Field Report: Black Rock Sanctuary, Aug. 27, 2011

On Saturday morning, August 27, Vince Smith lead a bird walk at Black Rock Sanctuary in Phoenixville. On their two mile walk, the group saw a total of 40 bird species. Here's the complete list, as submitted to eBird:

Mallard  2
Great Egret  1
Green Heron  3
Mourning Dove  4
Chimney Swift  27
Belted Kingfisher  1
Red-bellied Woodpecker  3
Downy Woodpecker  2
Hairy Woodpecker  1
Northern Flicker  5
Eastern Wood-Pewee  1
Eastern Phoebe  1
Warbling Vireo  1
Red-eyed Vireo  1
Blue Jay  9
American Crow  4
Fish Crow  1
Northern Rough-winged Swallow  6
Barn Swallow  12
Carolina Chickadee  3
Tufted Titmouse  3
White-breasted Nuthatch  4
Carolina Wren  8
House Wren  1
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher  1
Eastern Bluebird  1
American Robin  12
Gray Catbird  15
European Starling  14
Common Yellowthroat  1
Eastern Towhee  2
Chipping Sparrow  2
Scarlet Tanager  1
Northern Cardinal  4
Indigo Bunting  5
Common Grackle  4
Brown-headed Cowbird  1
Baltimore Oriole  13
House Finch  5
American Goldfinch  15

Cradle of Birding Festival is Sept. 17 at John Heinz NWR

Everyone is invited for all-day fun at the 8th annual Cradle of Birding Wildlife and Conservation Festival at John Heinz NWR, on September 17, 2011. The festival features wildlife exhibits, live animal shows, bird walks, demonstrations, fishing, archery, live music, free lunch, trolley tours around the impoundment, and much more. The first bird walk starts at 7 am. Exhibitors and other activities run from 9 am to 3 pm.  At 2 pm, John Heinz NWR welcomes keynote speaker JOHN ROGERS of Bird Town Pennsylvania, presenting "Designing with Natives, A Road Map to Backyard Design and Stewardship." At 10 am, Dr. Barb Elliot and Edie Parnum, co-directors of the Valley Forge Audubon Society "Backyards for Nature", program will present a colorful, interesting program highlighting the benefits of native species. The annual Heinz Refuge Photo Contest winners will be announced in the afternoon. The Cradle of Birding Festival is great fun for the whole family, and free of charge. Tell your friends, bring a child, and join us on September 17! For more information, visit http://www.friendsofheinzrefuge.org/.

Field Report: Black Rock Sanctuary, Aug 13, 2011

On Saturday, August 13, Vince Smith's bird walk at Black Rock Sanctuary tallied 36 species. The complete list, as submitted to eBird:

Wood Duck  3
Mallard  2
Great Blue Heron  1
Green Heron  4
Turkey Vulture  8
Red-tailed Hawk  1
Rock Pigeon  3
Mourning Dove  5
Chimney Swift  8
Belted Kingfisher  2
Red-bellied Woodpecker  3
Downy Woodpecker  2
Northern Flicker  2
Eastern Phoebe  2
Blue Jay  5
American Crow  3
Tree Swallow  1
Barn Swallow  4
Carolina Chickadee  8
Tufted Titmouse  2
Carolina Wren  2
House Wren  1
Eastern Bluebird  2
American Robin  6
Gray Catbird  30
Northern Mockingbird  3
European Starling  30
Field Sparrow  3
Northern Cardinal  4
Rose-breasted Grosbeak  2
Indigo Bunting  1
Common Grackle  1
Brown-headed Cowbird  15
Baltimore Oriole  3
House Finch  2
American Goldfinch  5

Remember, you can find walks on our home page at valleyforgeaudubon.org or on our Facebook page.

Welcome to the New Wingbeat Blog

As the seasons turn from summer to fall, we witness the leaves of deciduous trees change color and migratory birds flying to their winter homes. Change is a constant in the natural world and one of the factors that makes observing nature so rewarding.
And just as change comes to the natural world, change has come to Wingbeat, which for years was the quarterly newsletter mailed to joint members of the Valley Forge Audubon Society and the John James Audubon Center at Mill Grove. It should be no surprise that organizations like ours are constantly struggling with the best way to direct the money we receive. The cost of producing a newsletter, like Wingbeat, including the printing and postage for mailing, can be quite high. In looking over the best way to use our budget, we’ve come to the decision that the cost of printing and mailing a newsletter is too high. As a result, the Fall of 2011 saw the last paper issue of Wingbeat.
What you are reading now is Wingbeat’s new home online as the joint blog of the Valley Forge Audubon Society and the John James Audubon Center at Mill Grove. The new blog will feature the same in-depth articles on events at Mill Grove, local birds and environmental issues, and tips for your home from Backyards for Nature, as well as field reports from our walks and hikes.
Change is inevitable but beneficial as well. It’s our hope that the new blog, along with our redesigned website and our Facebook pages will give us a greater presence on the online world and attract new members while invigorating our current ones. It’s also an excellent way to communicate our objectives and both strengthen and educate our community.