For: Seasonal Birds
Place: Shaw's Bridge Park at 274 S. Creek Road, West Chester, PA, 7:30 a.m.
Leaders: Mary Bryant (mbryantvmd@gmail.com)
Note: We will explore the trail looking for seasonal birds. This walk is about 1.5 miles and should take around 2 hours.
Directions: Park at lot; there is a port-a-potty there.
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.
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, Venmo, or cash donations at the door.
Note: Join a local birding expert who will guide 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.
Prof Jennifer Uehling
Though most people bemoan the presence of bird poop, one person’s trash is another person’s treasure! Dr. Jenny Uehling will explore what we can learn from bird feces, covering topics such as DNA sequencing to identify bird diet and microplastic identification and quantification. Understanding what birds are eating, and how it can expose them to potentially helpful nutrients or harmful pollutants, allows us to better understand the relationship between diet, survival, reproductive success, and bird declines.
Dr. Jenny Uehling is an assistant professor at West Chester University. She received her PhD in Ecology from Cornell University and her BS in Biology and Environmental Studies from the University of Chicago. She studies bird behavior, with a focus on foraging ecology.
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.
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.
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.
For: Seasonal birds
Place: Lorimer Preserve parking lot, 1379-1529 N. Valley Road, Malvern, 8:30 a.m.
Leaders: Sue Vanasse (484-459-4189, hsvanasse@verizon.net)
Note: The preserve has almost 88 acres of open space with trails through meadows and woodlands. This will be approximately a 1.5 mile walk and should take about 2.5 hours. There is parking but no bathrooms on site.
Directions: From West Chester, take 202 North to the 252 Paoli exit. Turn left onto Swedesford Road and continue for 1.2 miles. Turn right onto North Valley Road. The entrance is in a quarter of a mile on the right.
Jennie MacFarland
The Desert Purple Martin (Progne subis hesperia) is a distinct subspecies that times its nesting to monsoon abundance and nests almost exclusively in saguaros or other large columnar cacti. Desert Purple Martins are extremely understudied with large gaps in knowledge about their nesting, migration, and wintering grounds. Very recent discoveries and data results will be shared along with lots of video and audio that showcases the charming and fascinating Desert Purple Martin.
Jennie MacFarland is the Director of Bird Conservation at Tucson Bird Alliance. She co-coordinates the Arizona Bird Areas Program with Tice Supplee and also coordinates the Tucson Bird Count, a city-wide, urban spring bird count.
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.
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.
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.
For: Winter residents
Place: Assigned territories, Friday, 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.
For: Winter Residents
Place: Assigned territories, any time Saturday, from midnight to midnight.
Coordinator: Merle Tanis (973-271-0464, Merlet146@gmail.com)
Note: Contact coordinator early for questions or to let her know of your interest so that sector assignments and leaders can be identified.