Hello First name / VFAS Member,

Summer is the perfect time to slow down and really see what your local feathered friends are getting in to. Perhaps you've noticed that the hummingbirds are a-buzz, that fledglings are preparing to take flight, that “Merlin Sound ID” doesn't quite work for the tree frogs chirping at night . . . it's all part of the humid magic that is summer in Southeastern PA!

 

As always, thank you for your interest in your local Audubon chapter, we hope to see you at a program soon!

It may be hot and humid out, but the birds don't care! We at VFAS continue to run events all summer long. You can always find the most complete schedule of upcoming events on our website or through our Meetup profile. Some upcoming events we are looking forward to include the continuation of our Chesco Parks Birding Series, a Full Moon Hike, and an Evening Paddle at Hopewell Lake. We hope to see you this summer!

 

 

 

 

 

Do you need support to start, develop, or expand a native plant garden that residents of your community can enjoy? Want to attract more birds, butterflies, and bees? Valley Forge Audubon (VFAS) may be able to help!

 

Several members of the VFAS Advocacy Committee have helped start bird-friendly gardens on public properties such as libraries, parks, and municipal grounds. Advocacy member Shari Donath shared these pictures of the West Norriton garden she helped create.

 

We can suggest ways to get a garden started in your community and advise on great plants and shrubs to include. We can also provide templates for signage to identify plants and promote your garden. We may also be able to provide financial support for purchasing plants and signage.

 

Contact us at advocacy@valleyforgeaudubon.org. If your municipality is a Bird Town, you can request support from Bird Town PA as well, through pabirdtown@gmail.com.

 

 

 

On Thursday, June 8th, we went to Brightside Farm Park to watch American Kestrel chicks being banded. There were rolling fields of head-height grasses. Dan Mummert, a Wildlife Diversity Biologist for the PA Game Commission, talked to everyone about American Kestrels and conservation of meadows. He then pointed out the nest box, which was mounted on a telephone pole. Afterwards, he took the chicks out of the nest box and put them in his bag. Next he weighed and banded them. There were 2 chicks, a male and a female. Fortunately, they were extremely healthy and had amazing weights. 

 

After the kids asked Dan many questions which were enthusiastically answered, he put the chicks back in their nest. In total we saw 4 Kestrels: 2 chicks and the 2 parents, and numerous meadow birds like red-winged blackbirds, barn swallows, and eastern bluebirds.

 

 

Journalists Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal spent a year chronicling costly experiments, contentious politics, and new technologies to save our beloved birds from the brink of extinction. Birds are dying at an unprecedented pace; But there are encouraging breakthroughs across the hemisphere and still time to change course, if we act quickly.

 

Poetry and nature essays can be powerful ways for people to connect with the natural world. This is a new anthology edited by Jamie K. Reaser and J. Drew Lanham, and features lyrical reflections on our relationships with birds by 60 different writers.

 

The compelling and fascinating story of how scientists solved the great mystery of bird migration, Flight Paths is an unprecedented look into exciting, behind-the-scenes moments of groundbreaking discovery. The story of migration research offers a beacon of hope that we can find solutions to difficult and complex problems.

 

Central Park birder Christian Cooper takes us beyond the viral video that shocked a nation and into a world of avian adventures. Equal parts memoir, travelogue, and primer on the art of birding, this is Cooper’s story of learning to claim and defend space for himself and others like him.

 

In her latest book, Ackerman explores the world of owls and what scientists have discovered about these amazing birds, including their anatomy, hunting skills, communication, and sensory abilities.

 

Every birder keeps a life list - and this beautiful blank book offers the perfect way to do so, with room for dates, locations, and personal notes, encompassing a lifetime of bird-watching adventures. Organized to match ornithological taxonomy, with graceful illustrations of common species, occasional text by renowned birding expert Noah Strycker, and an index for easy navigation, this journal makes the mission of keeping a life list all the more convenient and rewarding.