A spotted sandpiper perches on a stick in the shallow water along the shore of the lake at Frances Slocum State Park on Monday, May 4, 2026.
Courtesy of Liz Baumeister
An Eastern Phoebe perches in a tree Monday afternoon, May 26, 2025, at Lackawanna State Park.
Courtesy of Liz Baumeister
A female American redstart shows off her yellow tail feathers on Wednesday afternoon, May 17, 2023, at Nescopeck State Park.
Courtesy of Liz Baumeister
A green heron, also known as an ‘up the creek heron,’ shakes and ruffles its feathers from its perch in a tree by the lake Monday morning, April 28, 2025, at Frances Slocum State Park.
Courtesy of Liz Baumeister
An eastern bluebird perches on a dead branch, preening its feathers, Monday morning, May 26, 2025, at Lackawanna State Park.
Courtesy of Liz Baumeister
A pair of hooded mergansers takes off from Lake Frances at Nescopeck State Park on Sunday afternoon, March 26, 2023.
Courtesy of Liz Baumeister
Pennsylvania pride filled the air along with the music as Eddie Day & TNT, En Vogue, and Lady A took to the stage for the America250PA concert Saturday evening at Kirby Park in Wilkes-Barre. As I listened and photographed the event celebrating Pennsylvania’s role in the birth of our nation 250 years ago, I thought about how fortunate I am to have lived here for the past 30 years.
And the best thing about living in Pennsylvania (in my entirely biased opinion)?
I was standing on it.
The first eight years of my life were spent in South Jersey, and while there are plenty of parks there, it’s nothing like in Pennsylvania. I’ve heard people joke that we have “a bar and a church on every corner.” Well, I would add “park” to that list.
There are municipal parks, like Kirby. There are state recreation areas, like Seven Tubs. There are nature preserves, such as those maintained by organizations like the North Branch Land Trust. And, of course, there is an abundance of state parks in Pennsylvania.
In fact, there are 125 state parks across the commonwealth. Luzerne County alone has four: Frances Slocum, Lehigh Gorge (shared with Carbon County), Nescopeck, and Ricketts Glen (shared with Sullivan and Columbia counties).
Not to mention all the state parks in our bordering counties, such as Lackawanna State Park in Lackawanna County.
And they all have great habitats for birds — and birders.
Although my most recent visit to a local park wasn’t for my usual purpose of birding, Saturday’s event reminded me that I haven’t explored Kirby Park in a while. I’ve seen a good variety of species there in the past, but it’s been a couple of years since I stopped by to look for birds.
Perhaps that will be my next stop.
Write in!
What is your favorite place to go birding or view wildlife in Pennsylvania? Email your answers to lbaumeister@timesleader.com.
Liz Baumeister is the news editor at the Times Leader. She loves nature, photography, and nature photography. Reach her at lbaumeister@timesleader.com.