Trip Reports – Birding Club of Delaware County

Report of Special Night with Saw-whet Owls, by Debbie Beer

Kristy E — Tue, 17 Dec 2024 14:50:04 +0000

On Saturday, October 26, 2024, BCDC members and friends were treated to a wonderful evening with Northern Saw-whet Owls at Rushton Woods Preserve, Newtown Square. Staff and volunteers demonstrated how banding these diminutive nocturnal predators provides valuable insight and information about the owl’s life and status. Five (5) adorable owls were caught and banded during our event, delighting visitors of all ages.

We were generously hosted by Willistown Conservation Trust (WCT), which preserves land from development and nurtures landscapes that support wildlife. WCT’s Bird Conservation Program works to enhance and promote bird conservation, with focus on advancing avian research and, through education, fostering a love of birds.

All banding is conducted by federally licensed banders operating under stringent guidelines for the purposes of research, education, science, and conservation. The safety and well-being of birds is the utmost priority.

Thank you to Willistown Conservation Trust for supporting avian conservation, and sharing these adorable owls with BCDC!

Photo of Saw-whet seeing double, by Adrian Binns.

Report on Birding by Boat on the Osprey, by Adrian Binns

Kristy E — Mon, 23 Sep 2024 12:18:05 +0000

September 7, 2024

Birding by Boat on the Osprey in Cape May, NJ. A great group of BCDC members and friends joined this unique field trip aboard the Osprey for a morning of birding by boat (ticket purchase required). Some drove down to Cape May from as far away as Snyder County, PA to participate. Captain Bob and naturalist Patty did an excellent job of pointing out birds as the boat motored slowly through picturesque back-bay saltmarshes. Numerous terns, oystercatchers, sandpipers, waders, night-herons, and ospreys were a big highlight, along with close views of Clapper Rails and a surprise Black Scoter and Brown Pelican, too. Details on the eBird checklist. Download complete trip report and photos by Adrian Binns.

Report on Ocean City Rookery Photo Trip by Adrian Binns

Kristy E — Wed, 03 Jul 2024 14:38:05 +0000

BCDC photo trip to Ocean City Welcome Center Rookery, NJ on June 29, 2024 – led by Adrian Binns, with Jim Joyce, Andy and Mariana Pesthy.

This famed wader colony hosted hundreds of egrets, herons, and ibis, creating a wonderful spectacle of nesting bird activity. The trip was timed for the latter part of the breedingseason with many offspring now 3-5 weeks old. They have fledged their nest but are still begging incessantly to be fed.

White Ibis were the most numerous with many juveniles following adults to forage, or waiting in the cedar trees for parents to return and regurgitate food. A few adult White Ibis were still in full breeding colour, showing vivid rare bare parts, while most others were starting to pale as the season progresses.

We enjoyed watching many family groups of Snowy Egrets with a handful of Great Egrets, Black-crowned Night-Herons, Little Blue Herons and Tricolored Herons. All were busy tending young, looking for food, or flying back and forth from the colony to the surrounding salt marsh.

Most of the young waders were approaching adult-size, though we saw one Black-crowned Night-Heron on a nest with a small, newborn chick. We observed Yellow-crowned Night-Heron and Great Egret bringing in sticks to a nest, perhaps starting their second broods of the season.

This wondrous wader colony provides excellent viewing and photography, due to close proximity and ample activity. It was a great BCDC trip!

Check out the eBird checklist.