Lorrie Preston

The Kittatinny Coalition’s “Bird The Ridge” hikes are proving to be a fun and successful way to engage people in documenting birds and wildlife across the Kittatinny.  Over the past 2 years, Appalachian Trail clubs, Audubon chapters, the Lehigh Gap Nature Center, and Hawk Mountain Sanctuary have organized and led hikes from Monroe County across the Ridge through Franklin County.  In 2014, 80 participants grabbed their binoculars and boots to document 59 species and 564 birds. Those numbers increased significantly in 2015 with 119 participants documenting 121 species and 1444 birds.  Also, in 2015, partners introduced three bilingual “Aves en la Kittatinny” hikes in English and Spanish.  All bird lists from the 2014 and 2015 have been entered into eBird.  Bird The Ridge hikes will be held again in 2016.  If you are interested in leading a hike or would like more information, please contact Jeanne Ortiz, Audubon Pennsylvania, at jortiz@audubon.org or Alicia Kanth, Appalachian Trail Conservancy, at akanth@appalachiantrail.org