2nd Pennsylvania Breeding Bird Atlas

About the Logo

The emblem for the first PBBA was the chestnut-sided warbler, a choice that was appropriate because of the species’ Latin name, Dendroica pensylvanica. In choosing an emblem for the 2nd PBBA, the project coordinators at Powdermill wanted to emphasize the project’s principal aim, that of Monitoring Pennsylavian Biodiversity, something they felt no single species could adequately symbolize. The question of exactly how many and which species to incorporate into the logo for the 2nd PBBA was not a simple one to answer. In the end, after considering a great many possibilities, six species were chosen to not only represent the state’s breeding bird diversity, but also to form a unique and attractive emblem for the 2nd PBBA.

The artist responsible for designing and producing the 2nd PBBA logo is Larry Barth from Stahlstown, PA, a world-renowned bird carver with many awards and honors to his credit. In addition to the 2nd PBBA logo, Barth created the ruffed grouse feather logo for Powdermill Nature Reserve.

Barth says, “While I have always used art to further the relationship I enjoy with birds, I’ve come to realize that birds have been my means for exploring art, and art, in and of itself, is just as important to me as birds.”  Project Coordinator Bob Mulvihill agrees, saying, “The image Larry has created for the 2nd PBBA truly is a work of art, and we hope that it serves its intended purpose as an inspiration and reminder to all who decide to contribute their time and effort to the project that Pennsylvania has an uncommon wealth of bird life and that we must strive to do everything possible to ensure that it remains a keystone of bird diversity.”

At the First Regional Coordinators meeting in State College, where the logo was unveiled for the first time, Regional Coordinators were in agreement—the emblem of the 2nd PBBA was something to be proud of, both for its attractiveness and its symbolism. Of course, the fact that each of them received a complimentary t-shirt with the emblem on the front probably didn’t hurt!

The birds depicted in the 2nd PBBA logo are (from left to right): scarlet tanager, northern saw-whet wwl, ruffed grouse, black-crowned night heron, common raven, and eastern bluebird.

The adult male scarlet tanager, in addition to punctuating the overall logo design with its brilliant color, serves to represent the state’s many forest interior-nesting neotropical migrant species. It is especially appropriate for representing this group, because studies indicate that Pennsylvania has very high regional responsibility for the species, with an estimated 17% of the bird’s global population nesting within our borders.

The northern saw-whet owl, in addition to being recognizable locally as the menu owl at Ruthie’s Diner, is the adorable symbol (and original specialty license plate) of the Pennsylvania Wild Resource Conservation Fund, which generously funded both the first and 2nd PBBA projects. The owl provides an example of how the first Atlas was used to prioritize conservation and, in turn, to spur needed additional studies. Detected in only a small number of blocks in the original Atlas, this tiny owl was placed on the state’s list of species of special concern. This led to increased research attention, specifically, statewide surveys tailored expressly for detecting the species, appropriately enough called “Toot Routes” after the species' monotonous tooting calls. This project, funded by WRCF and spearheaded by Doug Gross, now the Endangered Species Ornithologist for the PA Game Commission, and also one of the 2nd PBBA’s Regional Coordinators, has revealed that the species is more widespread and abundant in Pennsylvania than results of the first PBBA suggested. No longer on the state’s list of species of special concern, it is included on the emblem for the 2nd PBBA as a reminder that this Atlas will employ a number of standardized special surveys to help ensure that we obtain the most accurate possible information on the distribution and status even of the state’s more retiring (nocturnal and wetland) species.

The ruffed grouse needs no introduction to Pennsylvanians, for whom it is the familiar and beloved state bird. Much less familiar is the black-crowned night heron, an endangered species in Pennsylvania, restricted to just a few nesting colonies in the southeastern corner of the state. It represents the two dozen or so threatened and endangered species of special concern in the state for which the results of the first and 2nd PBBA efforts have particularly great significance in terms of future conservation and the maintenance of high levels of PennsylAvian Biodiversity.

The common raven, formerly considered to be on the brink of extinction in Pennsylvania and elsewhere in the northeast due to intolerance of human activity near its nests, serves to remind us that nature can be very resilient. Although still arguably a signature bird of the wild mountainous regions of Pennsylvania, common ravens have become increasingly acclimated to humans and their alterations of the Pennsylvania landscape—the species can now even be found nesting on “cliffs” provided by the structural framework of Beaver Stadium on The Pennsylvania State University campus and on the high walls of strip mines and quarries in our local region.

Finally, the eastern bluebird is emblematic of the close emotional relationship that many people feel for birds—probably no other species has benefited more from direct nurturing by people than the bluebird. It is one of just a few songbird species that actually has its own society of benefactors, hundreds of members strong, the Bluebird Society of Pennsylvania, many members of which participated in a special nesting study of the species during the 2nd PBBA.

In summary, the six species making up the emblem of the 2nd PBBA were chosen to represent, in an attractive overall design, the whole of Pennsylvania’s breeding bird diversity (nearly 200 species strong) as well as the many new layers of information that the 2nd PBBA will try to add to our knowledge of that diversity.

For information on purchasing a t-shirt bearing the 2nd PBBA logo, please visit the Powdermill Nature Reserve gift shop online.