Visit baypoll.blogspot.com to check out this interesting post from teenage blogger Corey Husic about Barn Owl banding in PA.
The Naturalist Notebook
Welcome to the Shaver’s Creek blog! The entries here are posted by staff, interns, and volunteers, and aim to keep you informed about the programs, updates, and natural history happenings here at the Creek. Enjoy!
Have you been outside at night lately? There is no better time to take a relaxed nighttime hike to explore your surroundings than right now! The warm summer air fills your lungs as the sun sets over the central Pennsylvania mountaintops. The chirps and buzzing of insects creates a symphony all around you. One by…
The milkweed plant family encompasses a large group of plants, with almost 100 species of milkweed in the United States. There are about twelve milkweed species native to Pennsylvania, five of which can be found in the Stone Valley/Shaver’s Creek area. The species you might see around here are: -Poke or Tall milkweed A.exaltata L.…
Monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) are known for their incredible migration patterns, travelling across the United States from Mexico to Canada and back. Some Monarchs have even begun to make trans-Atlantic trips to Bermuda to find milkweed. Monarchs lay their eggs on milkweed plants as they migrate, and the caterpillars acquire a toxin from the leaves…
State College Area High School students are lucky, indeed. Imagine spending some time away from class to mingle amidst a Renaissance Faire reenactment, to witness and participate in authentic activities like weaving a maypole; jousting with sticks and swords; playing human chess and checkers; bartering for tarts, cheese, and gingerbread; buying and selling colorful wares;…
Last year, the Penn State Methodology Department’s Green Team enrolled in the CSO’s Green Paws certification program, of which Shaver’s Creek has attained Level 4. The Green Paws program outlines actions your office can do immediately to “green” your workplace, and suggests energy-saving behaviors like using the stairs instead of the elevator, unplugging laptops when…
The Birding Cup—Shaver’s Creek’s annual fund-raising tournament—is in the books for 2012. This past weekend, from Friday, May 4 at 7:00 p.m., through Saturday, May 5 at 7:00 p.m., 18 teams comprised of over 80 birders competed to identify as many bird species in the central Pennsylvania region as they could within a twenty-four-hour period.…
It’s time again for the annual Shaver’s Creek Birding Cup! Beginning birders, try your luck to win the Potter Mug. Think you’re the best birder in your county? Try for the County Cup. Willing to brave the search for birds on foot, bike, or boat—and forego any form of motorized transportation? You stand to achieve…
We’d like to let you know about an exciting last-minute business sponsorship for this year’s Birding Cup! State College green design company Envinity has offered to donate their earnings from residential energy audits scheduled between May 2 and next Wednesday, May 9, 2012—just mention “Shaver’s Creek” when you make the appointment. The audit will be…
It’s time again for the annual Shaver’s Creek Birding Cup! Beginning birders, try your luck to win the Potter Mug. Think you’re the best birder in your county? Try for the County Cup. Willing to brave the search for birds on foot, bike, or boat—and forego any form of motorized transportation? You stand to achieve…