I turned left off Rt. 150 and started down Paradise Road as the sun faded behind low clouds. Driving slower than I should, I admired a small limestone outcrop and continued on. Soon after, I turned on Spring Creek Road and headed upstream to Fisherman’s Paradise.
At first, I missed the meeting spot for the State College Birding Club. I turned around at the gate to Fisherman’s Paradise and headed back to a lot near the gate to the Bellefonte State Fish Hatchery. A few cars were there, and I lingered by my Jeep so I could introduce myself to the person unloading their chair.
Introductions over, we walked along the bridge to the gate and set up our chairs. Already herons were perching on evergreens across the facility, with more flying in. An awkward, shrill call of a Bald Eagle echoed the narrow valley. At first glance, I counted 11 Great Blue Herons, scattered through the canopy.
Across my vision came the calling Bald Eagle- a juvenile on the cusp of adulthood. While its head and tail were white, a smattering of white feathers down its back shown its age. As it wrangled with a fish on a snag, a younger Bald Eagle soared in, perching on a branch nearby.
One of our members arranged a scope at the pair, and as we watched them, another eagle rang out. Agitated, the herons started rearranging themselves, calling amongst themselves. As I was watching a heron pick on a neighbor, an adult Bald Eagle landed in the upper story of an evergreen. I watched as it threw its head back and called, cackling over the herons.
At this point, the herons started blending with the trees as the sun set in earnest. The eagles were easier to watch, with their white heads flashing against the shadows. A fourth Bald Eagle dropped out of the sky to land in another tree, causing a ruckus among herons. Their guttural croaks floated across the valley, much like an old man’s groan of dismay.
Since the sun was dipping closer to the tree line, small bugs rose out of the water and fluttered around our group. On cue, cedar waxwings emerged from the trees behind us and started catching the bugs. Mesmerized, I watched the songbirds catch insects on the wing for some time. Not long after the cedar waxwings, tree swallows shot out from behind buildings. Together, the birds drove the insects down, leaving us alone.
As I was packing up to leave, our group had one more surprise: a pair of migrating Common Nighthawks. To the right side of the valley, the hawks seemed to hover over the treeline. This was my first sighting of Common Nighthawks, and I rushed to note them in eBird before heading off to my car.
For an area renowned for its fishing, the birding was excellent. For 60 minutes, I observed a total of 7 species and 26 birds. Our group observed 14 species and 52 birds. The area is available from sunrise to sunset throughout the year. While a visitor cannot cross into fenced areas, there is space near the gate to set up a chair and observe.
autumn's country diary 