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LIBERTY BIRD ALLIANCE
The Liberty Bird Alliance is a chapter of the National Audubon Society that serves members and friends throughout Philadelphia and major portions of Montgomery County
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CHECK THE EVENTS CALENDAR ON THE WEBSITE!
Keep current on upcoming bird walks, field trips and programs through the website. Our calendar of events provides the activities dates, and description of all of our activities. The schedule often includes additional events and changes. Some of our events request preregistration. Go to libertybirdalliance.org. to check out our monthly schedule and to preregister for those events where requested.
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SPECIAL AND REGULAR MONTHLY PROGRAMS
Our regular monthly programs are scheduled from September through May. Our programs take place at the Upper Dublin Public Library, 520 Virginia Drive, Fort Washington, PA 19034 and are typically scheduled for 7:00 PM on the second Tuesday of each month with variations due to holidays. Programs are free! We welcome all members, friends, and anyone interested in participating! We encourage registrations for our programs and offer the programs via zoom for individuals not able to attend in person.
FEBRUARY PROGRAM
7:00 PM, Tuesday, February 10, 2026
CHASING BIRDS: THOUGHTS AND TALES!
Bert Filemyr
Over the past three decades, Bert Filemyr has “chased” birds around North America. These chases have provided him with the opportunity to see many vagrant birds, to meet wonderful people, and to visit numerous places off the beaten track. Did you ever wonder what it is like to jump on airplane, fly across the country, and get to a remote location on the chance of seeing a single individual bird? In this presentation, Bert will give his thoughts on chasing and will share tales of local and long-distance chases. Some chases have been highly successful and some not as successful. One way or the other, all Bert’s chases have been memorable.
Speaker Bio:
Bert Filemyr is an active field birder in both the Delaware Valley area and throughout North America. He has traveled to, and birded extensively, in all fifty states, as well as most Canadian provinces. Bert has seen at least one hundred species in each of the lower forty-eight states. Retired from a public-school teaching career, he pursues his passion for birding while researching topics related to early American ornithology. He served as treasurer and webmaster of the Delaware Valley Ornithological Club (DVOC) and has been honored by that club for his contributions to the club. Bert was a member of the Championship Nikon/DVOC World Series of Birding Team, the Lagerhead Shrikes. He has co-authored, along with Jeff Holt, “The Composite Prints of Audubon’s Birds of America” and a major article on Alexander Wilson in the Wilson Journal of Ornithology.
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FIELD TRIPS AND BIRD WALKS
A Note About Our Field Trips: We encourage participants to regularly check both the Liberty Bird Alliance website and Facebook page in advance of a field trip as the location can change due to road construction, a park closure, weather conditions, or other last-minute reasons. If you have any questions about a field trip, please contact: wyncotefieldtrips@gmail.com. The time stated is the STARTING time, not the arrival time. Plan to arrive a few minutes before the scheduled time of the field trip.. This will give you time to get yourself ready, say hello, visit a restroom, and be ready to go. For all-day trips, please come prepared with lunch and have a full tank of gas.
Participant Release: Your decision to participate in an Audubon field trip or event signifies that you agree to not hold the Liberty Bird Alliance or any of its agents responsible for any accidents, losses, damages, or injuries resulting from your participation in the field trip or event.
DIXON MEADOW PRESERVE BIRD WALK
10:00 AM to 12:00 PM, Sunday, February 22, 2026
Join Troy Bynum for this monthly bird walk at Dixon Meadow. Directions: 548 Flourtown Road, Lafayette Hill, PA 19444
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BIRD TOWN PENNSYLVANIA BIRD WALKS
All are welcome to participate, including new birders and experienced birders alike. Bring binoculars if you have them; wear comfortable footwear and clothing. Come see our returning “winter birds” and some of our year-round residents that frequent these areas. There is always a chance to catch an unusual or unexpected species too. No preregistration is required for our Bird Town Bird Walks!
Lower Gwynedd Bird Town Bird Walk
Treweryn Farm Trail Park
8:30 AM to 10:30 AM, Tuesday, February 10, 2026
Join Steve Saffier for this bird walk at Treweryn Farm Trail. Directions: 1340 Sumneytown Pike, Lower Gwynedd Township, PA 19002.
Abington Bird Town Bird Walk
8:00 AM to 10:00 AM, Tuesday, February 17, 2026
Lorimer Park
Join Jennifer Sherwood for her monthly Bird Town Bird Walk at Lorimer Park. Directions: The Pennypack Trail Welsh Road parking lot is at 798 Welsh Road, Huntingdon Valley, at the intersection with Terwood Road, on the southwest corner, look for the Pennypack Trail sign and the car wash entrance.
For more information: Contact: Jennifer Sherwood, eac@abingtonpa.gov.
Cheltenham Bird Town Bird Walk
High School Park
8:00 AM to 10:00 AM, Saturday, February 21, 2026
Join Judith Gratz for her monthly bird walk at High School Park. Directions: Meet at the “Tool Shed” in the park at High School Road and Montgomery Avenue, Elkins Park, PA 19027
Upper Dublin Bird Town Bird Walk
Twining Valley Park
8:30 AM to 10:00 AM, Saturday, February 21, 2026
Join Nilesh Shah for this bird walk along the paths of the park. Directions: Meet at the main parking lot located at 1400 Twining Road, Dresher, PA, 19025.
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GREAT BACKYARD BIRD COUNT (GBBC) 2026
GBBC PREP EVENT AT FOX CHASE FARM
10:00 AM to 3:00 PM, Saturday, February 7, 2026
Join Liberty Bird Alliance as we once again support this annual Great Back Yard Bird Count prep event for a Community Day at Fox Chase Farm. There are activities and information for children and families to learn how to participate in the GBBC over Presidents Weekend. Make a pinecone bird feeder and draw pictures of common winter birds. See the farm animals at the farm too. Liberty Bird Alliance volunteers will be at displays and helping to lead hourly bird walks at the event. We will also have our Bird Safe Philly Display to provide information about how you can prevent bird collisions with your windows at home and work. Directions: Park on Pine Road and walk the driveway to the Education Building where most of the GBBC activities will take place.
GREAT BACKYARD BIRD COUNT
Briar Bush Nature Center
11:00 AM to Noon, Friday, February 13, 2026
Join Liberty Bird Alliance volunteers in the Griscom Observatory to officially participate in a Great Backyard Bird Count event. We will do two 30-minute counts and use eBird to submit our data as part of this international event. We will also have our Bird Safe Philly Display to provide information about how the windows at Briar Bush are preventing bird collisions and help participants learn how they can prevent bird collisions with windows at home and work. No preregistration is necessary for this event.
GREAT BACKYARD BIRD COUNT
LOVEBIRDS BIRD WALK
9:30 AM to 11:30 AM, Saturday, February 14, 2026
Friends Hospital Campus
This GBBC event is being conducted jointly by the Liberty Bird Alliance, Northeast Wildlife Trackers, and the Tookany/Tacony Frankford Watershed. We will start at the greenhouse on the Friends Hospital Campus (4641 Roosevelt Blvd, Philadelphia, PA 19124). Parking is free, and there are restrooms on site. We will have people meet at the greenhouse, have light refreshments and people can use the bathroom before the walk starts. There is a pond, forest and stream frontage, so a good diversity of habitat will be available to see birds! Philly Tracking Club is loosely affiliated with the Northeast Wildlife Trackers. The tracking club offers free, volunteer-led wildlife track and sign co-learning experiences open to the public, exploring different locations in the area, and creating opportunities to connect with nature. Here is a link to more info: https://linktr.ee/PhillyTrackers . Please note that Wendi Wu with Northeast Wildlife Tackers will provide an introduction to tracking at 9:30 AM. All are welcome to participate. Directions: Friends Hospital Campus 4641 Roosevelt Blvd, Philadelphia, PA 19124
This is a free event, but preregistration is necessary: Here is a link for RSVP:
https://ttfwatershed.org/event/lovebirdswalk2026
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CLIMATE WATCH WINTER CYCLE
January 15 through February 15, 2026
The Liberty Bird Alliance continues to conduct a dozen point counts in each of the ten “Climate Squares” we cover in Philadelphia and Montgomery County, as part of the National Audubon Society “Climate Watch” Program. Our chapter’s efforts are coordinated by Katie Eberhart, who works with the “team captains” in each of our “Climate Squares.” Each captain assembles a team of volunteers and schedules the point counts in their assigned square. We have been fortunate in that there are many volunteers that step up to help in both the winter and spring cycles of Climate Watch each year. There are still a few squares to complete! We welcome anyone interested in participating as part of the effort. No special skills are required other than a willingness to learn! If you are interested, please contact us at: libertybirdalliance@gmail.com
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BIRD HABITAT RECOGNITION PROGRAM
The Liberty Bird Alliance is working in partnership with the Pennsylvania Audubon Council, other Audubon chapters, and Bird Town Pennsylvania in a new Bird Habitat Recognition Program that launched last fall. There have been over 45 properties in the Liberty Bird Alliance’s chapter territory that have been recognized to date. We encourage anyone who has taken steps to make their property beneficial for birds to see if they qualify for recognition in the program.
Property owners are encouraged to fill out an application to qualify for the program and receive a yard sign. To qualify, your property must have items from each of the four pillars of healthy habitats: Food, Water, Shelter, and Nesting. There are many benefits to having your Bird Friendly Habitat recognized. There is an application fee of $30 that contributes to the sustainability of the program. You can get the Bird Town Pennsylvania newsletter, Bird Beat, filled with all sorts of articles on native plants and healthy habitats. You can connect with and take advantage of programs and events. And you’ll be part of the PA Audubon Council community statewide with opportunities to attend webinars, act with local legislators, and stay on top of all things bird-friendly in PA....and maybe your sign will encourage your neighbors to have bird-friendly yards. Learn more at https://paauduboncouncil.org/bird-habitat-recognition.../
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