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SHAVER’S CREEK
ENVIRONMENTAL
CENTER
16.8 km / 10.5 mi
STONE MOUNTAIN
16 km / 10 mi
32 km / 20 mi
WARRIORS RIDGE
JACKS MOUNTAIN
3.2 km / 2 mi
LEADING RIDGE
MID STATE TRAIL (You are here)
29.9 km / 18.6 mi
9.6 km / 6 mi
14.4 km / 9 mi
BALD EAGLE RIDGE
SIDELING HILL
SCOTIA BARRENS
20.6 km / 12.8 mi
ALLEGHENY FRONT
WHITE GLOBE ON
ALLEGHENY FRONT
STONE VALLEY
Tussey Mountain
Tussey Mountain has long been
known as a migration corridor for
migrating raptors since the State
College birding community sat at a
now-absent fire tower south of the
present day watch. However, we
didn’t know about its potential for
spring migration until the
mid-1990s, when David Brandes, a
Penn State graduate student, took
time during his spring break to
patiently wait through harsh
March conditions to observe good
numbers of migrating Golden
Eagles, as well as Red-tailed and
Red-shouldered Hawks.
The watch has had a full-time
counter each spring (late
February to end of April) since
2001. From this vantage point,
the hawk watching enthusiast
can observe some of the largest
numbers of spring-migrating
Golden Eagles to be found in
eastern North America.
Tussey Mountain Hawkwatch is
sponsored by Shaver’s Creek
Environmental Center, the State
College Bird Club, and the
generosity of individual donors.
Shaver’s Creek Environmental Center
State College Bird Club
Mid State Trail
Geology and Migration
Tucked within Penn State’s Stone
Valley Forest is Shaver’s Creek
Environmental Center. Shaver’s
Creek was founded in 1976 as a
resource for the community, and as
a field laboratory for Penn State
students to get hands-on
experience teaching about the
natural world. The programs at the
Environmental Center provide a
mix of educational and
recreational opportunities for
families, schools, corporate groups,
and Penn State students.
The State College area is widely
known for the home of Penn State
University, rich farming valleys,
rolling ridges, meandering
streams, and acres of state forest.
Professors, students, hikers,
farmers, and naturalists from this
area have met as the State College
Bird Club, which began in 1941 and
has provided a forum for
beginners and experts alike to
share local avian natural history
with each other.
From Jo Hayes Vista, the route
to the Tussey Mountain
hawkwatch follows the Mid
State Trail along the top of
Tussey Mountain. The Mid
State Trail, 325 miles (523 km) in
length, is one of the longest and
most remote hiking trails in
Pennsylvania, connecting the
state’s southern border (south
of Everett) and its northern
border (north of Wellsboro).
The Mid State Trail is known
for its great views from ridge
promontories.
Tussey Mountain’s rock is
Tuscarora Sandstone, whose
hardness makes it relatively
resistant to erosion, which is why
it exists here today. Several
hundred million years ago, a
10,000 foot-tall mountain soared
from here over what is now a
valley to the north; the northern
end of this mountain is today’s
Allegheny Front, 13 miles away.
Note that the larger rocks at the
hawk watch site angle upward to
the north. Today’s ridges are the
remnant lower flanks of a
Shaver’s Creek also features a
raptor center with an array of birds
of prey, as well as reptiles and
amphibians. All of the animals are
considered nonreleasable. Most
have suffered a permanent injury,
which means their survival in the
wild is not likely, due to loss of
ability to fly, catch food, tear food
apart, or perform similar survival
functions. The raptor center staff
cares for these animals, providing
food and clean shelter, and uses
them as educational ambassadors
in Traveling Naturalist Programs.
Bald Eagle Mountain
once-taller mountain that eroded
away eons ago. Migrating raptors
wind-surf on updrafts deflected off
the steep slopes of Tussey Mountain
and thus minimize the expenditure
of precious energy. They often
follow the
southwest-to-northeast-oriented
ridge for a long way before leaving
it to head more directly north. The
best winds for raptor migration are
strong and perpendicular to the
ridge, though migrating raptors
often utilize what is available if they
are ready to go.
Bald Eagle Mountain is the next
ridge to the north and the
northern-most ridge in the Ridge
and Valley province of the
Appalachians. Looking north
from the hawk watch or Jo Hayes
Vista, you can see the I-99
road-cut through Bald Eagle
Mountain. As seen from the
south looking north, Bald Eagle
Mountain is not very high; as
seen from the north looking
south, its height is similar to
Tussey Mountain. Bald Eagle
Scotia Barrens
Mountain is one of the more
important regional migration
routes south for fall-migrating
Golden Eagles, probably because
of its northern-most placement
in the Ridge and Valley.
The Scotia Barrens, otherwise
known as State Game Land 176, is
a naturalist haven for breeding
birds, migrating salamanders,
and diverse flora. This tract of
land encompasses 6,211 acres of
pitch pines, scrub oak, white oak,
black oak, and aspens. The
adjacent 10-acre pond has been
known to attract rails and
bitterns during migration season.
This habitat plays a key role in
breeding birds such Eastern
Whip-poor-wills, Chestnut-sided
and Golden-winged Warblers,
Indigo Buntings, American
Woodcock, Ruffed Grouse, and
many others. It also falls into a
highly recommended area to
explore during fall migration,
where at times birdwatchers can
tally anywhere from 12 to 15
warblers in a single morning.
Spring Raptor Paths
with NW wind
with SE wind
Hawk watch
t
n
ro
F
y
en
le
ag
E
d
gh
lle
Mt
l
Ba
A
American Kestrel
Broad-winged Hawk
Tussey Mountain is part of the Ridge and Valley region within the Appalachian Mountains. The ridges geological feature with high peaks enables
migrating raptors to use the mountain as a “free ride” to and from their
wintering and nesting grounds. Individual flight paths are tied to these
ridges and depending on wind and sky conditions one may predict the
general flight path of migrating raptors. For Tussey Mountain, moderate
S/SE and NW winds are known to produce the larger flights, but one must
use caution and scan frequently both sides. Many individuals are known to
fly perpendicular to the ridge or off ridge (opposite of wind direction).
Turkey Vulture
immature
t
yM
an
t
t
i
Rough-legged Hawk
(dark morph)
N
2 — Evitts Mt
3 — Dunning Mt
Northern Harrier
4 — Lock Mt
5 — Canoe Mt
6
Stone Mt
6 — Brush Mt
Jacks Mt
5
Cooper’s Hawk
4
Bald Eagle
10
7 — Tussey Mt
8 — Rays Hill
3
9 — Sideling Hill
10 — Terrace Mt
Allegheny Front
1
2
7
8
Figures from Birds of Central Pennsylvania by Nick Bolgiano and Greg Grove
Red-tailed Hawk
N
9
10 miles
Fall Raptor Numbers
Spring Raptor Numbers
Tussey Mt
1 — Wills Mt
Golden
Eagle
Osprey
Osprey
Bald Eagle
Bald Eagle
Northern Harrier
Northern Harrier
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Cooper’s Hawk
Cooper’s Hawk
Northern Goshawk
Northern Goshawk
Red-shouldered Hawk
Red-shouldered Hawk
Broad-winged Hawk
Broad-winged Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Rough-legged Hawk
Rough-legged Hawk
Golden Eagle
Golden Eagle
American Kestrel
American Kestrel
Merlin
Merlin
Peregrine Falcon
Photo credits: David Brandes (Golden Eagle), Alex Lamoreaux (American
Kestrel, Bald Eagle, Cooper’s Hawk), Jon Kauffman (Turkey Vulture, Red-tailed
Hawk, Northern Harrier, Rough-legged Hawk, Broad-winged Hawk)
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Seasonal distributions of raptor counts from Tussey Mountain Hawk watch
Peregrine Falcon
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Seasonal distributions of raptor counts from Stone Mountain hawk watch