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Willistown Wild Wings Newswire
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Future Meetings
- Ashbridge Adventure 8/28 September
- Bird Banding Station Open House (TBD)
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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: The first supermoon of the year.
Supermoon Saturday
Saturday, August 9th from 9pm-10:30pm
Rushton Woods Preserve & Farm
Adults and children of all ages are invited to come on out for a night under the stars and the second supermoon of the year! That is the nickname given to a full moon that coincides with when the moon is closest to the Earth during its monthly orbit, which makes the moon look HUGE! John Black, a Master Naturalist, will be giving a fascinating talk about the moon and stars. Bring a blanket to sit on!
Please sign up punctually by emailing Blake Goll at
bhg@wctrust.org
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DVOC Youth Birding Day & Scholarship Award Ceremony
Saturday, August 9th from 7am-5pm
At Green Lane Park (2144 Snyder Rd. Green Lane, PA)
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Our very own James Familetti, who has been  attending our Junior Birding Club programs for the past several years as well as volunteering at the farm and banding station, won the Adam J. Sabatine Memorial Scholarship Award to Camp Avocet in Lewes, Delaware! This award is given annually by the Delaware Valley Ornithological Club (DVOC) to enable a deserving young birder to attend this highly lauded camp. Only minutes away from two major National Wildlife Refuges and a short ride from the northernmost cypress swamp in North America, it is sure to bring birding memories of a lifetime for Jay!
The day of the Award Ceremony, there will be hours of guided birding with food and beverages available all day. Let me know if you want to go and we can try to arrange carpooling!
Photo Caption: Jay Familetti, holding a Northern Flicker during summer banding at Rushton.
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Batty for Mothing Party!
Wednesday, August 13th from 8:30pm-10pm
Rushton Woods Preserve & Farm |
This is the party you've been waiting for! Bright lights, beer, molasses, brown sugar and overripe fruit...MMMmmm. Don't worry, it's for the moths! Mothing is a unique experience whereby one throws up a cheap white sheet and shines a bright light or blacklight on it and paints the trees with moth sugar bait just before dark. The moths are attracted to the the sugar because it's delicious and the light because it's a sensory overload that essentially traps them.
We check the trees with flashlights and watch the  white sheets to discover an assortment of beautiful moths we would not otherwise get to see! We snap close-up pictures of them to help us identify the species so we can report them to BAMONA ( http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/ ). Last year, we even identified some moths that were new for Chester County (which isn't that hard to find because moths are so understudied). So come have fun while studying moths! We will also chat about and look for bats while we are waiting for total darkness for the moth party to begin.
Please sign up punctually by emailing
Blake Goll at bhg@wctrust.org
Photo caption: An Ultronia Underwing moth found and identified at last year's mothing party at Rushton.
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What You Missed in July
Discover Rushton Day
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In July, we had our annual "Discover Rushton Day", a mini camp during which the Junior Birders really get to know the story of the farm and the preserve where the general theme is "tread lightly on the earth". We did some birding, got to hold a sweet little house wren nestling, and peeked at the Chimney Swift nest in our brand new Chimney Swift tower! Next, we hiked through and explored the native wildflower meadows and the cool woods where we found a mayfly nymph, indicative of excellent water quality. Then we learned about the honeybees and tasted their heavenly honey thanks to Farmer Noah! He also taught us how to harvest potatoes, and each child went home with a bag of delicious potatoes and beautiful fresh cut flowers. What a wonderful day on the farm!  
Photo caption: Junior Birders tasting Rushton honey and harvesting potatoes.
Wildflower Wonders and Watercolor
Also in July, we had a 'Wildflower Wonders and Watercolor" workshop, during which we explored the well-established native wildflower garden in front of the WCT office, learned the importance of native wildflowers, collected some insects including monarch caterpillars to paint and then released the critters back to the meadow!
 
Photo caption: Phlox 'Jeanna' in the WCT wildflower meadow and a monarch caterpillar next to "his portrait."
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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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