Hello First name / VFAS Member,

Whew, it's a hot one out there in SEPA! Whether you’re watching your backyard buddies from the comfort of your A/C or braving the shade outside, there’s plenty to observe in the summer. But when you need a break, spend some time with our newsletter! In this issue, you’ll find the latest on what VFAS has been up to, updates from Washington D.C. and Cornell University, a couple of “save-the-dates," and a selection of books we are excited about. 

 

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 our monthly bird walks at the John James Audubon Center, our monthly hike at Ridley Creek SP, and our annual meeting at the John James Audubon Center. We hope to see you this summer!

 

 

 

 

SPRING NATIVE PLANT SALE= ANOTHER SUCCESS!

Valley Forge Audubon Society held another successful native plant sale on April 27th! Thank you for your generosity in supporting us and your enthusiasm for native plants and for helping the birds and pollinators. Over 650 plants from NorthCreek Nurseries and VFAS member's gardens found homes. The Lower Providence EAC provided 200 trees and shrubs. Thanks to our partner - the Lower Providence Bird Town Committee – for their help in making this event such a success!

New Bill Supports Birds in Communities

Bipartisan legislation introduced in the US House this spring is designed to conserve and enhance the urban habitats many birds need. The Local Communities & Bird Habitat Stewardship Act of 2025 (H.R.3276) would make $1,000,000 available each year through a competitive grant program to eligible entities, including community groups and nongovernmental organizations, to improve bird habitat and safety and educate the public on ways to help birds survive and thrive. This bill is endorsed by the National Audubon Society and the American Bird Conservancy. An article supporting the bill can be found here and a copy of the bill here.

 

 

kestrel banding at brightside farm park

Close to 100 people attended our American Kestrel and Barn Owl event at Brightside Farm Park on June 5. Dan Mummert, Wildlife Diversity Biologist from the Pennsylvania Game Commission banded 2 kestrel nestlings and speakers from Hawk Mountain Sanctuary brought along their education Barn Owl and spoke about raptor ecology. Although the evening was focused on raptors, many grassland songbirds are in steep decline and also need this type of habitat. Eastern Meadowlarks were heard and spotted nesting in the fields. Bobolinks have been spotted here as well. Eastern Bluebirds, which like open spaces, were seen foraging in the fields and feeding young. If you build it, they will come!  On a warm evening, attendees were treated to ice cream and water ice.  Another great event by our friends at Charlestown Township.

 

 All birds were handled and banded for research purposes under state and federal permits. American kestrels are listed as a Pennsylvania Species of Greatest Conservation Need according to the current PA Wildlife Action Plan.

Read more about how Charlestown Township is helping grassland birds at Brightside Farm Park at the link below:

Acclaimed science communicator and cartoonist Rosemary Mosco offers a clever, humorous pocket guide that's perfect for any birdwatching obsessive. It is a “dictionary” filled with hilarious and informative definitions for more than 200 birding terms, plus over 50 witty full‑color illustrations. Terms range from bird species, anatomy, and behaviors to the insider birdwatching jargon that all birders know and speak fluently, from "alpha code" to "zygodactyl."

 

Birds are singing all around us and Becca Rowland connects the dots between their songs and the birds who make them, helping you to easily identify and remember their calls. Combining illustrations of common and rare birds with fascinating facts and whimsical descriptions of their calls, this book is full of humor and charm. From space lasers to cheeseburgers, Bird Talk introduces you to the weird and wonderful world of bird songs.

 

Birds at Rest is the first book to give a full picture of how birds rest, roost, and sleep, a vital part of their lives. It features new science that can measure what is happening in a bird’s brain over the course of a night or when it has flown to another hemisphere. From the poles to the tropics, how, when, and where birds sleep reflect the ecology and behavior of each species, as well as their evolution from dinosaur ancestors. Some sleep briefly, their brain half awake, others spend long cold nights in torpor, and a few can sleep while flying. Their roosting habits are also varied. Most birds sleep alone, some in pairs or families, while others in flocks of millions. Birds at Rest explains how each strategy works over the course of a season, a year, or a lifetime by providing protection, mating opportunities, information about food, and other survival benefits.

 

In How Can I Help?, Doug Tallamy tackles the questions commonly asked at his popular lectures and shares compelling and actionable answers that will help gardeners and homeowners take the next step in their ecological journey. Topics range from ecology, evolution, biodiversity and conservation to restoration, native plants, invasive species, pest control, and supporting wildlife at home. Tallamy keenly understands that most people want to take part in conservation efforts but often feel powerless to do so as individuals. But one person can make a difference, and How Can I Help? details how.

 

Has there ever been a more hated bird than the European starling? Mike Stark’s Starlings is a first-of-its-kind history of starlings in America, an oddball, love-hate story at the intersection of human folly, ornithology, and one bird’s tenacious will to endure.

 

 

 

In a groundbreaking study published in Science on May 1, researchers from Cornell Lab of Ornithology confirmed the results of the 2025 State of the Birds Report. The Cornell team analyzed 36 million bird observations that birdwatchers shared to the Cornell Lab’s eBird program, along with multiple environmental variables derived from high-resolution satellite imagery for 495 bird species across North America from 2007–2021. Bird populations tended to decline most steeply in strongholds where species were most abundant - the very places where they should be thriving, yet they fared better where species were least abundant. Of the species they examined, 83% are losing a larger percentage of their population where they are most plentiful. Grassland birds, like the Eastern Meadowlark (shown above), and Arctic tundra birds show particularly troubling trends.