Pennsylvania Migration Count 
May 14, 2005

The Pennsylvania Migration Count, formerly known as the North American Migration Count, is held each year on the second Saturday in May, which this year is May 14. The date may seem incorrect because the count is not the same weekend as Mother’s Day but this year that’s the way the dates fall.

We are the Allegheny County compilers, and please contact us if you wish to bird in one or more areas. Our phone number is 412-921-6873, and our email addresses are carolmcc@juno.com and fredmcc@juno.com. Also, feel free to contact us if you would prefer to participate in another county and don’t know who the compiler is.

The count is organized on a county-by-county basis, and each county’s results are reported to Bill Etter of Perkasie, who compiles the statewide data for publication in the journal ‘Pennsylvania Birds’. Some interesting information about the count can be found on Bill’s web site http://userweb.netcarrier.com/~etter/pamc_2005.htm Data forms may be downloaded from this site. If you intend to participate in the Allegheny County count, please let us know to ensure there’s no duplicate effort.

Individual counts are similar to Christmas Bird Counts, with counters keeping tallies of bird species and numbers. Feeder watching is also a valid way to participate.

Although much of Allegheny County is urban and suburban, it has a wealth of migrant hotspots, and there is no scarcity of places to bird during the height of migration. Several good birding sites are still available for this year’s count including Boyce County Park, State Gamelands 203, Schenley Park and North Park.