LOOKING AHEAD TO OUR 2023/2024 PROGRAMS | |
There are no scheduled monthly programs in July or August. We will resume our monthly program schedule beginning Friday, September 22, 2023. The schedule for the year is being finalized in the coming weeks but we welcome suggestions for speakers and topics for future programs. Wyncote Audubon generally meets on the third Friday of each month from September through May with the exception of December. Our monthly meetings are held at the Upper Dublin Public Library, 520 Virginia Drive, Fort Washington, PA 19034. We encourage folks to attend in person in the wonderfully equipped meeting facility but we will continue to plan a hybrid option. Stay posted for the program schedule in forthcoming UPDATES and the Wyncote Audubon calendar on our website: wyncoteaudubon.org. | |
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FIELD TRIPS
Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge
Sunday, August 6, 2023, 9:00 AM
Join Wyncote Audubon and Wissahickon Trails for this midsummer field trip to Bombay Hook. Our field trip leaders Margaret Rohde and Kristy Morely will lead our search for migrating shorebirds throughout the refuge's many pools, mud flats, and marshy areas, and will also check out some of the wooded trails in search of songbirds. Pack your own snacks/lunch. Note that an entry fee is required to enter the refuge. We request that folks interested in participation to preregister for this trip via Eventbrite so updates can be provided as the trip nears. Directions: We will meet at 9:00 AM at the parking area at the Visitors Center. Enter the Refuge at 2591 Whitehall Neck Road, Smyrna, DE 19977-2912.
Plan to arrive a few minutes before the scheduled time of the field trip. The time stated is the STARTING time, not the arrival time. 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. Field trips are generally a safe and enjoyable experience. However, participants on a Wyncote Audubon field trip or event agree to not hold the Wyncote Audubon Society or any of its agents responsible for any accidents, losses, damages or injuries resulting from participation in the field trip or event.
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Common Nighthawk (CONI) Migration Watch
Militia Hill Hawk Watch at Fort Washington State Park
5:30 PM -7:30 PM, Friday, Saturday, & Sunday, August 25th , 26th , &27th
Wyncote Audubon is pleased to work with the Militia Hill Hawk Watch to schedule this wonderful opportunity to witness the flights of the Common Nighthawks as they migrate through the early evening skies. Join Rich Conroy and Andy Farr at the hawk watch platform each evening with his small corps of volunteers who make an effort to document and count the numbers of individual birds that can be viewed from the platform. Note that many of these birds are seen at a distance from the hawk watch but occasionally they come overhead or can be observed hunting flying insects over the open areas below the platform. Join us on any, or all, of these CONI Watch dates.
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BIRD TOWN PENNSYLVANIA BIRDWALKS
Wyncote Audubon supports bird walks in several of the Pennsylvania Bird Towns in our chapter territory. These walks are open to anyone interested in learning more about the birds and enjoy birding in parks and natural sites in Bird Towns. All are welcome, including new birders and experienced birders alike. Bird walk leaders from the Wyncote Audubon Society volunteer to lead these walks. Bring binoculars if you have them. Wear comfortable footwear and clothing. All are invited!
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ABINGTON BIRD TOWN WALK
Tuesday, August 15, 2023, 8:00 AM to 10:00 AM
800 Welsh Road, Huntingdon Valley, PA 19006
Join Jennifer Sherwood, Chair of Abington Bird Town for this monthly bird walk at Lorimer Park. We will walk south along the Pennypack Trail adjacent to Bethayres Swamp and into Lorimer Park, an official Audubon IBA (Important Bird Area). We will hope to see some of our early fall migrants. These walks are being sponsored by the Abington Bird Town, and the Abington Environmental Advisory Council, and supported by the Wyncote Audubon Society. Directions: Meet at the Pennypack Trail Welsh Road Parking Lot, located at 800 Welsh Road, Huntingdon Valley, PA 19006.
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CHELTENHAM, LOWER GWYNEDD AND UPPER DUBLIN BIRD TOWN BIRD WALKS
Bird Walk Schedules Resume in September!
Judith Gratz, Steve Saffier, and Nilesh Shah are committed to resume their schedule of traditional monthly Bird Town Bird Walks in September. Look for dates, times and places in the September edition of the Wyncote Audubon UPDATES. The schedule will also be added to the “Calendar” on the Wyncote Website: https://wyncoteaudubon.org. as the schedules become available. There are plans to add occasional bird walks in other Bird Towns as well.
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BIRD SAFE PHILLY
Volunteers Needed for Fall Migration 2023
Members of Wyncote Audubon have been important contributors to the the success of “Lights Out” and “Bird Safe Philly.” We look to our continuing efforts in the 2023 fall migration. Bird Safe Philly is gearing up to be ready for 2023 Fall Migration and we need VOLUNTEERS! Volunteers are needed from August 15, 2023 through November 15, 2023.
- We need folks willing to be on “stand by” one morning each week at 8:00 AM to transport injured birds, as needed, from center city to the SCEE Wildlife Rehabilitation Clinic in Roxborough. Scores of injured birds have been saved each season due to our dedicated transport drivers.
- We also need individuals willing to monitor a walking route from 5:30 AM to 8:00 AM one day a week to collect, document, and transport birds that have perished due to collisions with center city buildings to the Academy of Natural Sciences where they are used in ongoing avian research.
- Wyncote Audubon has undertaken projects to retrofit windows in selected buildings in Philadelphia and Montgomery Counties. We have had the benefit of volunteers who have learned how to install Feather Friendly and other collision mitigation measures. We are looking ahead to addressing more locations this fall.
To volunteer or learn more about these opportunities contact wyncoteaudubonsociety@gmail.com. More details about these opportunities are also available at https://www.birdsafephilly.org.
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AUDUBON ADVENTURES
Reaching Out to the Next Generation of Bird Conservationists!
Wyncote Audubon has had a history of providing the National Audubon Society’s Audubon Adventures Program to schools and teachers in elementary classrooms and home schools in Philadelphia and Montgomery Counties. Wyncote Audubon underwrites subscriptions to issues on themes and topics that teachers select and integrate with their curriculums. We also have a dedicated corps of volunteers that visit schools for “school yard bird walks” and special events like the “Great Backyard Bird Count.” We need volunteers willing to join a team of Wyncote volunteers to help with these school visits. Wyncote Audubon is a volunteer organization. We do not have any paid or contracted staff. We rely on volunteers willing to share their enthusiasm for birds with these young people and their parents! Please step up and indicate your interest by reaching out to wyncoteaudubonsociety@gmail.com.
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COMMUNITY OUTREACH EVENTS
Wyncote Audubon is looking ahead to an active fall schedule of festivals, native plant sales and other events at which we will be tabling to promote activities for Wyncote Audubon, Bird Town Pennsylvania, native plant sales, Bird Safe Philly, and more. We need and welcome volunteers who can help us at these various events. No special experience is needed – just your time and enthusiasm for birds. Contact Sherry Krider, at wyncoteaudubonsociety@gmail.com to learn more and to volunteer for the upcoming September events.
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GREEN LANE PARK MASTER SITE PLAN
Montgomery County has retained Simone Collins Landscape Architecture to complete a Master Site Development Plan for the 3400-acre Green Lane Park. Wyncote Audubon Society is represented by Leigh Altadonna as a member of the Steering Committee that is helping to guide this process over the many months ahead. There are opportunities for anyone interested in offering suggestions and ideas for the future of the park to be engaged. Several “community forums” are scheduled and there is the opportunity to participate via a public survey. You can access the survey here: https://qrco.de/GLPMP-Survey. Green Lane Park has been identified as an “Important Bird Area” and offers a range of habitats important for breeding birds, wintering birds, and a stopover during spring and fall migrations. We encourage all Wyncote Audubon members and friends to participate in this survey. We want to underscore that plans for the future of the park reflect the importance of the park for birds!
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Stay Safe and Well!
YOU ARE WHAT HOPE LOOKS LIKE TO A BIRD!
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Website and Emails for Wyncote Audubon By: | | | | |
