THE spot for spring Golden Eagles
Latest News
Spring Count 2026 is here!
Tom Filip is our official counter for spring 2026. Tom graduated from La Salle University with a Major in Biology and a minor in Environmental Science. Last summer he worked as a Point Count Technician for the Pennsylvania Breeding Bird Atlas project and will be again this summer. He is passionate about wildlife conservation and plans to continue his education one day at graduate school. He spends much of his free time birding, but also enjoys searching for other wildlife, hiking, observing and studying animal behaviors in the wild, exploring Pennsylvania's Parks and State Forests, native plant gardening, and reading. Tom is excited for the season and eager to meet the community and count some eagles!
As usual, our data will be posted regularly to HMANA's HawkCount website and to the State College Bird Club listserv.
New record Golden Eagle flight!
After a long period of gloomy overcast weather in early March, the skies finally broke open on the weekend of March 7 and 8, which is peak adult golden eagle migration time. On Saturday a very respectable 27 north-bound goldens were counted, but that number paled in comparison to the 80 on Sunday! This is a new 1-day record for Tussey and one of the highest ever counts in the Appalachian region. The vast majority of the eagles passed before noon on Sunday. Congrats to Tom and Nick and everyone that enjoyed such a stellar day on the hawkwatch!
In Memoriam
Chuck Widmann
Chuck Widmann passed away in August 2020 at the age of 81. A regular at the hawkwatch for over *20 years*, he was much beloved by all who had the great pleasure of spending time with him on Tussey. Chuck supported our counters not only by spotting raptors, but more importantly with invites to dinner, snacks on the watch, an unfailingly cheerful demeanor, and lasting friendship. This was especially appreciated on those lonely and cold early days for counters who were a long way from home.
In his memory, a Chuck Widmann Citizen Science Endowment has been created to support citizen science projects like the Tussey Mountain Spring Hawkwatch sponsored by Shaver’s Creek Environmental Center. For more information or to contribute, contact Jon Kauffman at jvk5019@psu.edu.
