Annual Report 2007-2008 - 13

A record of 155 bald eagle nests, including 24 new locations, were monitored by Commission staff and more than 65 individual volunteers and organizations in 2008. Volunteers and staff counted 184 bald eagles (and no golden eagles) during the annual winter survey. Twenty-seven peregrine falcon nesting sites, including three new sites, were monitored with assistance from 45 volunteers. Sixty-four young were produced, of which 51 were banded. Public-venue bandings were held at the Rachel Carson State Office Building, Harrisburg, and Gulf Tower and Cathedral of Learning, Pittsburgh. The commonwealth had three cliff nests and three nestlings were successfully transferred from bridge nests on the Delaware River to a cliff reintroduction site in West Virginia. Two “citizen science” projects, that is, projects that extensively engage volunteers — the 5-year state Breeding Bird Atlas effort and the annual Breeding Bird Survey — have made impressive contributions to our knowledge of the ecology of Pennsylvania’s birds. Since the beginning of the Atlas project, volunteers have contributed more than 96,775 block hours and 31,182 hours of logistical support. They drove more than 803,644 miles while generating 690,533 bird records in at least 4,928 of 4,937 atlas blocks. PGC Diversity staff provided both supervision and survey effort. The great egret, black-crowned night-heron and yellow-crowned night-heron are classified as endangered in Pennsylvania. These and other colonial wading birds are particularly vulnerable to disturbance because their nests are clustered in colonies. Active nests were counted in spring 2008 at the only two known great egret colonies and ten black-crowned night-heron colonies. The annual survey at Wade Island counted 98 black-crowned night-heron nests and 178 great egret nests. While heron nests increased slightly and egrets held steady, cormorant nests on Wade Island increased dramatically, from 73 in 2007 to 112 in 2008, which may impact nest trees and increase competition for nesting space with the herons and egrets. Several black-crowned night-heron colonies declined in 2008, including the second largest colony at Kiwanis Lake, York County. A statewide survey of great blue heron colonies was completed in 2008, with a total count of 2,208 active great blue heron nests across 52 counties. Sixty-one grassland sparrows were banded and 10 nests found during an ongoing study of reclaimed mineland habitat quality. Telemetry was used to locate nests and determine the efficiency of auditory surveys. Conservation efforts have been initiated on State Game Lands for Henslow’s sparrows. All of Pennsylvania’s bat species are microchiroptera (small bats) and all feed exclusively on insects. As major predators of night-flying insects, including many agricultural and forest pests, they provide control without expense or harmful chemicals. Because most of our bats congregate in large numbers in few areas, they are highly vulnerable to environmental changes. Bird and bat monitoring protocols have been adopted and are being used in cooperation with 12 wind power developers that signed voluntary agreements. PGC Wildlife Diversity biologists participated throughout the year in various aspects of bird and bat ecology related to wind industry development and participated in Pennsylvania Wind and Wildlife Collaborative meetings. Routine surveys of 19 hibernacula conducted January through March 2008 counted 96,573 bats of six species in 8 inactive mines, 7 caves and 4 tunnels. More than 90,000, 93 percent, of hibernating bats used mines and tunnels — abandoned manmade structures. Little brown bats comprised 93,294 of the count, followed by 1,138 eastern pipistrelles, 801 big brown bats and 581 northern long-eared bats. Three sites harbored six state threatened small-footed bats. A total of 123 federally endangered Indiana bats JANUARY 2009 13

Annual Report 2007-2008

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Annual Report 2007-2008