Citizen Science Projects

This Barn Owl nestbox is nestled in a large barn on a family farm in Mifflin County. The farm is well known for its diversity of flora and fauna that provides a rich food resource for American Kestrels, Eastern Bluebirds, Grasshopper Sparrows, Vesper Sparrows and many other diverse agricultural species such as the Barn Owl.

Along with mindful farming practices, the owners have chosen to retain an abandoned silo that has been dormant of any human activity for many years. This silo plays an important role in available daytime roosting space and opportunity for Barn Owls to raise young. During the fall of 2016, Shaver’s Creek provided a nestbox, and for two years a pair has been observed utilizing both structures, but in 2020 and 2021 no nesting activity was observed. We were excited to have another opportunity to observe a family of owls in 2023.

In mid-August, Shaver’s Creek staff observed copulation behavior of the female and male Barn Owls. On August 27, the female laid her first of eight eggs. Thereafter, five eggs hatched, and the young successfully left the box in early December of 2023. Throughout the winter, the nestlings and adults continued to be present in a nearby silo and nestbox and in early February copulation behavior was observed. The first egg of 2024 was laid on February 17.

Through a continuing partnership, Shaver’s Creek Environmental Center and the landowners provided a nestbox camera for the community to view. The video is streaming live, and we hope you enjoy watching the life cycle of Barn Owls and how they play an important role in an ecological niche for farmers.

Funding for the internet service to the barn is generously provided by Mifflin County Wireless, Lewistown, PA.

Funding for nestbox cameras and other STEM activities provided by the M. W. McBride endowment for Shaver’s Creek.

Volunteers needed June–August

The Monarch Larva Monitoring Project (MLMP) is a citizen science project involving volunteers from across the United States and Canada in monarch research. Their mission is to better understand the distribution and abundance of breeding monarchs and to use that knowledge to inform and inspire monarch conservation. Volunteers like you can create their own plots and monitor through the breeding season.

With a newly renovated landscape, Shaver’s Creek is looking for volunteers to assist in monitoring the Center’s new milkweed plot.

Volunteers needed September–October

Monarch Watch is a nonprofit education, conservation, and research program based at the University of Kansas that focuses on the monarch butterfly, its habitat, and its spectacular fall migration. It provides the public, nature centers, and classrooms with information on the biology of monarch butterflies, their spectacular migration, and how to use monarchs to further science education.

Each fall, Shaver’s Creek staff scan nearby wildflower patches, meadows, and clover fields in search of monarch butterflies as they journey to their overwintering grounds in the mountains of Mexico. Once individuals are located, staff and volunteers capture and place tags on reared and wild caught monarchs. Participating in tagging provides opportunities to record abundances through the months of September and October while providing staff and volunteers the chance to engage in one of North America’s most fascinating biological phenomenons.

Volunteers needed April–August

Whether you have nesting Eastern Bluebirds in a nestbox or an American Robin nesting in a nearby shrub, your efforts in recording when nesting occurs, number of eggs laid, how many eggs hatch, and how many hatchlings survive provide valuable information. NestWatch is a nationwide monitoring program that allows people of all ages and backgrounds to connect with nature while providing a database for researchers.   

Each season, Shaver’s Creek maintains and monitors over 30 nestboxes that provide homes for House Wrens, Eastern Bluebirds, Eastern Screech Owls, Tree Swallows, American Kestrels, and many other breeding birds. Get involved at Shaver’s Creek by volunteering your time assisting with nestbox checks, maintenance, and data entry.

Volunteers needed every Thursday or Friday, November–April

Project FeederWatch released Winter Bird Highlights 2021 (PDF).

How often do you feel your observations are part of something bigger? Becoming involved in something as simple as recording birds at your bird feeders over the winter can play an important role in tracking long-term trends in distribution and abundance. Project FeederWatch connects you with bird identification and behavior and shares these experiences with friends, families, classrooms, and other community members. Whether you are observing from your home, cabin, classroom, or local nature center, your observations play an important role in personal growth and valuable data.

Get involved at Shaver’s Creek through the winter months and volunteer your time identifying species at our bird feeding window in the Silvi Resource Room. Enjoy your favorite hot beverage next to a wood stove, interact with visitors and staff, and observe avian behavior. Stop by our Visitor Center or give us a call at 814-863-2000 for more information,

See how researchers are using Project FeederWatch to understand Pine Siskin migration (PDF).

The Christmas Bird Count is one of the longest-running active citizen science projects and is widely known for its ability to connect people to people and people to nature. Each winter, volunteers survey designated areas that help Audubon and other organizations collect data for long-term monitoring to assess populations and understand over-wintering distributions.     

Many Shaver’s Creek staff help with nearby counts such as Huntingdon, Penn Valley, and Raystown Lake. Whether you live in central Pennsylvania, the Colorado Rockies, or the Canadian provinces, you can volunteer your time counting and observing birds.

eBird is an online database of bird observations submitted by community members throughout the world. The information allows you to discover new birds, explore habitats, create personal checklists, and connect with other birdwatching members of your community. Submitted checklists document bird distribution, abundance, habitat use, and trends. For more information, enjoy this introductory video:

According to the Raptor Watch Global Directory, 388 hawk watch sites have been identified worldwide, with roughly 112 identified in the United States. These sites contribute long-term monitoring of hawk migration and assessments of raptor population throughout the world, while connecting communities to secretive raptors that are normally difficult to observe during the breeding season. Each site enters daily counts into the hawkcount.org database that uses Raptor Population Index (RPI) to help conserve species continent-wide.

Shaver’s Creek participates in three local sites, one in the spring and two in the fall. Each of these sites can observe up 16 species of raptors throughout the count season and provide valuable opportunities to observe first-hand migration while connecting to other birdwatchers in the community.

Tussey Mountain

Counts conducted February–April

Tussey Mountain Hawk Watch is located on the Centre–Huntingdon County line. Part-time spring counts were conducted by David Brandes in March of 1995 and continued through 2000 with the help of Dan Ombalski, Nick Bolgiano, Chuck Widmann, and other local die-hards. Since then, full-time counts have been conducted from late February through April.

Explore more information, data inventory, and migration timing for Tussey Mountain.

Stone Mountain

Counts conducted September–mid-December

Stone Mountain Hawk Watch is located on the Huntingdon–Mifflin County line. The watch was established at an overlook in 1991 and subsequently moved to a volunteer-built platform in 1995. It has had continuous coverage since that time.

Explore more information, data inventory, and migration timing for Stone Mountain.

Jack’s Mountain

Counts conducted September–mid-December

The Jack’s Mountain Hawk Watch is located in Mifflin County, four miles south of the Stone Mountain Hawk Watch. Nearby resident, Ron Singer, began watching migrating raptors in 1975. Since that fall, Jack’s Mountain has had continuous coverage for the September and October flights, but the Watch lacked full coverage into November due to the limited number of available volunteers. It wasn’t until 2013 that coverage increased on a daily basis and was carried further into November’s Golden Eagle migration.

Explore more information, data inventory, and migration timing for Jack’s Mountain.

PARS is a statewide database for skilled professionals and amateur naturalists to observe and submit sightings to help understand the phenology and locations of Pennsylvania herps. Much like eBird, this citizen project helps connect like-minded individuals who enjoying the natural history of frogs, salamanders, and many other cold-blooded creatures while contributing to a database that helps researches understand long-term trends and distributions.