Field Trips

For: Fall migrants

Place: 191 County Park Rd, Pottstown 19465, 8:00 a.m.

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 2023.
 
Our 2023 Chester County Parks birding series ends at Warwick County Park in northern Chester County. With meadows, wetlands, forest, and a section of the beautiful French Creek, birds abound! Fall migration will be underway and it’s a wonderful time to get out and observe what birds are moving through our area as well as well as those that stay year-round. Join us.
 
This field trip will cover 1-2 miles on mainly flat (and possibly muddy) earthen trails and will last approximately 2-3 hours. Meet at the parking lot below the park office. Modern restrooms are available on site.
 
Directions: From the intersection of Routes 100 and 23, proceed west on Rout 23 for 3.4 miles. Turn left onto County Park Road (entrance is somewhat hidden) and continue 0.3 miles to the entrance to Warwick County Park, on the left. Follow the drive to the last parking lot on the left.
 
Warwick Park

For: Summer Residents and Early 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 info@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 or donations at the door. Note that the time has been shifted an hour later this month.
 
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 and resident birds

Place: Parking lot at end of Route 272, MD, 8:00 a.m.

Leader: Armas Hill (302-529-1876, Armas@focusonnature.com)

Note: A walk to Turkey Point in Elk Neck State Park, one of the best places in the Mid-Atlantic for bird migration in the late summer and fall. Mostly songbirds and raptors. The walk should be back to the parking lot around noon. Afternoon birding may be available if people wish to continue. There is a bathroom by the lighthouse.

Directions: Route 95 south to Maryland Route 272 south which takes you right to the parking lot.

Elk Neck State Park
Turkey Point Lighthouse

For: Fall migrants, warblers, shorebirds and waterfowl

Place for Saturday: Cape May Point State Park Lighthouse parking lot, 7:30 a.m.

Place for Sunday: Higbee Beach parking lot, 7:00 a.m.

Leaders: Barry Blust (610-458-5616, barryblust@comcast.net)

Note: Contact Barry for details. Please make your own reservations if you plan on staying overnight.

Note: This trip involves considerable walking, 2 to 4 miles each day, over relatively flat terrain, but some walking in sand will be involved. Please join us both days or either day.

Cape May Bird Observatory

Cape May Point State Park

For: Raptors especially the migration of Swainson's Hawks plus local and migrating birds of Central Mexico.

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

Note1:  The primary target of this trip is to view the amazing raptor migration in Veracruz, Mexico. This is the count site for the "River of Raptors", the largest raptor migration in the world. Swainson's Hawks make up the majority of the migrants but many other hawk species will be moving with them. Besides going to the hawk watches, local guides from Pronatura (the nonprofit that runs the raptor counts in Veracruz) will take us to several other locations to find birds. Some of these are Juan Angel beach, Villa Rica Lagoon, the Quiahuixtlan ruins, Highlands of Perote, and Las Barrancas, a grassland and wetlands. A visit to the Museum of Anthropology of Xalapa and boat trip on la Antigua river are included. Some of the birds that may be found include Aplomado Falcon, Blue Mockingbird, Bearded Wood-partridge, Blue-capped Motmot, Green Jay, Elegant Euphonia, Red Warbler, Golden-browed Warbler, Crescent-chested Warbler, Lucifer Hummingbird, Mexican Violetear, Mountain Trogon, Olivaceus Woodcreeper, Black-headed Nightingale Thrush, Yellow Headed Parrot, Lineated Woodpecker and Canivet's Emerald.

Note2: This trip will be limited to 12 participants and has a minimum of 6 participants. Costs will be dependent on the number of participants. Early registration with the leader is important. If you are interested in doing this trip, even if you are not sure, please let the leader know as soon as possible so we save the correct number and mix of rooms before they sell out. There is time to cancel the reservations if you change your mind, but may not be a chance to add any if you decide to go last minute.

Note3: Price range estimate. The price includes hotels, food and drinks except alcohol and transportation. It does not include tips for the guides, driver or maids if you are so inclined. Needless to say, I would like to get this to 10 people, it is a fantastic trip, that you can learn more about on May 1 when I give my presentation Veracruz, The River of Raptors with Hawk Mountain to the WCBC. If you have any interest in raptors, this is a trip you should do at least once in your lifetime.
10-12 people Single: $2900, Double $2700
8-9 people: Single 3500 Double $3300
6-7 people: Single $4700 Double $4400

The Veracruz River of Raptors Success Story
Veracruz River of Raptors

For: Fall Migrants & Early Winter Residents

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 or 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.