What are the best birding areas in Happy Valley? This would have been a tough question to definitively answer a decade ago, but with the advent of Cornell University’s eBird, the process is simple. EBird keeps track of all submitted checklists and compiles the results by state, county and local hotspots.

Centre County is heavily birded, with 50 to 100 checklists submitted to eBird each day during the peak spring birding season. Even during the slow months, 20 to 50 lists are turned in daily.

With 13 hotspots and over 275 species recorded, Bald Eagle State Park wins! It is by far the number one birding area in Happy Valley. Colyer Lake comes in at second place with 242 species, and Black Moshannon State Park with 217 species. Located on top of the Allegheny Plateau, Black Moshannon State Park has a shallow lake and some bird species that would be commonly found in more northern climates.

Birders have tallied over 215 species at State Game Land 176, locally known as the Scotia Barrens and the Scotia Barrens 10-acre Pond. Toftrees Pond, which is surrounded on two sides by a golf course, and another adjacent section of SGL 176 have just over 200 species to their credit.

Birders have recorded between 190 and 200 species at the Dreibelbis Birding Area, Curtin Wetland, Millbrook Marsh Nature Center and Duck/Centre Furnace Pond.

Even county hotspot number 100, Port Matilda Community Park, has 94 species to its credit – including a rare yellow-crowned night heron. Directions to all of these hotspots can be found by using the free eBird app.