 Birds
At least 125 species of birds can be seen or heard in the Wissahickon at some time during the course of a
year and bird
watching is a popular
activity.
The entire area is blessed with a fairly stable resident population of owls, chickadees, and titmice; five species of woodpecker; nuthatches; blue jays; Carolina wrens; mourning doves; goldfinches and cardinals.
In spring migration, there are many spots where one can see warblers, vireos, swallows, orioles, tanagers, and many more neo-tropic migrants, whose numbers have been dropping in recent years because of loss of habitat in winter as well as in summer nesting areas. It is especially important for such birds to have islands of green in developed areas where they can fuel up to complete their flight. Other migrants breed here in some numbers during the summer, including such beautiful and easily seen or heard birds as the wood duck, wood thrush, Baltimore oriole, red-eyed vireo, and house wren.
Fairmount Park Recognized as Important Bird Area
In May 2005, the Fairmount Park system was named as the 83rd Important Bird Area (IBA) in Pennsylvania. IBAs are a select group of sites considered to be among the most significant and valuable areas for birds within the state.
Begun in Europe by Bird Life International during the 1980s, the program was introduced to the U.S. in 1994 and is currently administered by our National Audubon Society. The objective of the program is protection of areas considered to be important to wild bird populations throughout the world.
Philadelphia ornithologist Keith Russell led the Fairmount Park nomination, stressing the incredible diversity of its 9,200 acres with habitats of woodlands, streams, lakes, marshes, open spaces, and meadows. Over 200 species of birds can be found in these acres annually, including 21 Pennsylvania species of special concern and one federally threatened specie. Also, hundreds of thousands of birds use Fairmount Park as a stopover habitat during spring and fall migration.
For more information, visit the National Audubon Society website:
www.audubon.org/bird/iba
For a complete list of birds that can be seen either in the Park or overhead, download the FOW’s brochure,
Checklist of the Birds of the
Wissahickon.
You can also obtain a copy of this brochure FREE at:
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