about TAS


Welcome to the Tiadaghton Audubon Society of Tioga and Potter Counties. Our chapter was founded in 1906 with 23 members, making it the oldest chapter in the state. The Tiadaghton name was selected in 1953, and in 1972 the chapter was officially chartered. To contact us, please use the Facebook link below left. (Photo: Scarlet tanager photographed near Hills Creek State Park here in Tioga County)

Wednesday, July 26, 2017

Dedication Celebration for the new Cavanaugh Access to the Pine Creek Rail Trail

August 8, 2017 at 11:00am
231 Marsh Creek Rd., Wellsboro, PA  16901


It's time to celebrate!! We are very close to the Cavanaugh Access officially becoming part of the Tioga State Forest. DCNR Secretary Cindy Dunn is going to be in Wellsboro, so we're going to have the dedication (even if the transfer to the Bureau of Forestry hasn't happened yet).

We hope you can attend and join in the celebration of the project you made possible.

Parking will be in a field across the Pine Creek Rail Trail from the Access. It won’t be a manicured area, so please choose your shoes carefully. You’ll then walk back across the Pine Creek Rail Trail to the Access.

From the intersection of Route 6 and 287 north of Wellsboro, head north on 287. Marsh Creek Road will be the first road on the left. You’ll see Pag Omar farm market near the intersection. From this turn you'll travel about 4.0 miles+/- and the site will be on your left.

If you’re feeling more adventurous, you could also ride your bike from the northern terminus, the Ansonia Access, or Darling Run. Be at the site by 11:00am, please.

RSVPs are not required, but appreciated - 570-323-6222 or rcarey@npcweb.org

Please dress to be outside and wear comfortable shoes. The Bureau of Forestry will have a path mowed around the field so you can walk a portion of the property (if you want to) after the formal program.

Tuesday, July 25, 2017

John's Bird Suet Cookie Dough Recipe

This is John Corcoran's recipe for making cookie-dough bird suet. It is highly popular with many species of birds!

Need: 3-4 qt. mixing bowl, 1-qt. saucepan, 2-cup scoops (2), potato masher, tablespoon, m-wave bowl, soft spatula, plastic forms from suet cakes ( 4 ).
Ingredients: corn meal ( coarse 5 lb. bag ), Armour Lard ( 4 lb. pail ) , AP flour ( any ! ) , generic peanut butter.
Mix: Pour a 4 /1 ratio of cornmeal/flour in a mixing bowl: for 4 cakes,use 8 cups cornmeal and 2 cups of flour. Mix with masher. This is your, DRY ! Create a 2 cup “well “ in the bowl by removing & setting aside a 2 cup portion of the dry.

Heat: 2 cups [ use 2nd 2-cup scoop ] of lard over low heat until it is melted. [use your oven hood to blow out lard odor]. Fill “well” in bowl with melted lard and mix with tablespoon. It will mix easily due to excess liquid; this is good, it is your WET. Set aside a portion of the DRY into a bowl but DO NOT MIX ! In M-wave bowl melt 2 heaping tablespoons of peanut butter (20à30 seconds). While waiting on M-wave take a tablespoon and make a small well in the UNMIXED DRY. Put in the bowl. Pour peanut butter into this well and mix DRY and melted peanut butter with a spoon. (Keep mixture away from bowl sides &and don’t go into the WET layer below. When upper layer is mixed into smallish clumps, take spoon and combine into a dough like peanut-butter cookie dough appears. (A bit dryish, but spoon will ‘dent’ it.)
Pack: Hold mold over bowl and fill and pack with spoon. This can be messy at first. Place mold on counter and pack firmly using circular motion, riding on form edges to level dough in form. Then freeze. Repeat with other molds. After 1 hour, the dough will pop easily out of the molds. Keep refrigerated in sandwich bags until fed to greedy woodpeckers, etc. in wire cages.

Options: Add berries, hulled sunflower seed, raisins, in moderation! It might be best to delay this experimentation for later when you are happy with the consistency of your dough.

Caution: There is a lot of salt in peanut butter so resist overdosing our feathered friends with it. Adjust: Keep a bit of cornmeal around to pop into saucepan to get out the residual melted lard with the spatula. Ditto in bowl for residual peanut butter.

SAVE ! Walmart on line; “Great Value” 5 lb. cornmeal: $ 2.36 !!! 4 lb. room temp. ARMOUR lard: $ 5.94 !!! I buy 5 cornmeal / 3 lard at a time to qualify for FREE 2 -day shipping . Nothing I have tried compares in the diversity of birds drawn to this bird treat! Enjoy your birds!!