HISTORY OF THE OBSERVATORY

The beginning of the Observatory occurred in 1978 on a mountaintop in West Virginia. It was Spruce Knob, the highest peak in West Virginia. Sue and Ken Heselton, along with Sue's parents and sister had just reached the overlook on top of the mountain and were enjoying the scenery when one of the other tourists asked if they had seen the birds. When asked what he meant he explained that a group of people were banding birds along the ridge of the Allegheny Front Mountain across the road from Red Creek Campground in an area called the Dolly Sods Wilderness.

The following morning Sue and Ken traveled to the Wilderness area and found the banding station. While Ken had been an occassional birder Sue had little interest in birding until that day. Someone let her hold and release a bird and she's been in love with them ever since. They returned to the banding station identified as AFMO, the Allegheny Front Migration Observatory, every morning for the rest of their vacation that year and returned every year thereafter until 2009; always enjoying the spectacular sunrises at the ridge line of the Allegheny Front where the nets are set up. AFMO is operated by a group of volunteers that start before dawn and band until the birds stop flying, usually around noon. The station operates daily from mid-August to mid-October each year to net and band migrating songbirds heading to Central and South America from their breeding grounds in the Boreal Forests of Canada and the northern New England states.

While Ken and Sue were spending two weeks in September at AFMO every year, beginning in 1980 Barbara Bilsborough was banding birds at Harford Glen, demonstrating the process in the open from a picnic table one day each week for part of the spring and fall sessions of the maturing environmental educaton program. Morning at Harford Glen

By 1982 Sue was so into the banding operations that she decided she wanted to be a bander. This is not something that's easy to do. As a first step, Joe Schreiber, one of the banders at AFMO suggested Sue start by working with Barbara Bilsborough since they lived near each other. That's when Sue started working as a volunteer at Harford Glen in late 1983. Barbara was glad to acquire two trained net tenders and Sue quickly gained Barbara's confidence and obtained her subpermit under Barbara. So it was from the mountains to the shore or at least close to the shore of the Chesapeake Bay. Both Sue and Ken enjoyed working with Barbara and, more importantly, the children because of their reaction to coming so close to nature, their responses to seeing bird in hand suddenly flying free is always heartwarming.

To provide something better than the picnic table in the open volunteers at the Glen built the banding shed to provide cover and benches for the children to sit on during banding demonstrations. larger classes resulted in a modification in 2013 with additional benches to provide separated seating for student counselors and teachers.

In 1992 Barbara wanted to join the Institute of Bird Population's MAPS (Monitoring Avian Population and Survival) program which would require erecting more net lanes and maintaing more nets. It became apparent that the cost of maintaining the operation at Harford Glen required more than Barbara and Ken and Sue could readily afford so HGOO was formed as a non-profit with the select purpose to solicit donations for nets and other expenses. The Observatory was established with a Board consisting of the volunteers at the time which included Barbara, Sue, Ken, Eileen Frey, and John Wortman.

The Observatory's initial and principal benefactor was the Hess Hotel Group which provided enough funds to meet most of the Observatory's requirements for several years. Ken covered shortfalls when they occurred. When Dave Sites joined the organization he insisted on donating some funds each year as well. Recently the school system has provided funding for nets.

In 1995, despite being spry and in apparent good health, Barbara announced her decision to move to a step-down facility in Sykesville, Maryland, confident that Sue and Ken would continue the program at Harford Glen. She felt that a woman in her late 70's deserved the pleasant surroundings and services the facility offered, Sue and Ken agreed. They even set up net lanes for her at the facility so she could continue her banding there. Sue applied for, and received her master's permit having references from Barbara and two icons in the bird banding world, Doctor George Hall and Ralph Bell. Sue and Ken have been conducting the Observatory's operations since 1996.

Having sufferred through a week at AFMO with temperatures consistently below 25 and winds well over that number Sue insisted on something hard sided to replace their pop-up camper. The first motorhome was purchased in 1985 and a motorhome has served as a lunchroom and other necessities since.

In 2010 a young, inspired, dedicated, and energetic teacher at Harford Glen became involved in the program and established a unique program she calls "birds-eye-view," where the children attending the environmental education center are exposed to a day of bird studies integrating the banding demonstrations and binocular walks with guiding the students in an evaluation of the banding data.

The operation continues today with banding demonstrations conducted two days each week (in order to accommodate a larger number of students) spring and fall and anyone is welcome to come observe this combination of research and education. A reservation is required so please use the contact link on the home page if you wish to join us.