Upcoming Programs - Spring Songbird Banding Open House 5/16
- Philadelphia Bird Race: Big Green Hour 5/16
Future Meetings
- Kids Get Out and Bird at Rushton's Bioblitz 6/6
|
|
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
|
|
|
Willistown Wild Wings Newswire
|
Jr. Birding Club Membership
Membership is now open and the schedule for the year is up on our Signup Genius page!! To access the schedule and make your membership payment of $25, please click here: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/20f0a4ca4ac2eabf85-junior/ Click on the first "signup slot" for the Junior Birding Club 2015 Family Membership and you'll be taken to payment processing.
|
Photo caption: Blue-winged Warbler banded in April 2015 at Rushton.
Spring Songbird Banding Open House
Saturday, May 16 from 6am - 11am
Rushton Woods Preserve on Delchester RoadDid you know that beauties like the stunning warbler pictured above might be gracing your backyard this spring on their way north to suitable breeding habitat? You might see yellow goldfinches at your feeder or golden forsythia lighting up your yard, but chances are you ain't seen nothin' like this showstopper yet this spring! Visit the Rushton Songbird Banding Station between operating hours of 6am and 11am to glimpse amazing migratory songbirds like these up-close. You'll learn all about the science of bird banding and bird conservation from our expert bird banding staff! Please register on our Signup Genius page:
http://www.signupgenius.com/go/20f0a4ca4ac2eabf85-junior/
Email Blake Goll with any questions at bhg@wctrust.org
|
|
|
Philadelphia Bird Race: Big Green Hour
Saturday, May 16 from 10am - 11am Meet at Rushton Woods Preserve Banding Station |
Photo caption: Young Birders and their families birding in Willistown, April 2015.
Participate in the first annual Philadelphia Bird Race (PBR), a birding event supporting education, awareness, and conservation of regional birdlife in the Philadelphia area! Our team of WCT Jr. Birders of all ages will compete in the Big Green Hour during which we will have 60 minutes to identify as many birds as possible by sight or sound at Rushton.
|
What You Missed in April |
Photo caption: Bald Eagle in nest in Willistown, April 2015. Below:Virginia Bluebells in Willistown, April 2015.
 About 20 birders met at Rushton Farm,learned all about Bald Eagles and their conservation status and then trekked to the nearby Bald Eagle nest location. We enjoyed other birds along the way like Tree Swallows, Barn Swallows, Bluebirds, a Red-Tailed Hawk and some lovely White-throated Sparrows singing their sweet spring song. We also appreciated some beautiful spring ephemeral flowers like Trout Lilly and Virginia Bluebells. Then we watched the giant eagle nest in awe with hopeful expectation...
Unfortunately, we did not see any eagles....OR DID WE????? Upon further examination of my nest photos and after zooming in on the "whitish thing" that all 20 people assumed was just a stick in the deceptive light of the fading day, I discovered that there was indeed a very still Bald Eagle in our presence the entire time!!! Can you believe it? Those tricky eagles. I guess the yolk was on us! ;)
|
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.
|
|
|
|
