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  • My Big Year Birding

    Patty Rehn

    A big year of birding requires unique drive and dedication. To be competitive, you must be ready to go out in all kinds of weather, willing to drop everything in pursuit of rarities, and able to chase birds in crazy places at crazy times.

     

    In 2013, Patty Rehn decided to participate in the Bob Billings Big Year, sponsored by the Delaware Valley Ornithological Club (DVOC). She was determined to top the leaderboard in birding the “Billings” territory in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware. There was no Telegram or Discord social media at that time, and she was working full-time as a teacher in Philadelphia, but she martialed every resource to find more than 350 bird species including some amazing rarities for the region.

     

    In a lively presentation, Patty Rehn shares the highs and lows, challenges and adventures associated with her big year of birding. Tune in to discover what it takes to be part of the quest to see as many bird species as possible in 365 days.

     

    An avid birder for more than 20 years, Patty is a longtime naturalist at Rancocas Nature Center, NJ, and member of the all-women “Raven LunaChicks” World Series of Birding team. In addition to birding, she enjoys photography, hiking, crafting, reading, and traveling the world to see more birds! Patty lives in Burlington County, NJ, with her partner Steve, turtle Magnus, a cat, and many critters in her wildlife-friendly yard.

     

    Note: This meeting will be held in person at the meeting house and via Zoom. Zoom signon will start at 7:15 to enable the meeting to begin at 7:30.

  • Every Thursday Morning Exton Park, Exton, PA

    Every Thursday Morning Exton Park, Exton, PA

    For: Seasonal birds

    Place: Exton Park, 8:30 a.m.

    Leader: Various leaders in conjunction with Friends of Exton Park

    Note: Formerly known as Church Farm Pond and now a part of Exton Park, this pond and surrounding wetland had been a popular birding spot for years.

    Directions: From the intersection of Routes 30 and 202, drive west along Route 30 and turn right on Valley Creek Blvd. At the end of the road, make a left on Swedesford Road and park in the gravel parking lot on your left where the perimeter trail starts. This is a 1.5 mile walk and will take between 1.5 and 2 hours.

    Exton Park

  • Crow’s Nest Preserve, Elverson, PA

    For: Seasonal Birds

    Place: Crow's Nest Preserve, 201 Piersol Road, Elverson, PA, 19520, 8:30 a.m.

    Leader: Rhoda McNitt (610-213-0713, rhodamcnitt@verizon.com)

    Note: We will explore the Creek and Chief's Grove Trail. This will be a 2.5-mile trip with moderate walking.  We will be looking for seasonal birds.

    Directions: Park at the Visitor's Center.

    Crow's Nest Preserve

  • The Great Marsh

    For: Late Summer Residents & Fall Migrants

    Place: 28 Moores Road, Elverson, PA, 8:00 a.m.

    Leader: Mike Coulter. If you plan to attend please email the Great Marsh Institute at lori@greatmarshinstitute.org to let them know to expect you. This will help them to organize and keep groups small. This event is free but donations are always welcome via Paypal, Venmo, or cash donations at the door.

    Note: Join local birding expert Mike Coulter as he guides us through the Great Marsh, an ancient periglacial marsh and the largest marsh in Southeastern Pennsylvania.

    This event is hosted by the Great Marsh Institute, a non-profit with the mission of supporting scientific studies and educational opportunities for all! This event is free, but donations of any amount are welcome to support the Institute! For full trip details see here. This will be about a 3 hour walk. Conditions could be muddy and very wet so wear appropriate footwear.

    Please note that the property is private but you can always visit during our planned trips.

    Directions: The marsh is off of Rt. 401 four miles northwest of Rt. 100 at Ludwig's Corner. Lat/Long = 40.127651, -75.767697 or use 28 Moores Road for GPS directions. Meet at the grassy parking area at the top of the hill near 28 Moores Road. Once you turn off of Rt. 401 on to Moore's Road proceed 1/4 mile along the gravel road. You will cross a bridge and at the 1/4 mile mark make a right up the hill on the paved part of the drive. This is the first right after the bridge. At the top of the hill you should see other cars parked in the meeting area.

  • Waterloo Mills Preserve, Devon, PA

    For: Migrants, local fall birds and sparrows

    Place: Waterloo Mills Preserve, Devon, PA, 8:00 a.m.

    Leader: Kevin Fryberger (Natural Resource Manager for Brandywine Conservancy, kfryberger@brandywine.org)

    Note: Kevin will give a brief introduction about the property and lead us around this beautiful private preserve of 170 acres in the heart of the Main Line.  It contains wildflower meadows, marshes, mature woods and over a mile of the meandering Darby Creek.  The preserve is owned by the Brandywine Conservancy.  It will be an easy 2 mile walk and we'll be especially looking for late fall migrants and sparrows, with a possible chance for Lincoln's Sparrow.

    Directions: GPS coordinates of the entrance on South Waterloo Road: (40.0248571, -75.4186609).  Drive carefully down the narrow gravel road for about 1000 feet and you will reach the parking lot.

  • Every Thursday Morning Exton Park, Exton, PA

    Every Thursday Morning Exton Park, Exton, PA

    For: Seasonal birds

    Place: Exton Park, 8:30 a.m.

    Leader: Various leaders in conjunction with Friends of Exton Park

    Note: Formerly known as Church Farm Pond and now a part of Exton Park, this pond and surrounding wetland had been a popular birding spot for years.

    Directions: From the intersection of Routes 30 and 202, drive west along Route 30 and turn right on Valley Creek Blvd. At the end of the road, make a left on Swedesford Road and park in the gravel parking lot on your left where the perimeter trail starts. This is a 1.5 mile walk and will take between 1.5 and 2 hours.

    Exton Park

  • Chickadee hybridization and Cognition

    Prof Amber Rice, Lehigh University

    When hybridization occurs, selection against hybrids can maintain species barriers. Learning and memory can be important for fitness in many species, but whether cognition is impacted by hybridization is not well understood. Black-capped and Carolina chickadees naturally hybridize, and also rely on learning and memory to cache and retrieve food as an adaptation for overwinter survival. My research on wild-caught adult chickadees indicates that hybrid chickadees show reduced spatial memory, which persists even after we standardized diet and rearing environment. Much of this reduction in memory may be explained by genetic incompatibilities, but our work also suggests that chickadee gut microbiomes may be influencing their cognition.

     

    Amber completed a BA at the College of Wooster in Ohio, followed by a PhD at the University of North Carolina. She first began working with birds during her postdoc at Uppsala University in Sweden. Amber started her faculty position at Lehigh University in 2011. Across her career, Amber has worked with study systems including plants, spiders, toads, and birds, but her interests have always centered around understanding how biodiversity arises and is maintained.

     

    Note: This meeting will be held in person at the meeting house and via Zoom. Zoom signon will start at 7:15 to enable the meeting to begin at 7:30.

  • Every Thursday Morning Exton Park, Exton, PA

    Every Thursday Morning Exton Park, Exton, PA

    For: Seasonal birds

    Place: Exton Park, 8:30 a.m.

    Leader: Various leaders in conjunction with Friends of Exton Park

    Note: Formerly known as Church Farm Pond and now a part of Exton Park, this pond and surrounding wetland had been a popular birding spot for years.

    Directions: From the intersection of Routes 30 and 202, drive west along Route 30 and turn right on Valley Creek Blvd. At the end of the road, make a left on Swedesford Road and park in the gravel parking lot on your left where the perimeter trail starts. This is a 1.5 mile walk and will take between 1.5 and 2 hours.

    Exton Park

  • E.B. Forsythe (Brigantine) NWR, NJ

    For: Shorebirds, herons

    Place: Forsythe NWR Headquarters, 8:30 a.m. Google Map

    Leaders: John Mercer (484-459-2062, mercer1135@aol.com)

    Note: Meet at Forsythe at 8:30 a.m. Minimal walking involved. Bring a lunch, this is an all-day trip. Carpooling will be from Painter's Crossing.  We will leave at 7:00a.m.

    Directions: Call leader for trip details, carpooling and directions.

    E.B. Forsythe NWR, NJ

  • Birding in Downingtown: River Station Loop and Lloyd Park

    For: Seasonal Birds

    Place: River Station Drive, Downingtown, PA, 8:00 a.m.

    Leader: Bel Broadley, Nancy Artus (123nancynicole@gmail.com), Allison Barnes

    Note: We will start at the new River Station development and walk the River Station Loop Trail that includes pond, woodland and riparian habitats. Then we will drive to Lloyd (dog) park that includes meadow, riparian and woodland habitats.  Both locations have plenty of parking. Total walking will be about 1 mile on flat, unpaved ground. Bathrooms are available at Lloyd Park and at the Wawa across from River Station. Expect unleashed dogs at Lloyd Park. Total time 3-4 hours. Participants can easily leave at any time.

    Directions:  From the intersection of 322 and Boot Rd, take River Station Drive (NOT River Station Blvd) and turn left at the STOP sign. Park in the large parking lot on the far south side of the complex.

  • Every Thursday Morning Exton Park, Exton, PA

    Every Thursday Morning Exton Park, Exton, PA

    For: Seasonal birds

    Place: Exton Park, 8:30 a.m.

    Leader: Various leaders in conjunction with Friends of Exton Park

    Note: Formerly known as Church Farm Pond and now a part of Exton Park, this pond and surrounding wetland had been a popular birding spot for years.

    Directions: From the intersection of Routes 30 and 202, drive west along Route 30 and turn right on Valley Creek Blvd. At the end of the road, make a left on Swedesford Road and park in the gravel parking lot on your left where the perimeter trail starts. This is a 1.5 mile walk and will take between 1.5 and 2 hours.

    Exton Park

  • The Real James Bond

    Jim Wright

    Jim Wright, long-time "Bird Watcher" columnist for The Bergen Record and other New Jersey newspapers, will speak about his book The Real James Bond, the story behind the noted naturalist/adventurer from Philadelphia and the world’s greatest identity theft

     

    Featured are the genuine James Bond's iconic Birds of the West Indies, his solo Caribbean expeditions -- and his enduring connection to Ian Fleming.

     

    Jim's other books include The Screech Owl Companion, The Nature of the Meadowlands, Jungle of the Maya, and Hawk Mountain. In his spare time, he spies on peregrine falcons for the state of New Jersey. He is the coordinator for the fall migration at the State Line Hawk Watch on the Hudson River.

     

    Note: This meeting will be held in person at the meeting house and via Zoom. Zoom signon will start at 7:15 to enable the meeting to begin at 7:30.