Hello First name / VFAS Member,

It's time to jump for joy- spring is upon us! The daffodils are popping, familiar feathered friends are returning to their Pennsylvania homes, and you can hang up that winter parka for the season.

 

Thank you for your interest in your local Audubon chapter. We hope to see you at a program soon!

Our event calendar is filling up quickly!  We will have monthly outings to the John James Audubon Center at Mill Grove and to the Chester County parks. In addition, we'll be birding at Lundale Farm and Gwynedd and Hildacy Preserves, and we'll be having breakfast with the birds at Upper Schuylkill Valley Park.  And we can't forget about our upcoming Native Plant Sale. Click below to see the whole calendar!

 

Our 2023 CBC was our 40th year! We had a very successful count with 83 species, the third highest ever recorded for the count. Our average is 76 species.  We had 16 species with their highest total counts ever.  Read all about the highs, lows, and notable findings on our blog.

 

Our Spring bird count will take place on Saturday June 1, 2024.  If you want to participate, contact Vince Smith (larusvs34@gmail.com) to be assigned to a team.

Eastern Towhee female by John Werth

Spring migration has started and soon many beloved species of birds will be returning to the Valley Forge Audubon Society area to build nests and raise their young. Migration is tough for birds, and sadly, many don’t survive. However, we can help. Read more about actions anyone can take – at the national, local, and/or personal level – to make a significant difference for birds.

An estimated 16 million birds die of lead poisoning each year in the United States.  The ingestion of shotgun pellets is the most common source of lead poisoning in birds, however, the consumption of other lead objects such as lead bullets and fishing sinkers is also lethal.

 

Lead poisoning has been reported in every major species of waterfowl in the United States. Eagles and other raptors are the most commonly affected land birds. When lead is ingested, it is absorbed into the blood stream and transported to tissues throughout the body.  This causes a loss of appetite and lethargy, which results in muscle weakness and weight loss, followed by the inability to fly and walk, then coma, and eventually death.  Neurological signs such as blindness and head tilting may occur, or a wing droop or leg paralysis can indicate poisoning. A bird just may not ‘look’ well, sitting quietly with fluffed feathers. A bird may also exhibit noticeable weakness, depression, and loss of control and coordination of body movements. Treatment is prolonged and expensive.

Valley Forge Audubon Society is starting a group for birders who fall within the “Young Professional” age range - approximately 21 - 40 years old. 

This fledgling group is called the Downy Club and requires no membership fee. The goal is simple: to create programming for younger VFAS members who are interested in nature and meeting peers in a relaxed setting. 

 

Because this group is still in its infancy, we don't have a clear outline for what our outings will entail. They won't be as formal as most other VFAS programs, but we hope to give them some structure. We are certainly open to input!

 

The Downy Club Planning Team (Andrew Campos, Eric Hughes, Katie Ruth, & Stephanie Harvey) is eager to connect with others our age who share our passion for birds and the natural world!  If you are 21 to 40 years old and are interested in this new group, join our mailing list below to find out about upcoming events.

 

That’s it!  You’ve attracted bluebirds to your backyard in just 2 steps!

 

Unfortunately, increasing the bluebird population is not that simple.  It is crucial to monitor the nest boxes.  If you don’t, it might do more harm than good by attracting invasive species such as House Sparrows that are displacing our native birds such as bluebirds.

 

In early July of 2023, I went to Norristown Farm Park in Montgomery County to learn about monitoring bluebird boxes and do a bit of monitoring myself. The park currently monitors 110 bluebird boxes. They have been monitoring these boxes since the early 2000s. Each week volunteers there examine the bird boxes and note down things like:  date, box number, species, number of eggs, number of chicks, age, and anything else relevant.  I was fortunate enough to meet with a volunteer so I could learn about this important job . . .