Sustainability: Bird Walks & Breeding Bird Survey
As a living laboratory, the Gordon Natural Area (GNA) is an unsurpassed resource for academic, co-curricular, and recreational purposes. A recent volunteer project engages citizen scientists in the GNA’s woods and fields to survey breeding birds, contributing to the Pennsylvania Bird Atlas for the study and understanding of regional bird populations in the state.
One of the volunteers is Alden Ritchey, a Sustainability Peer Educator (SPE) in the University’s Office of Sustainability. Alongside other interns, faculty, alumni, and community members, he has
been monitoring and participating in bird walks to look for nests and observe breeding behavior. This is in addition to the regular bird walks hosted in the GNA (the next bird walk is this Thursday, October 30, at 7 p.m.).
Ritchey says his interest in the Pennsylvania Bird Atlas was piqued when he noticed “that we lacked a lot of data on species over the summer from students being away.” He thought there could be “greater efforts across Pennsylvania to help populate places on the atlas.”
Working with GNA Stewardship Manager Dr. Nur Ritter and Assistant Professor of Biology Dr. Jennifer Uehling, Ritchey and the other volunteers made detailed observations and collected data to submit to the atlas.
“Data gathered from the breeding bird survey gives a snapshot into what birds are successfully breeding in the Gordon,” notes Ritchey. “We can use this to push for further conservation or focus our attention on some areas that might need more help, such as for ground-nesting birds. The data is also used by Dr. Ritter and the Gordon Natural Area interns to better understand how the Gordon is uniquely positioned to provide habitat and breeding area for a multitude of species. It also supports our other efforts such as the monthly bird walks in expanding student understanding of what species interact with the space and when, because many species migrate through.”
The Pennsylvania Bird Atlas project harnesses the power of volunteer birders to map
the location and abundance of birds breeding and wintering in Pennsylvania. The project
launched on January 1, 2024, and data collection will wrap up at the end of February
2029. A collaborative effort between conservation organizations, the state government,
and the public, the Bird Atlas is an invaluable tool for wildlife conservation, education,
and research. It is part of eBird, one of the world’s largest biodiversity-related
science projects, which is managed by the Cornell (University) Lab of Ornithology.
The GNA bird walks occur usually twice a month. Ritchey says, “They have been a way for students, faculty, and staff to connect with nature right on our campus. Members of the community come a lot as well. One supervisor even encouraged their staff to come to one of our events for team building on a Friday morning!”
GNA Night Walk 10/30/25 @ 7 p.m.
Join us for a night-time walk to see mammals and birds this Thursday, October 30, from 7 to 9 p.m. Meet at the entrance to the GNA in R Lot. Use this form to join the birding email list.
Learn more about Sustainability at WCU.