Upcoming Programs
- Poetry Workshop at Ashbridge 4/15
- CRC Streams Cleanup 4/30
Extras for Older Jr. Birders
- The Messenger Documentary Showing 4/28
- Binky Lee Preserve with West Chester Bird Club 4/30
- World Series of Birding in New Jersey 5/14
Future Meetings
- Songbird Banding Open House 5/7
- Birding by Ear at Kirkwood 5/15
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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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Jr. Birders at last year's Nighthawk Watch at Haverford College. Photo by Kristen Henwood/Staff
Jr. Birding Club 2016 Membership
Check out our printable schedule of exciting programs for the year by clicking here!
If you haven't already, 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 great programs through February 2017! Please note that some programs may have an associated extra fee (ie. The Academy of Natural Sciences). Otherwise, programs are $5 per child for non-members.
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Tree Swallow on nestbox. Photo by Blake Goll/Staff
Poetry Workshop at Ashbridge Preserve
Friday, April 15 from 4:30 - 6:30pm Ashbridge Preserve on Strasburg Road
April is a beautiful time when the earth has fully awakened and many migrant birds are visiting! Join us for a stroll along the bog bridges and wooded trails of Ashbridge Preserve as we marvel at the birds, flowers and other natural wonders. Villanova poetry professor, Cathy Staples, will guide our observations to help us create memorable works of poetry.
Free for members. $5/child for non-members.
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CRC Streams Cleanup
Saturday, April 30 from 9 - 11am Kirkwood Preserve on Grubbs Mill Road
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Kirkwood Preserve last spring . Photo by Blake Goll/Staff
If you feel like getting your hands dirty and giving back to nature, then come on out to the annual Chester Ridley Crum Watershed Association's Stream Cleanup event at Kirkwood Preserve. We will be picking up any trash we see and repairing the cages that are protecting some of our streamside tree plantings, which provide important bird habitat. No need for you to bring anything. Snacks, gloves and trash bags will be provided.
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Extras for Older Jr. Birders!
Binky Lee Preserve | World Series of Birding in NJ | The Messenger
Bobolink. Photo by Mike Rosengarten |
Special Field Trip to Binky Lee Preserve with West Chester Bird Club
Saturday, April 30 from 8am - Noon
Binky Lee Preserve in Chester Springs
For the older young birders who wish to have an authentic morning birding experience with experienced adult birders in our community. This is a 3-4 hour hike to see bobolinks, chats, sparrows and other migrants in fields and woods. Young birders must be accompanied by an adult. Meet at the parking lot on Pikeland Road off Route 113.
Free for members. $5/ child for non-members
Register on our Signup Genius page.
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A young birder recording birds seen. Photo by Gloria Ives
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World Series of Birding in NJ
Saturday, May 14 (All Day)
For kids 10-15 years old
This is a great opportunity to experience the camaraderie and excitement of competitive team birding. Following is a message from a long-time WCT Jr. Birder parent:
Do you like bird watching and being in nature? Are you up for a challenge? If so, consider joining our birding team, the "Sudden Stops and Terns." We will participate in the World Series of Birding in the youth division. This is a full-day event happening on May 14 in New Jersey.
There is a brief informational meeting this Saturday, April 9 at 10:00 am at the John Heinz Nat'l Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum in their Education Center, followed at 10:30 by some birding of course! For joining the team, you must be available on Saturday, May 14th (rain or shine).
Other meetings and/or trips will be arranged at the convenience of the team members to prepare for the big day. If you can't be at the first meeting, no problem at all.
There will be a $15 registration fee paid to NJ Audubon for each team member who joins. If you are interested or just curious, please let us know, and come out April 9 if you can!
Contact: Randall Sindlinger, dad of a younger birder
email: rsindlin@gmail.com
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The Messenger
Thursday, April 28 from 7:30 - 9:30pm United Artists King of Prussia Stadium 16 & IMAX
Through chilling footage of songbirds, interviews with world renown experts and deeply moving sagas The Messenger unravels the mystery behind the demise of the world's songbird population and leaves audiences with a profound appreciation and concern for the billions of birds with whom we share our planet. Not recommended for children under 12. Email Blake Goll with any questions ( bhg@wctrust.org)
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What You Missed in March |
  A Northern two-lined salamander found at Ashbridge, and Dick Eales addressing the attendees of Woodcocks and Cocktails (with a stuffed woodcock) at Rushton Farm. Photos by Blake Goll/Staff Last month we explored Ashbridge Preserve on a wet, chilly night looking for salamanders and other vernal pool species. We managed to find a few Northern two-lined salamanders under rocks by the stream and a collection of wood frog egg masses in a vernal pool! We were even treated to a few displaying American Woodcocks before it got dark. Then during the actual Woodcocks and Cocktails event later that month 70 adults and kids observed several displaying woodcocks over the hedgerows and fields surrounding Rushton farm. It's nice to know that this display ground will always be there for these magnificent shorebirds. |
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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