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Barnegat Light S.P. and E.B. Forsythe (Brigantine) NWR, NJ

For: Harlequins, eiders, loons and other waterfowl

Google MapPlace: Barnegat Light State Park. Meet at Barngegat Light Borough Hall, 8:15 a.m.

Leader: Dorothy Bedford (609-658-1894, db@bt9.org)

Google MapNote: There will be a walk of about 1.5 miles between the dunes to get to the end of the jetty. Brigantine is a fee area (per car); bring your National Park Service "Eagle Pass". Bring lunch, this is an all-day trip.

Directions: Meet at Barnegat Light Borough Hall, 10 E 7th St, Barnegat Light, NJ 08006. Follow NJ Route 72 onto Long Beach Island. Turn left onto Long Beach Island Blvd. Go about 7 miles to 7th Street on right. Please make a rest-stop at Wawa, 370 NJ Rt 72, Manahawkin (approach from East Bay Ave. Plan 30 minutes to Barnegat Light from Wawa). Forsythe NWR Visitor Center address: you MUST use 800 Great Creek Rd, Galloway NJ or Google will steer you 30 miles wrong.

Carpooling: If so, meet at Gateway Shopping Center, 125 Swedesford Road, Wayne (junction of 202 and 252). Departure time is 5:45 a.m. (Estimated return no later than 5 p.m.)

Barnegat Light

EBForsythe

 

Event Series 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

West Chester Christmas Bird Count

For: Winter Residents

Place: Assigned territories, any time from midnight to midnight.

Coordinators: Merle Tanis (973-271-0464, Merlet145@gmail.com) and Dorothy Bedford (609-658-1894, db@bt9.org)

Note: Contact a coordinator early for questions or to let her know of your interest so that sector assignments and leaders can be identified.

There will be no meeting after the count for a tally or dinner.

Event Series 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

Elverson Christmas Bird Count

For: Winter residents

Place: Assigned territories, any time from midnight to midnight.

Coordinators: Jim Cook (610-587-7545, jim@elversonsupply.net)

Note: Contact coordinator early for questions or to let him know of your interest so that sector assignments and leaders can be identified.

Valley Forge Christmas Bird Count

For: Winter residents

Place: Assigned territories, midnight to midnight.

Coordinator: Vincent Smith (484-410-1157, larusvs34@gmaill.com)

Note: This annual event includes teams of birders surveying eleven sections within a prescribed 15 mile diameter circle, the center of which is the John James Audubon Center at Mill Grove.  Beginning and experienced birders are welcome.  Section leaders will notify past participants. New volunteers please register by Dec. 17 to be assigned to a team.

Event Series 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

Event Series 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

French Creek State Park

For: Winter Residents

Place: French Creek State Park, 843 Park Rd, Elverson, PA, 8:30 a.m.

Leaders: Patty and John Werth (484-985-8164- home and 215-859-1148 for day of walk, pattyww@comcast.net)

Note: We will travel a route that keeps us primarily on paved trails and roads.  Heated restrooms are nearby.

Directions: From West Chester, take Hwy 100 north to Ludwigs Corner. Turn left on Conestoga Rd. Turn right on Route 345, follow the many twists and turns of Rt 345 to a left onto S. Entrance Road. Turn right onto Park Rd and park at the Playground parking lot behind the office.

 

The Manayunk Peregrines

Judy Stepanaskie

The story of the peregrine falcons nesting in the steeple of St. John the Baptist RC Church in the Manayunk Neighborhood of Philadelphia.

 

Judy has always loved nature and the outdoors and even spent a year as an intern at a nature center but didn’t start birding until she was in her 40’s. She was there on the Green Lane Bridge over the Schuylkill River in Manayunk when the two peregrines were first spotted in February 2011, and has been watching them ever since. She was nicknamed the ‘Peregrine Godmother’ in an article by Mike Weilbacher, formerly the Director of the Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education.
 
Judy bought a camera to photograph the peregrines and is now an avid photographer as well as an avid birder. Her photos of the peregrines have been shown on WPHL 17 and in the Philadelphia Inquirer. They have also been published in Mike Weilbacher’s 2023 book: Wild Philly - Explore the Amazing Nature in & around Philadelphia, Timber Press, and Bernard S. Brown’s 2022 book: Exploring Philly Nature - A Guide for All Four Seasons, Temple University Press.
 
Judy received an undergraduate degree from West Chester State College and worked as a chemist. She later went on to earn a master’s degree in environmental science from Drexel University. She then went into the field of Occupational Health and Safety, working as an Industrial Hygienist until she retired in 2015.
 
Since retiring Judy has been active in bird conservation. She is the co-chair of the PA Audubon Council’s Renewable Energy Committee and was honored by the Wyncote Audubon Society in Dec. 2022 with the Edward Hicks Parry award for her work with this committee. She is a fellow of the Delaware Valley Ornithological Club and has also been active with Bird Safe Philly.

 

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.

Event Series 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