Hello First name / VFAS Member,

The leaves are falling and soon the holidays will be here. We are excited to bring you the latest edition of the VFAS newsletter! Read on for updates about upcoming programs, our continued advocacy work, spring bird count results, informational articles, and more! As always, thank you for your continued support and dedication to our mission.

As always, VFAS has a full calendar of events for this fall and winter! You'll be able to catch us in places like Middle Creek, Barnegat, Forsythe NWR and more.  We will continue our 3rd Saturday bird walks at the John James Audubon Center through the winter and we will have our traditional New Year's Day hike. Our Great Backyard Bird Count events will be held from February 13 to 16.  Also in the works are an American Woodcock program and Birding & Brunch events.

 

Our Winter Art Exhibit at the John James Audubon Center will open on January 22 and continue until March 29.  We will be hosting an opening reception on January 25.  Check our website and social media later in the year for more details.

 

Keep checking our events calendar as we add new events throughout the fall and winter season. Or, follow us on Meetup to get notified of new events as we post them!

 

Our Spring bird count results are in and not surprisingly, the Gray Catbird was the top species seen with 1277 observations.  Other species with the highest number of observations seen over the history of the count were Red-Bellied Woodpecker (259), Pileated woodpecker (29), Eastern Wood-Pewee (153), Northern Rough-Winged Swallow (133), Eastern Towhee (131), Grasshopper Sparrow (6), and Northern Cardinal (520). Not all the news was good. Mallards continue to decline and it was a bad year for Barn Swallows, Scarlet Tanagers, and Rose-Breasted Grosbeaks. You can see all the results on our blog by clicking on the link below.

On September 1, the Pennsylvania Audubon Council, in partnership with Audubon chapters and Bird Town PA, launched the new Bird Habitat Recognition Program. To qualify for the program and receive your yard sign, your property must have items from each of the four pillars of healthy habitats: Food, Water, Shelter, and Nesting. Your Registration and sign cost $30.  Signs are free to schools, churches, and municipal gardens. There are many benefits to having your Bird Friendly Habitat recognized…and maybe your sign will encourage your neighbors to have bird-friendly yards. 

 

On Sunday August 3, over 100 people came out to our social and annual meeting at the John James Audubon Center as our chapter celebrated its 60th anniversary. We honored Jean Bochnowski who contributed over 20 years of service to the chapter as a board member, president, and treasurer. Attendees were treated to a presentation about owls by John Werth and what makes them amazing birds. We had a visit from bird ambassadors Abby, an Eastern screech owl, and Sherlock, a barred owl. Attendees also were able to play bird-themed games and learn about the latest VFAS advocacy initiatives, including the new Audubon Bird Habitat Recognition program. The Bluebird Society of Pennsylvania had a table sharing information on how to attract and care for Eastern Bluebirds, and new PA Master Naturalist Meredith Heffner provided information on promoting biodiversity in our backyards.The day ended with a birdwalk around the JJAC grounds.

flocktoberfest in phoenixville

The Valley Forge Audubon Society had the privilege to co-sponsor Phoenixville’s inaugural Flocktoberfest on Saturday, October 11th, 2025. We joined Sprout Reach, a community-based environmental justice organization affiliated with St. Peter’s Church in celebrating World Migratory Bird Day with delicious food, fun games, and various speakers and demonstrations. To kick things off, Phoenixville mayor, Mayor Pete, signaled the opening of the new Cloister Garden Bird Observatory and Education Sanctuary with a ribbon cutting ceremony. He was accompanied by Ashley Hans, head of Sprout Reach, and Chris Wells, Board President of VFAS, and Father Samuel Kirabi Ndungu (Father Sam), who offered a beautiful prayer to bless the new home for our feathered friends. Following this, we were able to educate attendees about the birds of the Philly burbs and how we can make our yards and homes more welcoming for them. We encouraged attendees to plant native plants, hang feeders, and shared tips for effective ways to keep our feathered friends from flying into glass windows and doors.  We also provided Bird Habitat signs for any guests who would like to designate their yard as such as part of the Bird Town PA program, run by the Pennsylvania Audubon Council.

 

Anyone who has been to our other events knows that we never travel without our popular Bird Game. The game is simple, you get a list of 28 bird names and you have to match each name with the number associated with the corresponding picture of each bird. We had a few bird nerds who got all 28 correct and they got to go home with some special bird seed as a reward.

 

In addition to our table, there were plenty of tasty homemade treats, fun crafts, nature journaling workshops with an award-winning local artist, Jolie Chylack, other bird and seed games, as well as presentations about environmental stewardship. There was also live music, bird-themed Qigong, as well as a chance to see Birds of Prey, Up Close with the Indian Run Environmental Education Center and their raptor ambassadors, a red-tailed hawk, a barn owl, and an eastern screech owl. The day was a success and we hope to see everyone again next year!