Field Trips

For: Shorebirds and gulls

Place: Wawa, W. Brigantine Ave. and 8th St, 11:00 a.m.

Leader:  Bruce Piecukonis (610-247-2205, Pterodroma@comcast.net)

Note: A 5-mile beach hike in the North Brigantine Natural Area, with close views of shorebirds and gulls. The hike is a flat hike on sand. There is a port-a-potty at the Natural Area parking area.

Directions: We will meet at Wawa (813 W. Brigantine Ave., Brigantine, NJ 082030). Note: This Wawa does NOT have restrooms.

For:  Migrants and resident birds

Place: 1399 Schoff Rd, Atglen, PA 19310, 8:00 a.m. Meet at the parking lot.

Leader: John Mercer (484-459-2062, mercer1135@aol.com), Patty & John Werth (pattyww@comcast.net)

Note: The Chester County Parks system has seven wonderful parks which provide excellent birdwatching opportunities.  Join us as we explore all seven of the parks, one per month, in 2024.

Paths are both earthen and paved and gently rolling. We will travel 1-2 miles over 2-3 hours. There is a portable restroom on site. This field trip is a collaboration between WCBC and Valley Forge Audubon Society.

Directions: Go west on Strasburg Rd to Parkesburg, then south on 10 to Highland Drive. Turn right and go 3.4 miles to the intersection with Schoff Rd, then turn right on Schoff and go 1 mile to the park entrance on the right.

Wolf's Hollow Park 

For: Summer Residents & Early 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.

For: Seasonal Birds

Place: Shaw's Bridge Park at 274 S. Creek Road, West Chester, PA.

Leaders: Mary Bryant (mbryantvmd@gmail.com)

Note: We will explore the trail looking for seasonal birds. This walk is about 1.5 miles and should take around 2 hours.

Directions: Park at lot; there is a port-a-potty there.

Shaw's Bridge Park

For: Fall migrants

Place: The South side of Chambers Lake, 8:00 a.m.

Leader: Larry Lewis - Early Bird Tours (484-340-7672, earlybirdtours@comcast.net)

Note: A Big Sit is an all-day affair, but everyone is welcome to come and go as they please. It is usually a fun time to see how many birds can be spotted while not moving out of a 15 foot circle. Great fun, with plenty of food and camaraderie, like tailgating.

Directions: From Coatesville, PA (in western Chester County): From the Rt. 30 By-pass north of Coatesville, take Rt. 82 exit north. Turn left at the 4-way stop sign (Rt.340) and go 1.3 miles to Wagontown Rd. Turn right on Wagontown Rd. and continue on this winding hill for 1.5 miles (you will pass the Hibernia Park entrance on your right). Continue up the hill and the lake will become visible on the right. If attending the "Big Sit", continue a couple of tenths of a mile further along Wagontown Rd. past the lake parking lot and to the western dike of the lake. Carefully pull off the road and park in the grass near the dike. You will see us sitting on the dike near the road.

Chambers Lake

For:  Fall migrants and resident birds

Place: : 1 Park Rd. Coatesville, PA

Leader: John Mercer (484-459-2062, mercer1135@aol.com), Patty & John Werth (pattyww@comcast.net)

Note: The Chester County Parks system has seven wonderful parks which provide excellent birdwatching opportunities.  Join us as we explore all seven of the parks, one per month, in 2024 & 2025.

This outing will cover about 2 miles and will last approximately 2-3 hours. There is a modern restroom at the park office, where we will meet. This field trip is a collaboration between WCBC and Valley Forge Audubon Society.

Directions: We will meet at the park office near the mansion off of Park Rd.

Hibernia Park 

For: 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.

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) and Luc Jacobs (484-706-1999, jacobsluc52@yahoo.com)

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).  From the intersection of route 3 and route 252 in Newtown Square, go north on 252.  After crossing Goshen Road and passing Liseter housing development on the left, continue straight on N. Newtown Street Road (don't bear left on rt 252 where it goes from 4 lanes to 2 lanes, but go straight). At the traffic circle, continue straight to stay on Newtown Street Road and then take the 3rd street on the right, which is South Waterloo Road.  About 1000 ft after crossing the Darby Creek, you will see the preserve entrance on the right, between two large rocks.  Drive carefully down the narrow gravel road for about 1000 feet and you will reach the parking lot.