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My Patagonia: Scenery, Cryptic Mammals, & Birds, Birds, Birds!

Speaker: Sheila Martin

Jump on board with WCBC member Sheila Martin as we pictorially explore untamed Patagonia - where some of the world’s most stunning landscapes are filled with wildlife to the max!

 

Moment by moment, the experience of hiking the walkways around Iguazu Falls is simply nature at its finest.  And, for Sheila, when Plush-crested Jay & Chestnut-eared Aracari appeared in the parking lot, she knew it would be days of incomparable sighting thrills, including up to two dozen dizzying endemics to follow, just in that pre-tour locale!

 

Atlantic coastal Argentina in November offers exceptional close-up wildlife observation, straight down to the straits of Tierra del Fuego - with Red Knots ready to migrate, and Austral Negrito & “Loica” ever-present. Farther inland, we find the best puma viewing on the planet!  It was southern-hemisphere springtime ’22 - and all the breeding birds were showing off their best. While in Chile, the quaint atmosphere, friendly locals and Patagonia Sierra-finch, Tufted Tit-tyrant plus Magellanic Woodpecker further enriched her experience.

 

Relive with Sheila her outrageously memorable jaunt through a stark & jaw-dropping part of the globe, full of scenery, wild mammals, and birds, birds, BIRDS!

 

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

Binky Lee Preserve, Chester County, PA

For: Migrants and resident birds

Google MapPlace: Natural Lands' Binky Lee Preserve at 1445 Pikeland Road in Chester Springs, 8:00 a.m.

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

Note: This will be a 3 to 4 hour walk covering about 2.5 miles with a decent grade at one point. We will be looking for resident and migrating birds including Bobolinks, Yellow-breasted Chats and sparrows in grass fields and shaded woodland paths.

Directions: Call or email the leader for directions or use the link below. The Google Maps coordinates are: 40.095808, -75.603413.

Binky Lee Preserve

Wolf’s Hollow County Park, Chester County, PA

For:  Migrants and local birds

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

Leaders:  Kris Debolt and Peter Wade (215-219-5637, wadedeb@verizon.net)

Note: This will be a 2 hour walk through woods and fields

Directions: Call or email the leader for directions or use the link below

Wolf's Hollow Park 

Stroud Preserve, Chester County, PA

For: Spring migrants, butterflies, etc.

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

Google Map

Leader: 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.

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

Michael Huber Prairie Warbler Preserve, Vincentown, NJ

Place: At Preserve at 9:00 a.m or Carpool from Painter's Crossing departing at 7:15 a.m.

Leaders: Lois Bryman (610-399-4613, lbryman25@gmail.com)

Note1:  This trip is a 4.2 mile walk over flat terrain.  There are no bathrooms in the park, but plan to stop at Wawa (route 70 and Eyrestown road, 15 min from destination) on the way. Expect ticks and dress accordingly.  Bring binoculars, snack, lunch, and plenty of water. We will head over to Brendan T. Byrne State Forest for picnic lunch. Restrooms available.

Directions:  449 Sooy Place Road, Tabernacle, NJ 08088) - approx. 39.864386, -74.612776 - just west of Johnson Place Rd. Park in the pull-off on the side of the road. We will meet at kiosk marking park entrance.  Find information and map on website below,

Michael Huber Prairie Warbler Preserve

ChesLen Preserve (formerly Embreeville County Park), PA

For: Early migrants

Google MapPlace: Newlin Township Maintenance Building, 8:00 a.m.

Leaders: Judy Ford (610-486-6061, RareJBird@verizon.net) and Mike Gardner (484-880-7083, birdnerd@zoominternet.net)

Note: Approximately 3 hours, walking over mostly flat, marshy terrain, about 1-2 miles. Waterproof boots or shoes a must.

Directions: The Newlin Twp Bldg parking lot (1751 Embreeville Rd Coatesville PA 19320) is west of West Chester, on PA Rte 162, directly across from the marsh. This is a half-day trip.

Cheslen Preserve

Newlin Township Building map

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

White Clay Creek, Newark, DE

For: Migrants and resident birds

Place: Wedgewood Rd. parking lot, 7:45 a.m. (39.715200, -75.7603524)

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

Even More Recent Discoveries About Migratory Bird Ecology Using Radar and Telemetry

Jeff Buler

Dr. Buler will share highlights of recent and ongoing research by his lab and colleagues in the field of aeroecology: the study of the ecology of flying animals aloft. He will talk about how he uses radar and telemetry technologies to make new discoveries into 1) how the Mid-West corn belt is a man-made migration barrier for forest birds, 2) the aquatic nature of Purple Martins in our region, and 3) the reintroduction of Northern Bobwhites into Pennsylvania.

 

Jeff Buler is a Professor in the Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware. His broad research interests include avian ecology, landscape ecology, remote-sensing, and conservation biology. Dr. Buler established the Aeroecology Program at the University of Delaware in 2011. He is an international leader in the development of novel methods and software for using weather surveillance radars to study the broad-scale distribution, movement, and habitat use patterns of birds, insects, and bats.

 

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.

Stroud Preserve, Chester County, PA

For: Summer residents, butterflies, etc.

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

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

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