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North American Bird Names – The Apostrophes

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Bert Filemyr

Of the over 950 birds on ABA's North American Bird List, almost 100 have apostrophes in their common names. These birds are named in honor of some of our most famous North American ornithologists (Audubon's Shearwater, Wilson's Plover, Cassin's Finch, etc.). But some are named for little known people (Lucy's Warbler, Lincoln's Sparrow, Bicknell's Thrush, etc.) and some are even named in honor of people who never set foot in North America (Swainson's Thrush, Henslow's Sparrow, Bewick's Wren, etc.). Learn the fascinating stories behind the birds with apostrophes in their common names and the very human people who have been so honored.
 
Bert Filemyr is an active field birder both in the Delaware Valley and throughout North America. He has birded extensively in all 50 states. He has having seen at least 100 species in each of the lower 48 states plus several Canadian Provinces. Retired from a public school teaching career, he pursues his passion for birding while researching topics related to early American ornithology. He was a member of the championship Nikon/DVOC World Series of Birding Team, the Lagerhead Shrikes for many years. He co-authored, along with Jeff Holt the book "The Composite Prints of Audubon's Birds of America" and a major article on Alexander Wilson in the Wilson Journal of Ornithology.

Stroud Preserve, Chester County, PA

For: Summer residents, butterflies, etc.

Place: Stroud Preserve parking lot, 8:00 a.m.

Google Map

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

Note: Trip is an approximately two- to three-hour walk covering about 2 miles with some moderate hills.

Directions: From West Chester, take Route 162 west for about 2 miles and turn left onto North Creek Road. The parking lot is on the right.

Stroud Preserve

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.

Google MapDirections: 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

White Clay Creek, Newark, DE – CANCELED DUE TO WEATHER

For: Migrants and resident birds

Place: Wedgewood Rd. parking lot, 7:45 a.m.

Leader: Bob Murray (610-644-5440, rmurraymmi@gmail.com)

Note: The walk will be on an abandoned railroad bed, along the banks of White Clay Creek, which forms a section of the Mason-Dixon trail. We will cover a total distance of about 3 miles. There will be bathroom facilities at the Nature Center, which is at the midpoint of the walk. We will finish up before noon.

Note: The park charges a fee of $8 per vehicle.

Directions: Call leader for directions if not carpooling.

Carpooling: Meet at Painters Crossing, PA, on the northwest corner of US Routes 1 and 202. Departure time 7:00 a.m.

White Clay Creek

Ramsey Road, Wilmington, DE

Place: Parking lot off of Ramsey Rd., 8:00 a.m.

Leader: Carol Majors (610-399-1509, carolmajors@gmail.com)

Note: A walk along the Brandywine Creek in Delaware. The walk is about 2 miles over fairly even terrain with one stream crossing.

Directions: Route 202 South to Rt. 92 just over the state line. Turn right onto Route 92 then follow it to the left. Take the first right on to Ramsey Rd. Look for the parking area on the right. In GPS, navigate to Ramsey's Farm, Ramsey Road, Wilmington, DE.  The parking lot is across the street from the entrance.

Chambers Lake, Chester County, PA

For: Summer residents, butterflies, etc.

Place: Chambers Lake parking lot, 8:00 a.m.

Leaders:

Note: Trip is an approximately two- to three-hour walk covering about 2 miles with some moderate hills.

Directions: Take the Rt. 30 by-pass to the exit for Rt. 82. At end of the ramp go left and proceed to the first light. A Turkey Hill market should be on the left. Make a left at this light which should be Rt. 340. Follow Rt. 340, West Kings Highway about 2.1 miles.  Turn right on Wagontown Rd.  Stay on Wagontown Rd. until you get to Chambers Lake.

Chambers Lake

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.

Google MapDirections: 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

Springton Manor Farm, Glenmoore, PA

For: Migrating and resident birds

Place: Manor House 860 Springton Rd, Glenmoore, PA, 8:00 a.m. Meet at the parking lot by the Great Barn (40.073989, -75.775482)

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

Note: Location #3 in the series of monthly bird walks being held in Chester County Parks is Springton Manor Farm, part preserve and part farm and home to many types of bird-friendly habitats across its 300 acres.  Of note here are centuries-old oak and maple trees, and a thriving Purple Martin colony during the summer.

This outing will cover 1-2 miles and will last 2+ hours.

Restrooms are available on site at the Great Barn, where we will meet.

Springton Manor Farm

The Great Marsh

For: Spring Migrants & Returning Summer 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.
 
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.

Birding by Ear, Hibernia Park, Coatesville, PA

For: More advanced practice at birding by ear

Place: Hibernia Park parking lot by pond on Lion Head Rd., 8:30 a.m.

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

Note: We will walk along the creek to picnic tables where we will review the birds heard, then return. The total walking is about 0.4 miles, but the session can take up to two hours.

Directions: From Downingtown, take Route 30 bypass to Route 82 north (left turn). At the next left, turn onto Route 340 west. Go about 1.5 miles and turn right onto Wagontown Road. Follow Wagontown Road around to Park Road. (Be careful, at one point it seems Wagontown ends in a tee, but it continues to the right. Turn right onto Lyons Head Drive (between the pillars with lion faces on them.) Follow Lyons Head Drive until you see the pond on the right, the parking area is after the pond.

Hibernia Park

Hurricane Effects on Caribbean Birds

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Dr. Joseph M. Wunderle, Jr. - Editor-in-Chief of Journal of Caribbean Ornithology
 

To help understand how hurricanes affect birds and their habitats and resources, Dr. Wunderle's talk will summarize some of the direct and indirect effects of hurricanes on bird populations in the Caribbean. Dr. Wunderle and his colleagues have been "fortunate" in having baseline samples of populations and resources before the arrival of hurricanes on different islands and they have been able to re-sample in the storms' aftermath to enable before and after comparisons. His talk will identify some of the types of birds, habitats, and resources especially vulnerable to hurricanes as well as demonstrating some post-hurricane behavioral responses of birds. Although some Caribbean bird species such as the endangered Puerto Rican Parrot have been found to be highly vulnerable to hurricane-induced population declines, populations of other bird species have been found to be remarkably resilient to hurricane impacts. In fact, not all is doom and gloom.

 

Wunderle has 40 years of experience teaching and conducting research throughout the Caribbean where he focuses on ecology and conservation of migrant and resident birds. His dissertation (Ph.D., 1980, Univ. of Minnesota) fieldwork was conducted on Grenada where he also taught field courses in the nearby Grenadines. Afterwards, he taught for a year at North Carolina State University and taught with the Organization for Tropical Studies in Costa Rica. In 1982, he joined the University of Puerto Rico (UPR) where he taught and conducted research with his students for eight years before joining the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) as a Research Scientist working throughout the Caribbean, Central America, and Brazil. After 30 years with the USFS he retired, joined the board of BirdsCaribbean and returned to teaching ornithology for a semester at UPR, where he continues to advise graduate students. He has authored or co-authored numerous publications, including a field guide to the natural history of The Bahamas, based on his research and training of Bahamian students. He is a Fellow of the American Ornithological Society and a recipient of its Ralph W. Schreiber Conservation Award and a founding member and former president of BirdsCaribbean and a former president of the Neotropical Ornithological Society.