GETTYSBURG, Pa. (WHTM) – It’s Great Backyard Bird Watch weekend. From February 18-21, bird enthusiasts of all ages will follow the whereabouts of our feathered friends. You can, of course, do your counting in one place, but you can also walk around.
On Saturday, February 19, Gettysburg National Military Park and the South Mountain Audubon Society will host a birding walk at Emmanuel Harmann Farm, west of Gettysburg.
“Search for birds, try to identify the birds, bring the binoculars as it will be a very enjoyable and enjoyable time.” Jason Martz, communications specialist for Gettysburg National Military Park, said.
The area has been a golf course for many years. In 2011, the park acquired it and dubbed the location the Emmanuel Harman Farm to honor a farm that no longer exists. He had the misfortune to get caught in the middle, on the first day of the Battle of Gettysburg.
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According to Martz, “Unfortunately the Confederates, on their way through this part of the first phase of the battle, burned down the house in fear that it would fall into Union hands, and no remnants of Harman farm today.”
Martz adds that in the long term, the park hopes to return the area to its 1863 state. For now, however, it still looks very much like a golf course, and walk organizers plan to make the most of it. some remaining infrastructure. .
“Our park biologist is going to lead the program,” Martz said, “And she’s going to take the group all the way around the old golf cart path, end to end of the loop, it’s about a mile and a half but it’s all flat terrain, it’s easy so everyone should have a reasonable time to get around, easy to get there.
The path is not only an easy walk, but a good place to go and look for birds. In the 2020 count, for example, ornithologists spotted 67 birds, from 17 species. Martz noted that the area contains a number of different habitats.
“There are ponds on the property, there are open grass fields as well as open woodlots, and it will also parallel a stream. So there are a number of different habitats for a number of different birds. And it’s really at the heart of getting a good count for that big backyard bird count.
Where does all the Great Backyard Birds Count information go?
“The data that is collected by the group here at Gettysburg and groups all over the United States is ultimately uploaded to the Ornithology Lab at Cornell University,” Martz said. “And that’s where all of this information provides scientists with insight into the available birds that are in the area, and how many that might be. It is therefore a collective means of acquiring a lot of data, in one go.
The walk will begin at 9:00 a.m., from a parking lot at 730 Chambersburg Road. Click here.
