September 2015

Upcoming Programs

  • Nighthawk Watch at Haverford College 9/4
  • Songbird Banding Open House 9/19
Future Meetings
  • Hawk Watch at Rose Tree Park, Media 10/17
  • Ashbridge Nature Walk 10/24
     

CLICK HERE for a printable 2015 Jr. Birding schedule! 

Blake Goll
Nature Education Coordinator
Phone: 610-353-2562 Ext. 20
Email: [email protected]

WCT Headquarters
925 Providence Road
Newtown Square, PA 19073
610-353-2562
wctrust.org

Rushton Farm & Rushton Woods Preserve
911 Delchester Rd.
Newtown Square, PA 19073



Willistown Wild Wings Newswire
 

Common Nighthawk.  Photo by Ohio History Center.

Nighthawk Watch
Friday, September 4th from 6-8pm 
Haverford College (370 Lancaster Ave, Haverford)  

Most active during dawn and dusk, Common Nighthawks are the missing evolutionary link between diurnal birds and owls. They are actually not hawks at all but members of the Nightjar family (including whippoorwills).  They are aerial insectivores, meaning they capture insects out of the air like mosquitoes.  Nighthawks migrate south in one of the longest migration routes of all North American birds.  You can view this amazing migration this Friday at Haverford College Observatory.  90 flew overhead last night!  These are secretive, declining birds that lay low and camouflaged during the day, so watching their graceful looping flight is quite a rare treat.
 
Bring binoculars. Meet at the Observatory.  Come in the back (side) entrance off College Ave and park anywhere along the right hand side of the road in the faculty/staff parking all the way up to the track.

Free for members, $5 per child for non-members. Click here to register on our Signup Genius page. 

Email Blake Goll with any questions at [email protected] 
 

Songbird Banding Open House
Saturday, September 19th from 6-10:30am 
Rushton Farm on Delchester Road  

Black-and-white Warbler at Rushton Farm this September with goldenrod in bloom.
 
Bring a friend or the family and stop by the bird banding station at Rushton Farm anytime between the operating hours of 6 am and 10:30am to observe the fascinating science of bird banding and see beautiful migrant birds up close.  These lovely creatures depend on ecologically healthy places like Rushton to fuel up and rest on their arduous journeys south. Note: These are NOT your typical feeder birds. 
 
Free for members, $5 per child for non-members. Click here to register on our Signup Genius page. 

Email Blake Goll with any questions at [email protected] 
 

What You Missed in August     

John Black, our favorite Master Naturalist, entertained and amazed the crowd of young birders with his fascinating knowledge of spiders!  Jumping spiders like the kind you see in your house have actually been known to recognize people and differentiate the nice ones from the "spider smashers".  A mama Wolf Spider carries 100 babies on her back and acknowledges when even one falls off by waiting for it to climb back on!  Spiders are an extremely important part of the ecosystem; one spider may eat 4,000 insects per year!


John Black helping Jr. Birders catch and identify spiders at Rushton.



After learning about spiders, many Jr. Birders attended the Discover Rushton Mini Camp during which they made make-believe tea in the herb garden, hunted for insects in the wild meadows, surveyed for macroinvertebrates to determine stream quality with a stream biologist, tasted Rushton honey and harvested potatoes with Farmer Noah!


Noah Gress helping Jr. Birders harvest potatoes at Rushton Farm


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 

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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