STEVENS PA – Health officials’ concerns about the potential for human infections of bird flu have prompted visitor restrictions at a highly popular winter bird-watching spot in Pennsylvania. That’s the state’s Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area, located an hour west of Pottstown in Stevens PA.
Snow geese, tundra swans, Canada geese, and ducks from up to 1,000 miles away fly into Middle Creek, and land on its 380-acre lake, usually during mid- to late-February. Flocks estimated at up to 200,000 birds attract “tens of thousands of visitors” over a few weeks, the Pennsylvania Game Commission reports.
But as of Feb. 4 (2025; Tuesday), the risk of a bird flu outbreak among wildlife, domestic animals, and humans caused the state to restrict access to some management area facilities. They include its Willow Point parking lot and trail, archery range, boat launch, White Oak picnic area, and all lake shoreline access, including fishing.
The shoreline and Wildlife Drive, a seasonal road, both are favored vantage points to watch the area’s bird flights. The drive is currently closed, “and an extended closure is possible,” the state adds.
Travels With The Post last visited the management area during March 2022.
At the time, United States’ residents were dealing with another type of illness. Two years earlier, in March 2020, the global coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak had been classified as a pandemic, and announced as a public health emergency. The federal government’s formal end to its COVID declaration was still 14 months away.
No such declaration has yet been made about the bird flu. Officials are working hard to help minimize its risks to people. Restrictions like those imposed at Middle Creek are a precaution.
A Resting Place on the Migration Route
Still available to visitors are the Middle Creek hiking trails and its visitor center at 100 Museum Rd. The center, with interesting exhibits that tell the story of the migration, is open Tuesdays through Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sundays from noon to 5 p.m. The state additionally offers a live stream video feed of the lake and its fly-in guests.
The migrating birds are headed back north from warmer climates. Once farther along, they hope to create new nests to birth their young. After resting at Middle Creek, according to the commission, their next stop often is New York State’s Finger Lakes region.
The management area caters to the diets of its feathered friends, too. The lake and surrounding “impoundments” were designed so their water levels could be seasonally lowered. By exposing mud flats, the management area says it provides “diverse food sources for migrating shore birds and other species.”
The management area took 10 years to build, and was completed in 1973. It was constructed specifically as a migratory stopover for waterfowl, and in part serves as an eastern Pennsylvania location for seasonal fishing and waterfowl hunting.
If Restrictions are Lifted …
Under normal conditions, when avian illness is not a worry, there are two suggested best times to see the gathered birds. Lancaster County’s “Discover Lancaster” blog says the first is “in the evening around sunset, when they are making their way from the fields to the lake for the night.” The second: “at sunrise, if you are an early riser.”
For its visit, the Travels crew arrived at about 10:30 a.m. and stayed nearly 3 hours.
Because they are wild, be aware the birds may be on-site one day and gone the next. Their arrivals and departures are unpredictable, at best.
Before you set out for the management area, it’s advisable to call the visitor center at 717-733-1512, or send an e-mail to middlecreek@pa.gov, to check on conditions, restrictions, and the birds’ presence.
Every two or three days, commission representatives also update their estimated count of the number of birds within the management area. They may be able to tell you whether the bird populations are growing or shrinking.
Discover Lancaster offers these Middle Creek tips as well:
- Wear comfortable walking shoes;
- Bring binoculars, if you have them;
- Dress warmly, as it can get windy near the lake;
- Lower your expectations for what you’ll see. Sometimes the birds don’t feel like flying!; and
- Respect the management area and its natural environments by walking only in designated areas.
If Restrictions Remain …
Don’t bypass the visitor center. Its entertaining and easily understood graphics, models, and interactive displays cover different aspects of the migration, the waterfowl species and other wildlife the management area attracts. It also presents the story behind the management area’s origins.
Think of the center as a museum within a huge park, which also hosts a full schedule of events and activities. Following the migration, the center observes World Migratory Bird Day on May 10. It hosts a Wildlife Art Show from Aug. 1-3, and celebrates National Hunting and Fishing Day on Sept. 28. Special seminars are scheduled monthly. Find its complete 2025 event guide online.
Finally, the center is surrounded by 10 hiking trails that range in intensity from easy to strenuous, and in length from 3/10s of a mile to 8.1 miles in length. If you’re anything from a casual walker to eager hiker, you’ll find a trail of interest. See the Middle Creek trail brochure online.
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When Travels With The Post hits the road, readers figuratively come along. Its occasional “road trip” articles are intended to describe and show what’s available at a location of interest, and why it might be worth considering a visit. Find other Post road trips here.
All photos by Travels With The Post
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