Upcoming Programs
- Spring Salamander Search 3/14
- Woodcocks & Cocktails 3/18
Future Meetings
Extra Field Trips (NEW!)
- Binky Lee Preserve with West Chester Bird Club 4/30
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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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Willistown Wild Wings Newswire
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Junior Birder holding a Gray Catbird before release at Rushton banding station. Photo by Blake Goll.
Junior Birding Club 2016 Membership
We are pleased to announce that the new schedule of programs for 2016 is available on our Signup Genius page. Click here to check it out, mark your calendars and share with your friends! As usual, an email newsletter will be sent every month reminding you of upcoming programs that you can sign up for. Also, it's time to renew your Junior Birding Club membership for 2016! Please go to our Signup Genius page and check the first slot. Then click the "submit and sign up" button, which will take you to PayPal for payment. Family membership of $25 gets you free access to the diversity of programs through February 2017! Please note that some programs may have an associated extra fee (ie. The Academy of Natural Sciences)
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Spring Salamander Search
Monday, March 14 from 7 - 9pm Ashbridge Preserve on Strasburg Road |
 Spotted Salamander. Photo by Blake Goll
Vernal pools are special habitats that certain salamanders and frogs seek early in the spring. They migrate to these temporary wetlands during the first warm rains under the cover of darkness to breed. Since Mother Nature is expected to bring the first spring rains Monday night, we are going to explore the wet areas of Ashbridge to survey for some of these threatened animals! We'll submit our sightings to the PA Amphibian and Reptile survey to help contribute to their conservation.
Be prepared to walk in the rain and mud. Flashlights or headlamps are recommended. Free for members. $5/child for non-members.
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Woodcocks & Cocktails
Friday, March 18 from 6:15 - 7:30pm Rushton Farm |
 An American Woodcock banded at Rushton in April 2015. Photo by Blake Goll
Bring the whole family to our fifth annual casual Woodcocks and Cocktails event to hear and hopefully see American Woodcocks performing their courtship flights at dusk in the fields at Rushton Woods Preserve. We'll provide the mixers, soft drinks, glasses and snacks. Adults may bring their own beverages! Woodcocks are marvelous little shorebirds that love moist woodlands and thickets where they probe the mud with flexible bills for earthworms. Their breeding displays are truly magnificent to experience as they spiral down from the sky, wings twittering! Check out this video to get ready!
Bring your binoculars and patience.
Free for members. $5/child for non-members.
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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
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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