Saturday, June 4 – Evening Vespers Spruce Flats Bog/Darlington Inn

Vespers:  Enjoy the camaraderie of your fellow birders at the Darlington Inn for our annual Hungarian dinner at 4:30 p.m. and thrush music afterwards at Spruce Flats Bog.

Leader:  Karen Jackson, pabirder2000@yahoo.com, 724-668-7421

Directions: We will meet at the Darlington Inn just off Route 30.   Following Rt. 30 east from Latrobe, bear right onto Darlington Road (2043) just before you cross Longbridge.  In about a mile you’ll see the restaurant on your right and the parking lot on your left.

Please RSVP your dinner reservation to Karen Jackson, 724-668-7421 or pabirder2000@yahoo.com no later than June 1.  After dinner we will drive to the parking lot at Spruce Flats bog.  For the bog, from Rt 30, drive two miles east of Ligonier, turn south onto Route 381 and drive 2 miles to Rector.  In Rector, turn left onto Linn Run Road and drive 7.7 miles to Laurel Summit State Park.  Turn left as you approach the pavilion and drive into the parking lot.  Find a trail on the right side of the parking lot that leads to the bog boardwalk.

Description: It’s hard to beat a Hungarian buffet and a leisurely walk to the haunting songs of woodland thrushes and high elevation warblers.  It is always a bit colder at the bog and may be muddy, although the actual viewing is from an elevated boardwalk. The bog contains many special flora including balsam fir trees, mountain laurel (our state flower), and carnivorous sundews and pitcher plants.  Bring mosquito repellent.