The Naturalist Notebook

In the spring of 2011, I first reported on a family learning research study taking place at Shaver’s Creek.  In the year and a half since that first blog posting, a lot of time, energy, and hard work has gone into the research endeavors supported by the partnership between Penn State’s College of Education and…

Since beginning my environmental education internship at Shaver’s Creek, I have been fortunate to grow acquainted with the fiercely feathered residents of our lively raptor center.  The diversity among the species of our raptors here is especially intriguing to me.  The physical traits of each species represent adapted mechanisms for stealth, speed, and survival.  From…

The Shaver’s Creek Maple Harvest Festival is coming up, and we’re putting out the call for any volunteers who want to join in the fun and food! This year’s festival is on Saturday, March 23 and Sunday, March 24, from 10:30 a.m.–3:00 p.m. As you may know, the Maple Harvest Festival has been celebrated here at…

Here at Shaver’s Creek, we are gearing up for the exciting new season of Kids Corner! This season’s theme, ‘Nature on the Go’, will give you and your child the opportunity to explore and discover different methods of movement that are utilized by our very own native wildlife of Pennsylvania. Guided by our enthusiastic staff…

As the fall season winds to a close here at Shaver’s Creek, we’re getting excited to start watching our bird feeders! November 10th marked the beginning of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s Project FeederWatch, a nation-wide citizen science program whose goal is to monitor the movement and distribution of birds during the winter months. Many…

Shaver’s Creek wants to thank you — the member, the visitor, the volunteer — for a fantastic fall season full of exciting events. The third annual Shaver’s Creek Music Festival welcomed over 300 attendees, drawn to the music of Pure Cane Sugar, Grain, and Dreams & Bones.  Delicious food and drink were available from Edenview…

It’s that time of the year again—Kids Corner has just started up! Wednesdays from now until December 12th you can bring your child out to Shaver’s Creek from 10 a.m.–12 p.m. to explore nature with a leader from Shaver’s Creek. The theme for this year is: “Nature is SENSEational!” So bring your child out to…

Hurricane Sandy made a tremendous splash when it made landfall in New Jersey this week, and it is no secret that this superstorm has had far-reaching effects. Here in central Pennsylvania, Sandy has brought on moderate winds, cold temperatures, and plenty of water. New streams in the Lake Perez lakebed as seen from the Sunset…

As fall earns its name more and more, and leaves are falling to the ground with the occasional twig or pine needle, what shall happen to our befallen once-green friends on high? Many routes to decomposition are available for these post-picture perfect pieces of our trees. The most common or maybe the most whimsical of…

Bird feeding is a wonderful thing, is it not? As winter draws near, many birds become more and more likely to visit your home feeding stations, but this time of year also presents some challenges to feeding our feathered friends. With a few simple tricks you can keep them fed and your feeders safe.   …