Birds With A Gettysburg Address: Four Seasons of Monumental Sightings

An immature Red-tailed Hawk leaps into flight from a cannon near the entrance to the Peach Orchard.

Bonita A. Portzline

News Release Date: July 25, 2017

Contact: Chris Gwinn, 717-338-4427

Join Bonnie Portzline on Saturday, August 12 at 8:30 pm, at the Park Amphitheater on West Confederate Avenue, as she shares her ongoing birding photography project and slideshow series, “Birds With A Gettysburg Address.” This informative and entertaining program documents birds within and around historic Gettysburg National Military Park. The program includes connections between the Civil War and birds of the Gettysburg Battlefield. 
 
Gettysburg National Military Park, with 175+ identified species of birds drawn to its vital habitats, has seen increased sightings of adult and immature Bald Eagles, Sharp-Shinned Hawks, Grasshopper Sparrows, and Dickcissels. Among the uncommon species seen have been immature Tundra Swans, a Ross’s Goose, and a trio of White-Fronted Geese. One of the species most sought by battlefield visitors is the Red-headed Woodpecker. The battlefield park, a mixture woodland and grassland, supports many kinds of birds and nesting species.
 
As a member of South Mountain Audubon Society, Portzline writes a monthly column, “Bird’s-Eye View,” for the Gettysburg Times, encouraging birding as an activity that is good for nature as well as for the mind, body, and spirit.

"Birds With A Gettysburg Address: Four Seasons of Monumental Sightings" begins at 8:30 pm on Saturday, August 12, at the Park Amphitheater on West Confederate Avenue.