of fun,” he said.
• Butler/Lawrence Counties LMGS Jeffery T. Kendall said the constant rainfall this spring has delayed the Food and Cover Corps crews from getting State Game Land fields planted. “Many of the food plots are setting idle because they are too wet to get equipment into to get them planted,” he said. “This could affect what ends up getting planted and what will be available for wildlife next winter.”
• Clarion/Jefferson Counties LMGS George J. Miller reported the Jefferson County Food and Cover Corps crew will be planting about 1,600 native trees and shrubs in the riparian buffer of the remnants of the old Punxsutawney Reservoir on SGL 195. “They also will be reseeding a vegetated interior roadway on SGL 244 by applying herbicide to kill undesirable grasses, applying lime and fertilizer, and then no-till plant with legumes,” he said. “These projects were made possible by PR funding, which is revenue from an excise tax placed on firearms and ammunition that is then made available to state wildlife agencies for such projects.”
• Mercer County WCO Donald G. Chaybin reported seedlings recently were distributed to private landowners enrolled in the Game Commission public access programs. “There also were surplus seedlings made available to sportsmen’s clubs, schools and youth groups,” he said. “All of these seedlings will provide valuable food and cover for wildlife in the future. In northern Mercer County, there were nearly 10,000 seedlings provided without charge to safety zone cooperators and others interested in improving wildlife habitat.  Our seedlings are produced at the Game Commission Howard Nursery in Howard, Centre County.