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Willistown Wild Wings Newswire
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Future Meetings-Wildflower Wonders & Watercolor 7/25/14 August (Dates to be determined):
-Kirkwood Preserve Grassland & Stream Study -Ashbridge Preserve Adventure -Bats and Mothing Night -Birds & Words Poetry Workshop
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Blake Goll
Nature Education Coordinator
Phone: 610-353-2562 Ext. 20
Email: bhg@wctrust.org
WCT Headquarters
925 Providence Road
Newtown Square, PA 19073
610-353-2562
wctrust.orgRushton Farm & Rushton Woods Preserve
911 Delchester Rd.
Newtown Square, PA 19073
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 Photo caption: A view of the Glen Mills Purple Martin Colony, and a hatchling too small to be banded next to an unhatched egg.
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Purple Martin Banding at the Glen Mills School for Boys
Monday, July 7th 9am-11:30am
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Established in 1985, the purple martin colony at the Glen Mills School for Boys is the designated purple martin capital of Pennsylvania! Last year we banded over 700 martin chicks from the 32 castles lined up in the courtyard of the school. It's quite a spectacle to see these aerial insectivores zooming around the colony catching insects on the wing and feeding their young. The colony has grown immensely from just 99 chicks banded in 1987.
Banding the young can lead to important discoveries into the ecology of these birds. For example, in 2002 a Mennonite in Lancaster found one of the Glen Mills banded birds, indicating that martins move around and don't necessarily always nest where they were born. One bird banded as a baby in 2002 was found dead in 2010, giving insight to their longevity. Two banded Glen Mills birds were recovered in Brazil, where these birds overwinter.
Children and adults are free to come and go as you please to observe the banding process. One half hour usually gives you a chance to see hatchlings of varying ages and to observe the condition of the colony. Bring a hat, water and wear sun screen. Enter the drive and turn to the right toward the center interior courtyard.
https://www.google.com/maps/place/The+Glen+Mills+School/@39.9171,-75.499744,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m2!3m1!1s0x0:0x44efeca2de99a658
Sign up by emailing Blake Goll at bhg@wctrust.org
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Discover Rushton Day
Rushton Woods Preserve and Farm
Wednesday, July 16 from 9am-Noon
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Children are invited to come out for a mini camp at Rushton to enjoy birding and nature games, meet the honey bees, explore the milkweed insect ecology and help out at the farm harvesting some yummy veggies!
 
Photo caption: Children holding nature items and harvesting potatoes during last year's Discover Rushton Day.
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Wildflower Wonders and Watercolor
WCT headquarters, 925 Providence Rd, Newtown Square
Friday, July 25 from 9:30am-11:30am
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Native wildflowers are the perfect alternative to biologically sterile lawn areas that you don't use because not only are wildflowers breathtaking but these flowers also support a host of pollinators and other beneficial insects. At the WCT office, a native wildflower meadow has been gradually enlarged year after year since the first segment was established in 2008. It is now flourishing and supports an amazing variety of life, including birds of course! Even in winter, birds take shelter here and feed on the seeds. Children and adults are invited to come explore the trails through our wildflower meadow, learn how to create your own and be inspired to capture the beauty of it all with watercolor paint.
 
Photo caption: Grasshopper on mountain mint and native sunflowers.
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What You Missed in June
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Saturday June 7, Kids Get Out and Bird, was a gorgeous day with a fantastic little group of naturalist kids. We recorded data about each of the nestboxes at the farm, held some baby tree swallows, got to see newly hatched house wrens no bigger than the tip of your pinky finger, birded, explored the enchanting woods, and even spotted a brazen crayfish in the stream hunting a caddisfly larvae! You just never know what you'll find in nature when you set out with a birder's eye!
 
Photo caption: Jr. Birders looking for salamanders and monitoring bird boxes at Rushton.
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Thanks for your interest in Willistown Conservation Trust's Junior Birding Club, a chapter of PA Young Birders. Studies have shown that regular experience with nature makes kids healthier, happier and significantly improves their performance in all school subjects. Getting your child involved with PA Young Birders is a wise choice that makes positive waves in your child's future.
Our Mission is to develop a culture of caring
for the natural world and desire to conserve
land, by providing meaningful, thought provoking
experiences with nature, especially birds.
Our Objectives for Your Child:
- Connect intimately to nature in order to foster a lasting love of the natural world.
- Nurture a spirit of discovery and wonder.
- Refine birding abilities and cultivate a wholesome lifelong hobby.
- Develop science skills and understanding
- of the scope of science.
- Create a confident conservation ethic by demonstrating the importance of preserving open space.
- Recognize the interconnectedness of habitat, birds and other wildlife.
- Ensure an ultimate understanding of the positive role humans can play in the natural world
Programs are free unless otherwise noted (although donations are always appreciated), and kids are only expected to bring a desire to learn about birds and explore nature as well as hiking shoes and clothes they don't mind getting dirty! Binoculars are a plus, but we always have a few on hand to borrow. All programs are appropriate for kids ages 8-12, but most are adaptable for younger or older kids as well; just ask me if you are concerned about the age appropriateness of a program.
 
The Willistown Conservation Trust is a non-profit land trust working to protect the rural beauty of the 28,000 acres surrounding Willistown,Pennsylvania. We're dedicated to permanently protecting our countryside from development and inspiring in people a lifelong love of the land and the natural world. Please visit our website to learn more about us, and subscribe to our bird blog to learn about what's been going on at our bird banding station this year.
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