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Walk in Penns’ Woods at Plummer’s Hollow on October 5

black gum foliage

Join Marcia and Dave for a 4.5-mile hike in Plummer’s Hollow, sharing perspectives on forest health, climate change and biodiversity issues, for a Walk in Penns’ Woods on Sunday, October 5. This is also cross-listed as a Juniata Valley Audubon Society field trip. We’ll meet at 9:00 a.m. at the bottom of Plummer’s Hollow Road, just across the railroad tracks from Rt. 453, walk up the road to the top of the watershed, eat lunch at the scenic vista, and walk back through the oak-heath woods on the southeast side of the hollow, keeping an eye out for migratory birds and fall foliage.

What to bring: Bring a lunch, drink, and rain gear, if necessary. Wear an orange hat or vest – it’s hunting season.

For more information, text or email Dave: 814-660-9638, bontasaurus@yahoo.com

bluestem goldenrod
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American Chestnuts in Plummer’s Hollow: A Census

One hundred and fifty-two. That’s how many American chestnuts I was able to locate this autumn on our square mile of mountaintop land, after extensive wandering about the oak-heath forest on Laurel Ridge, their main stronghold, as well as the northwest-facing slope of Sapsucker Ridge, where a smaller scattering remains. I initially tagged each tree, sprout, or (in one or two possible cases) seedling with yellow surveyor’s ribbon, then came back after all the leaves were down to record a bit of data about each one: diameter at breast height, estimated height of tree, whether it’s on the way out, and if so, whether it has any basal sprouts poised to take over.

At present I’m using a free app on my phone, Avenza Maps, to record the data. A friend of Eric’s from the American Chestnut Foundation is interested in doing some genetic analysis, and we’ll see what comes from that. It’s possible that a few might actually be Castanea pumila — Allegheny chinquapin or dwarf chestnut, which is also affected by the blight. Many of them are quite tall, however, so I’m assuming that the vast majority are Castanea dentata, though they do also hybridize.

The biggest American chestnut on our end of the mountain is just over the line with a neighbor, and was the only one to bear nuts this year. It came in at 8.7 inches dbh (diameter at breast height, which is standardized at 4.5 feet) and is about 75 feet tall—canopy height where it’s growing. The largest on our own property is 8.4″ dbh and about 70 feet tall, just north of the ridge crest near the end of Laurel Ridge. In second place is one conveniently located adjacent to Laurel Ridge Trail: 7.9″ dbh, ~75 feet tall. Three more are over six inches in diameter, seven more are over five inches, 19 more are over four inches, 35 over 3 inches, and all the rest (80+) smaller than that. I took note of which ones were nearly dead with just one or two, badly deer-browsed sprouts: those will be candidates for deer fencing.

I’m sorry I didn’t start keeping records years ago, but better late than never. I just felt the need to better understand what trees (of various species) we have and how they’re doing in this time of fluctuating deer populations and new invasive species, pests and blights. It’s been heartbreaking to see the nemotode-caused beech leaf disease come into the hollow, bringing the very real possibility that all our lovely old American beeches will die, just as our white ashes have all been killed by the emerald ash borer, the butternut trees have all succumbed to butternut canker, and the wooly adelgid continues its slow decimation of the eastern hemlocks.

The spongy moth (formerly Gypsy moth), though controlled a bit by a virus and fungus now, can still do considerable damage to oaks, especially in combination with late freezes, which are a lot more common in recent years due to global weirding. This is however good news for some of the chestnuts, since canopy openings due to dead oaks may allow more Castanea trees to flower, ennabling cross-fertilization by their insect pollinators, and thereby maybe someday allowing the species to evolve resistance to the blight.

And that’s our primary management goal for chestnuts: to give them the maximum opportunity to evolve resistance—the work of centuries, most likely. So it seemed imperative to start keeping track of them, see whether their numbers are increasing, declining, or remaining about the same, and keep an eye out for possible new sprouts from the nuts these hoary old warriors are still able to produce, once in a while.

I’m not entirely sure where this project goes from here. If anyone has any thoughts or suggestions, leave a comment or otherwise get in touch. As a poet with dyscalculia, I’m not necessarily cut out for doing science, but I do love a good excuse to wander around in the woods, so I’m definitely planning more surveys of some of the rarer trees and shrubs, and possibly other landscape features such as old charcoal hearths. Mapping is not only fun, but can reveal patterns that are hard to see otherwise. The chestnut project showed what we’d always known based on casual observation, that the trees are concentrated on the ridgetops, but I was surprised at just how many grow on the lower slopes. And they clearly avoid the less acidic soil of the Juniata Formation in favor of its flanking Bald Eagle and Tuscarora formations. The relative few in the latter, on Sapsucker Ridge, either grow among the dense blueberry and huckleberry bushes flanking the open rock slopes—which provide plenty of sunlight for flowering—or on steep slopes, where deer don’t browse as much as on the ridgetop. Laurel Ridge, by contrast, has a much denser understory to protect the sprouts until they get past deer browse height (5-6 feet).

In any case, keeping the deer numbers as low as possible seems key to their long-term survival, so best of luck to all the hunters out there.

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Now blooming

enchanter’s nightshade
wood nettle
horsebalm
black cohosh

The news is grim, but in Plummer’s Hollow, the enchanter’s nightshade is still blooming, the wood nettle and horsebalm are just coming into bloom, and the black cohosh is at its height. And there are insects. Many, many insects. It’s worth remembering that 99 percent of them — by species, if not absolute numbers — have no interest in us, and are just out there living their best lives and performing no doubt essential functions in an ecosystem more complex and intricate than anyone will ever understand.

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Breeding Birds of Plummer’s Hollow

The following annotated list contains all 113+ species that have been detected in the hotspot during the summer months of June and July, excluding those such as Swainson’s Thrush or Red-breasted Nuthatch that are late and/or early migrants and clearly do not and have never bred in Plummer’s Hollow.

By the numbers

  • Total breeding species since 1972: 92
  • Annual breeders: 77
  • Regular breeders (not every year): 10
  • Bred in the past only: 5
  • Summer visitors from nearby populations, may have bred occasionally: ~5
  • Summer visitors, unlikely to breed: ~16

Annual breeders are those that have nested in the hotspot every year since 2015 and in many cases for innumerable years prior. Number ranges given are the estimated average lower and upper limits of breeding pairs (not successful nests). The number of breeding pairs for most species fluctuates from year to year, sometimes widely (American Goldfinch, Cedar Waxwing, Chipping Sparrow). The “<5” category includes numerous species that may only have a single nest in the hotspot in any given year. The estimated numbers are derived from June surveys in adequate habitat, extrapolated to all available similar habitat in the hotspot, and are relatively well-refined estimates.

Note: the area of the hotspot is around 700 acres, 600 of which are forest.

Regular breeders, always with less than five pairs in any given year, and sometimes with no breeding pairs, are species that do not breed in the hotspot every year. They may breed in the hotspot only in years when overall populations are high in the area or may be species with other special conditions such as steeply declining populations (Ruffed Grouse) or little appropriate habitat (Wood Duck).

Occasional and former breeders include species such as Kentucky Warbler, Least Flycatcher, Golden-winged Warbler, Yellow-breasted Chat, and American Kestrel that have seen overall species or population numbers decline and/or the disappearance of adequate habitats or niches. Some species, such as Barn Swallow and Rock Pigeon, formerly bred in the barn in the 1980s and before, when domestic animals were present, but have long since abandoned the property, though they breed elsewhere in the hotspot.

Summer visitors fall into two categories:

1) those such as Killdeer, Bald Eagle, and Purple Martin that do not breed in the hotspot but that breed nearby (or once did, in the case of species such as the Common Nighthawk)

2) those that breed nearby and may also breed or have bred undetected in the hotspot (Turkey Vulture)

Habitat notes

The LJR corridor is the riparian corridor formed by the Little Juniata River that is the northern boundary of the hotspot. It contains several species that breed nowhere else in the hotspot, such as Warbling Vireos, swallows, and most aquatic species.

Because the northwest corner (NW corner) contains a small, built-up area of Tyrone in a riparian zone at the confluence of the LJR and Bald Eagle Creek, it also includes species such as House Sparrow, European Starling, Rock Pigeon, House Finch, and Chimney Swift. The LJR corridor also contains the bulk of breeding Baltimore Orioles, Common Grackles, and several other species that nest only sparsely throughout the rest of the hotspot.

Other special breeding zones in the hotspot include the Hollow formed by Plummer’s Hollow run and its tributaries, the high fields, and the Norway spruce grove.

The Hollow is the main area in the hotspot for Louisiana Waterthrush, Acadian Flycatcher, and along with the spruce grove, Blackburnian Warbler. It is also a zone of high concentration for species of concern such as Worm-eating Warbler and Wood Thrush, and the Plummer’s Hollow Run is critically important as a sheltered and clean water source throughout the breeding season.

The spruce grove, originally planted in the 1970s, is the only area of continuous conifer cover in the hotspot. It hosts breeding Chipping Sparrow, Blackburnian Warbler, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Barred Owl, and Sharp-shinned Hawk, often in the same year.

The high fields and adjacent grounds and edges contain common breeding field species such as Field Sparrow, Common Yellowthroat, Indigo Bunting, and Song Sparrow (in marshier areas), but since the demise of chats and Golden-winged Warblers, they do not host any rarer breeders. The common field nesters (particularly in high population years such as 2024), also nest widely in more open parts of the woods (Indigo Bunting), along the powerline right-of-way, along the grassy fringe of the hotspot that borders I-99, and along the LJR corridor and railroad tracks.

The edges of Sinking Valley are home to nesters such as Northern Mockingbird and Eastern Meadowlark that as a result are audibly detectable at dawn in summer from the top of Laurel Ridge. The hotspot’s proximity to large expanses of open fields also results in regular visits from species such as Purple Martin (which hunts over the mountain well before dawn) and occasional visits from others.

Waterfowl

  • Canada Goose. Annual breeder, <5, LJR corridor only
  • Wood Duck. Regular breeder, <5, scattered locations
  • Mallard. Annual breeder, <5, LJR corridor only
  • Common Merganser. Likely annual breeder, <5, LJR corridor only, increasing

Grouse, Quail, and Allies

  • Wild Turkey. Annual breeder, 10–25, deep woods
  • Ruffed Grouse. Regular breeder, <5, deep woods and thickets, pops. crashed in 2000s

Pigeons & Doves

  • Rock Pigeon. Annual breeder, NW corner buildings only, 10–25, formerly bred on grounds (1970s)
  • Mourning Dove. Annual breeder, 10–25, woods throughout

Cuckoos

  • Yellow-billed Cuckoo. Annual breeder, 10–25, deep woods
  • Black-billed Cuckoo. Annual breeder, 5-10, deep woods

Nightjars

  • Common Nighthawk. Former summer visitor from breeding populations in Logan Valley (as recently as 1996)
  • Eastern Whip-poor-will.  Annual breeder, 5–10, deep woods

Swifts & Hummingbirds

  • Chimney Swift. Annual breeder, 5–25, mostly NW corner chimneys
  • Ruby-throated Hummingbird. Annual breeder, 10–25, woods throughout

Shorebirds & Gulls

  • Killdeer. Regular summer visitor, 5+ breeding pairs within 2km of PH
  • American Woodcock. Regular breeder, <5, forest edge
  • Ring-billed Gull. Occasional summer visitor from breeding populations

Herons

  • Green Heron. Likely breeder, <5, LJR corridor only; summer visitor (flyover) from local populations within 5km
  • Great Blue Heron. Regular summer visitor, <5 breeding pairs likely within 10km of PH

Vultures, Hawks, & Allies

  • Black Vulture. Annual summer visitor, likely breeder, <5 pairs, within 10km of PH
  • Turkey Vulture. Annual summer visitor, likely occasional breeder in PH, 25+ breeding pairs within 5km of PH
  • Osprey. Annual summer visitor, 1+ breeding pair likely within 20 km of PH
  • Sharp-shinned Hawk. Annual breeder, <5, spruce grove and other locations
  • Cooper’s Hawk. Annual breeder, <5, deep woods
  • Bald Eagle. Annual summer visitor, 2+ nests within 10 km of PH
  • Red-shouldered Hawk. Regular summer visitor, likely breeder in nearby riparian zones in valleys
  • Broad-winged Hawk. Regular breeder, <5, deep woods
  • Red-tailed Hawk. <5. Regular breeder in or near PH.

Owls

  • Eastern Screech-Owl. Annual breeder, <5, woods throughout
  • Great Horned Owl. Annual breeder, <5, deep woods
  • Barred Owl. Annual breeder, <5, spruce grove and deep woods only

Kingfisher & Woodpeckers

  • Belted Kingfisher. Likely occasional breeder, LJR corridor only
  • Red-bellied Woodpecker. Annual breeder, 10–25, deep woods throughout
  • Downy Woodpecker. Annual breeder, 25–50, woods throughout
  • Hairy Woodpecker. Annual breeder, 5–10, deep woods throughout
  • Pileated Woodpecker. Annual breeder, <5, deep woods throughout
  • Northern Flicker. Annual breeder, <5, woods throughout

Falcons

  • American Kestrel. Formerly bred in field, <5, currently a summer visitor. Last nested 2004.
  • Merlin. Occasional summer visitor

Tyrant-Flycatchers

  • Eastern Wood-Pewee. Annual breeder, 25–50, deep woods throughout
  • Acadian Flycatcher. Annual breeder, 10–25, riparian zones in hollows
  • Least Flycatcher. Former breeder, <5. As late as 2003, deep woods
  • Eastern Phoebe. Annual breeder, 5–10, throughout
  • Great Crested Flycatcher. Annual breeder, 5–25, deep woods
  • Eastern Kingbird. Occasional summer visitor from breeding pops. in valleys

Vireos

  • Yellow-throated Vireo. Annual breeder, 10–25, deep woods throughout, increasing
  • Blue-headed Vireo. Annual breeder, 10–25, deep woods throughout
  • Warbling Vireo. Annual breeder, <5, LJR corridor only
  • Red-eyed Vireo. Annual breeder, >100, woods throughout

Corvids

  • Blue Jay. Annual breeder, 10–25, woods throughout
  • American Crow. Annual breeder, 5–10, woods throughout
  • Fish Crow. Annual breeder, NW corner only, <5, since 2010s only
  • Common Raven. Annual breeder, <5, deep woods

Tits

  • Black-capped Chickadee. Annual breeder, 25–50, woods throughout
  • Tufted Titmouse. Annual breeder, 25–50, woods throughout

Martins & Swallows

  • Tree Swallow. Regular breeder, <5, mostly LJR corridor, bred in field boxes in late 1990s
  • Purple Martin. Summer visitor from Sinking Valley populations
  • Northern Rough-winged Swallow. Annual breeder, 5–10, LJR corridor only
  • Barn Swallow. Annual breeder, 5–10, LJR corridor only, formerly bred on grounds (into 1990s)
  • Cliff Swallow. Regular breeder, <5, LJR corridor only

Kinglets, Nuthatches, Treecreepers, & Gnatcatchers

  • Golden-crowned Kinglet. Annual breeder, <5, spruce grove
  • White-breasted Nuthatch. Annual breeder, 25–50, woods throughout
  • Brown Creeper. Occasional summer visitor and possibly breeds occasionally in PH (June 27, 1996, singing and foraging)
  • Blue-gray Gnatcatcher. Annual breeder, 10–25, woods throughout

Wrens

  • House Wren. Annual breeder, <5, fields/edges
  • Winter Wren. Regular to occasional breeder along PH Run, <5. Has never been fully confirmed
  • Carolina Wren. Annual breeder, 10–25, throughout

Starlings and Mimids

  • European Starling. Annual breeder, 25–50, mostly NW corner buildings
  • Gray Catbird. Annual breeder, 25–50, throughout
  • Brown Thrasher. Annual breeder, 5–10, scattered brushy locations
  • Northern Mockingbird. Occasional summer visitor, breeds in nearby valleys

Thrushes

  • Eastern Bluebird. Annual to regular breeder, <5, appears limited to boxes in field
  • Veery. Regular summer visitor (often as night flyover) from breeding populations on nearby higher mountains. Singing bird observed June 21, 1993
  • Hermit Thrush. Possible occasional or regular breeder; scattering of June and July reports that may pertain to individuals dispersing from breeding areas with 20km.
  • Wood Thrush. Annual breeder, 50–100, deep woods and LJR corridor
  • American Robin. Annual breeder, 50–100, throughout but most highly concentrated in LJR corridor and NW corner

Waxwings

  • Cedar Waxwing. Annual breeder, 10–50, woods throughout

Old World Sparrows

  • House Sparrow. Annual breeder, NW corner only, 10–25

Finches

  • House Finch. Annual breeder, 10–25, mostly NW corner, scattered elsewhere
  • American Goldfinch. Annual breeder, 10–25, throughout

New World Sparrows

  • Grasshopper Sparrow. Summer visitor, flyover (moving from disturbed habitats in fields elsewhere)
  • Chipping Sparrow. Annual breeder, 10–25, mostly grounds, spruce grove, LJR corridor
  • Field Sparrow. Annual breeder, 25–50, fields throughout
  • Song Sparrow. Annual breeder, 10–25, fields and riparian areas throughout
  • Eastern Towhee. Annual breeder, 50–100, throughout

Yellow-breasted Chat. Annual breeder through 1996, fields and powerline right-of-way; failed breeding attempt in 2024

Blackbirds

  • Eastern Meadowlark. Nests in surrounding valleys and can be detected from PH in breeding season
  • Orchard Oriole. Possibly regular breeder, pair through breeding season 2023, LJR corridor
  • Baltimore Oriole. Annual breeder, 10–25, largest pop. in LJR corridor
  • Red-winged Blackbird. Annual breeder, <5, LJR corridor only. Bred in mt fields into early 1980s
  • Brown-headed Cowbird. Annual breeder, 10–50
  • Common Grackle. Annual breeder, 50–100, primarily LJR corrdor

Wood-Warblers

  • Ovenbird. Annual breeder, 50–100, deep woods on mt
  • Worm-eating Warbler. Annual breeder, 10–25, deep woods on mt
  • Louisiana Waterthrush. Annual breeder, 10–25, streams and LJR corridor
  • Golden-winged Warbler. Bred along field edge into early 2000s (<5)
  • Blue-winged Warbler. Possibly bred in the past (found 3 times in early June in 2000s)
  • Black-and-white Warbler. Annual breeder, 10–25
  • Kentucky Warbler. Occasional breeder, <5, deep woods on mt, bred most recently 2019 (2+ pairs)
  • Common Yellowthroat. Annual breeder, 25–50
  • Hooded Warbler. Annual breeder, 25–50, deep woods on mt and LJR corridor
  • American Redstart. Annual breeder, 25–50, deep woods on mt and LJR corridor
  • Cerulean Warbler. Annual breeder, 10–25, deep woods on mt
  • Northern Parula. Annual breeder, <5, deep woods on mt
  • Blackburnian Warbler. Annual breeder, 10–25, deep woods on mt
  • Yellow Warbler. Annual breeder, <5, LJR corridor only
  • Chestnut-sided Warbler. Bred regularly into the late 1990s
  • Black-throated Blue Warbler. Annual breeder, <5, deep woods on mt
  • Black-throated Green Warbler. Annual breeder, 10–25, deep woods on mt

Cardinals, Grosbeaks, and Allies

  • Scarlet Tanager. Annual breeder, 50–100, deep woods on mt and LJR corridor
  • Northern Cardinal. Annual breeder, 25–50, woods and field edges throughout
  • Rose-breasted Grosbeak. Annual breeder, 25–50, deep woods on mt and LJR corridor
  • Indigo Bunting. Annual breeder, 25–50, woods and field edges throughout
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Bench #2

The Plummer’s Hollow road/trail now has a second bench up near the fork, where the public portion ends. Thanks to Eric Oliver for hauling it down there from up near the garage of the main house, where it had been installed in the 1950s (we think) as part of a round of improvements by then-owners Kenneth Plumb and Phyllis Plummer Plumb. We decided to move it in part because of a comment that a visitor had left in the trail registry, suggesting that it might be nice for walkers who made it the whole way to have a place to rest and enjoy the ambiance of the upper hollow.

Speaking of the trail registry, we’ve replaced the old notebook, and added a QR code to the outside of the registry stand, near the entrance signboard, for anyone who prefers to submit comments by email.

As for why anyone would WANT to walk up the hollow now, with all the bugs and humidity: it’s a longhorn beetle orgy on the wild hydrangeas! Much longhorniness. And the black cohosh are beginning to bloom…

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New page: Guide to Birding Plummer’s Hollow

Mark has pulled together a number of useful suggestions and considerations for birders interested in visiting Plummer’s Hollow—check it out. I’ve put a link in the main menu, right under the eBird hotspot link. It’s structured as a series of FAQs, which get increasingly technical—and interesting—as they go along. I was struck by this bit towards the end:

What’s the “migrant trap” phenomenon all about?

A narrow strip of habitat on the east slope of Sapsucker Ridge, basically an ecotone of field edge, wild grape tangle, and tall woods, stretching from the top of First Field northeastward for over a mile to Dogwood Knoll, harbors the vast majority of individuals and species on the property during the year, and particularly during peak migration periods. Birds fall out here constantly while moving both north and south, attracted to available cover as well as feeding opportunities.

One of the main reasons we think that the Sapsucker Strip is so attractive to them is the presence of many towering wild black cherries, which in other forests have been systematically harvested for their valuable wood. In Plummer’s Hollow during the Labor Day peak, a single black cherry can hold 50+ transient as well as resident species at a time (no exaggeration), including birds foraging on the ripe cherries themselves, on the gnat clouds attracted to the fruit, and on other birds.

Other aspects of the migrant trap involve its location as a possible preferred staging ground (particularly August-October)—a known, dependable stopover point with not only abundant resources but also shelter and safety. Going south, forest birds likely remember and also communicate to other birds the existence of certain major “buffet” locations like Plummers’ Hollow, where they can fatten up in preparation for the long journey, just as they might at coastal locations and wetlands.

Read the rest.

this sign on the Plummer’s Hollow entrance board must be delicious, judging from all the toothmarks
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Rainy day walk

Most folks opted to stay home this morning, but two hardy hikers braved the elements and joined us to look at wildflowers in the rain.

I can’t remember another spring when the wake-robins overlapped with the lady’s-slippers!

In other news, we were pleased to be able to help the Raiders of the Lost Lark team win the Shaver’s Creek Birding Cup this year, camping in our field overnight for a head-start in their Blair County-focused effort. The Yellow-breasted Chat was still hanging around for them yesterday, and a rare-for-us Clay-colored Sparrow showed up as well. They also picked up a Kentucky Warbler on their way down the hollow. Congratulations to them.