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The Great Marsh

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 our 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.

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

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

Bryn Coed Preserve

For: Winter Residents

Place: Bryn Coed Preserve, 1869 Flint Rd, Chester Springs, PA 19425

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

Note: Trails are earthen on rolling hills and depending on weather conditions may be muddy and slippery. Good footwear is a must. This walk is in conjunction with Valley Forge Audubon Society.

Directions: From West Chester, take Hwy 100 N to 113N to left on Kimberton Rd for 1.1 miles to left on Flint Rd for 0.7 miles to parking lot on right.

 

Bling For Birds: An Overview of Songbird Banding

Victoria Sindlinger

Longtime volunteer bander Victoria Sindlinger will share the process and importance of migratory songbird banding. We will learn about what questions bird banding can answer, as well as walk through the entire process from capture to data-gathering to release.
 
Victoria has enjoyed nature and in particular birds from a very young age. She is a devoted volunteer at Rushton Woods Preserve, where she has been participating in both songbird and saw-whet owl banding since 2015. In September of 2021, Victoria had the honor of joining the eBird review team in September 2021 for Philadelphia County. Of all her birding interests, she is particularly fervent about conservation, especially in regards to educating the public on how bird collisions with glass can be prevented. This passion led to the creation of “Hope in the Night,” which is an art installment honoring birds and their power to inspire change. Most recently, to extend her outreach efforts for conservation, Victoria has begun working toward a wildlife permit to own and handle raptors for educational purposes. Outside of all things birds, she also enjoys social dancing, travel, leather working, and opera.
 

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

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

Bombay Hook NWR and North

For: Waterfowl and other late winter visitors

Google MapPlace: Painters Crossing, 7:00 a.m.

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

Note: Minimal walking involved.  Bring lunch, this is an all-day trip.

Directions: Meet at NWR, 2591 Whitehall Neck Rd, Smyrna, DE 19977 at 8:30 a.m. Do not leave the HQ; depending on birding on Whitehall Neck Rd, we may arrive to the HQ after 8:30. Please contact leader if you will meet the group at Bombay Hook. We will bird Bombay Hook and head north to various spots in Delaware.

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

Google MapBombay Hook NWR

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 Great Backyard Bird Count

For: Winter residents

Place: Your feeders and your yard, all day.

Coordinator: Carol Majors (484-883-8311, carolmajors@gmail.com)

Note: Count birds at your feeder, in your yard or any site of your choosing.  Although the bird count is Feb. 16 to 19, only lists for Feb. 17 will be counted in the report. Input data into eBird.org and send to coordinator. All results must be sent to Carol by February 27. For more information, see website at Great Backyard Bird Count.

The Great Marsh

For: 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 our 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.

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

Waterfowl of John Heinz NWR

For: Winter residents

Rain Date: None

Leaders: Dorothy Bedford (609-658-1894, db@bt9.org) and Patty Werth

Note: This is a walking outing. The impoundment at JHNWR is a celebrated winter waterfowl destination providing forage adjacent to the Delaware River. Unlike most other WCBC waterfowl trips, it is ALL WALKING. The Wetland Loop is 3.5 miles and is expected to take 3 hours if we do the entire loop (although last year there was so much to see we only covered 1.7 miles, to the observation tower and back). More refuge information at  https://www.fws.gov/refuge/john-heinz-tinicum/visit-us. This is a joint walk with Valley Forge Audubon Society.

Note that the visitor center is closed on Sundays but there are latrines available on site.  There is also a Wawa with facilities at the intersection of Rt 291 and South 84th Street, en route to the Refuge.

Directions: John Heinz NWR. 8601 Lindbergh Blvd., Philadelphia, PA 19153 (NOT the Rt 420 access).