Hello First name / VFAS Member!

 

The trees are budding, the days are warming, and the birds are putting on a show. You know what that means: spring in Pennsylvania! Dust off your binoculars for a front-row seat to the season’s best performances—songbirds belting their tunes, raptors soaring in style, and woodpeckers drumming up excitement. Read on to learn about upcoming VFAS events, what we've been up to, and a special remembrance.

 

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

Our 2025 event calendar is filling up quickly! In fact, we have events lined up for every weekend in April, rolling right into May. 'Tis the season!

 

Highlights include: the continuation of our monthly outings to the John James Audubon Center at Mill Grove and nature hikes at Ridley Creek SP. In addition, we'll be birding at Newlin Grist Mill, Wentz Run Park, and a special weekday trip to Stoneleigh. And we can't forget about our upcoming Native Plant Sale! Click below to see the whole calendar.

 

Our 2024 CBC was our 41st year! Despite the rainy weather, we still had a very successful count with 82 species, only one less than our 2023 CBC.  We battled cold, rain, and a touch of fog and earned every bird. Read all about the highs, lows, and notable findings on our blog.

 

Our 2025 spring bird count will take place on Saturday, June 7th. 

If you want to participate, contact Vince Smith (larusvs34@gmail.com) to be assigned to a team.

Are you enjoying the return of migrating birds? Eastern Phoebes, Barn Swallows, and Gray Catbirds are flying into our region to build nests and raise their young, and by April and May we expect Baltimore Orioles, Common Yellowthroats, Black-and-white Warblers, Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, and more.

 

Want to give these birds a warm welcome? 

You can help birds survive and thrive! Here are some things to do:

The start of trout season in Pennsylvania is a good time to remind all anglers to please ensure that all fishing equipment is always disposed of properly after use. This is especially important when it comes to monofilament fishing line, which cripples and kills not only many thousands of birds every year, but many types of other wildlife, too. Fishing lures can also be deadly. This is all preventable!

 

Improperly discarded or abandoned fishing tackle is a tremendous hazard to all types of birds. Recently there have been two high-profile incidents of fishing line endangering the famous bald eagles of Big Bear, CA - where a nest camera runs 24/7 and is viewed by tens of thousands of people each day.  In the first case, an American coot that had fishing line embedded in and tangled onto it was brought to the nest as food; while eating the coot, the eagle consumed some of the line but luckily was eventually able to regurgitate it.  

 

During the second incident, the monofilament line was attached to a fish that was also brought to the nest, this time as food for the nestlings.  The line became entangled around the mother eagle’s beak, but mercifully she was again ultimately able to dislodge it.  Unfortunately, many birds are not so lucky.  

Another successful native plant sale is in the books for VFAS! 

Thanks to West Whiteland Township for hosting this event on October 26th. Close to 600 plants from North Creek Nurseries and Backyard Nature Preserve, as well as some from our member's gardens, were able to find good homes with over 100 people who attended. Thank you for your generosity, your enthusiasm for native plants, and for helping the birds and pollinators!

 

My family and I drove to Brightside Farm Park on July 1st to witness the banding of purple martins, which is a type of large swallow.  Purple martins traditionally nest in old cavities in dead trees. The problem is that many people are cutting down dead trees thinking nothing will be living there. This is why now purple martins are most commonly found in man-made birdhouses.

 

After we reached Brightside Farm Park, I saw this white thing in a peculiar shape - a purple martin condominium made of gourds.  Purple martin nests are different from other bird nests since purple martin houses are trying to replicate nest cavities, which woodpeckers make.  Purple martins live on grasslands where there are plenty of flying insects they can catch.  All the adult purple martins were flying around searching for insects to eat.  Even though purple martins are small birds, they have to eat a lot since catching bugs is not easy so they constantly need to eat.

 

There were 24 individual purple martin nest boxes which are also known as gourds. The workers lowered the structure so they could get into the gourds.  First we saw a baby purple martin which was 2 days old and it was so tiny it was not allowed to be banded. They also found an egg that will never hatch.  In many nests there was more than 1 chick and even in one nest there were 9 chicks.  It is amazing how quickly they grow up.

 

All of us at Valley Forge Audubon Society are taking time to remember Tom Reeves, who passed away in December 2024 at the age of 93. Tom was a lifelong enthusiastic birder and naturalist. He volunteered for VFAS for many years as a leader of bird and nature walks and as a member of the Board of Directors, where he also served as VFAS President. 

 

Leigh Altadonna from Liberty Bird Alliance offered this remembrance of Tom:

“Tom Reeves was an outstanding chapter president and long time leader. Many years ago the National Audubon Society launched the “Adopt a Refuge” initiative as a means to engage birders and encourage effective management practices at refuges. Tom was an early adopter of this program, who connected Valley Forge Audubon with the Heinz Refuge in Philadelphia and Delaware County. He was also a great supporter and friend of programs at “Mill Grove,” the first home of John James Audubon in America. His leadership is fondly remembered!”

 

Many of today’s VFAS leaders learned under Tom’s tutelage. In addition to his knowledge of the natural world, Tom was a great teacher, was always upbeat, and had a wonderful sense of humor. We will miss him.

 

 

A look at VFAS's busy calendar of events shows how much our all-volunteer organization can accomplish, and we are proud of all the recreational and educational programs that we provide to the public.  However, we need help!  

 

We have lots of ideas for novel program offerings such as boating, hiking, nature journaling, and artistic and native plant events, in addition to more unique birding programs. If you are interested in joining our team to help make events such as these happen, or if you have ideas for other programs you would like to see offered, please contact Patty Werth, chair of the Programs Committee, at programs@valleyforgeaudubon.org.