An Indoor Birdwatching Field Trip

Penn Birders met up for a productive session of indoor birding!

We hatched (yes, that is a birding pun!) plans for future outings and watched part of "Birds, birds, birds! An Indoor Birdwatching Field Trip" -- an educational video to help teach beginning birders how to identify birds by their calls. 

We were impressed to learn that many bird names are onomatopoeic, i.e., derived from their calls -- like the chickadee and killdeer. Good to know! 

After watching the video and stuffing our faces with yummy Thai food, we were pumped for our first trip of the semester: a Saturday morning guided walk at Heinz Wildlife Refuge!

February bird walk at Heinz NWR

On an icy February morning last week, Penn Birding went on a bird walk at Heinz Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum.

The water in the impoundment was frozen over -- no ducks to be seen.
Photo: Shereen Chang

The walk was led by Friends of Heinz volunteer Lynn Roman.
Photo: Shereen Chang

A juvenile red-tailed hawk was perched right beside the path & was very cooperative in posing for photos with us!

Juvenile red-tailed hawk
Photo: Shereen Chang

A juvenile red-tailed hawk was perched on a branch for some time. After a while, the hawk flew down and caught some prey -- it was grey & furry & long, perhaps a weasel? We were lucky enough to see the hawk eating some breakfast.

After a couple hours birding of, we returned to the warm visitor centre, where we doublechecked and discussed sightings with some more expert birders in the group, including Chuck, the hawk counter.
Photo: Shereen Chang

We saw so many different kinds of birds during the walk, including 3 kinds of woodpeckers, saw-whet owls, sparrows, juncos, chickadees, titmice, nuthatches, and even a brown creeper! We also caught a glimpse of the winter wren and both golden-crowned and ruby-crowned kinglets!

As we were leaving, we finally saw a red-shouldered hawk -- our fourth hawk species of the day!
Photo: Shereen Chang

It was an eventful day for birding, with some happy additions to the life list.

My checklist is posted separately.

Volunteer-led bird walks at John Heinz NWR at Tinicum

We love John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge At Tinicum! This 1200-acre urban wildlife refuge protects the largest freshwater tidal marsh in Pennsylvania.

"The refuge is a green respite nestled within the urban setting of the city of Philadelphia. Refuge lands are a thriving sanctuary teeming with a rich diversity of fish, wildlife, and plants native to the Delaware Estuary. Healthy and productive expanses of freshwater tidal marsh, open waters, mudflats, and woodlands support the hundreds of species that breed, rear their young, rest during migration, or call the refuge home year-round."(from the Heinz NWR website)
Photo: Shereen Chang

John Heinz NWR often has volunteer-led bird walks organized by the Friends of Heinz Wildlife Refuge. They're a great way for beginners to learn more about birding. The walks are easy-going, typically run 2-3 hours, and people can come and go as they please.  

Penn Birding is planning many visits to Heinz NWR. Heinz NWR is an especially beginner-friendly place to bird, not only because of the volunteer-led walks, but also because the Visitor Center loans out binoculars to visitors. Hope to see you there!

First meeting

At our first meeting, we talked about birds and birding -- surprise, surprise! We heard about different members' experiences with birds, ranging from elusive sightings of stunning birds to frustrating encounters with bold gulls stealing our food. We brainstormed ideas for activities and excursions, including many spots that are local to the Philadelphia area.

Happily, many beginner or brand new birders are interested in Penn Birding! We've attracted interest from a broad range of programs; our members include students enrolled in the GSE, SAS, SEAS, Wharton, Dental, Medical and Veterinary schools.

Calling all bird, wildlife & nature lovers: Join Penn Birding!

Do you love wildlife? Like being outdoors? Interested in birding with others at Penn? 

We're looking for people to join Penn Birding for meetings, walks, and birding trips. We are a new group at the University of Pennsylvania for people to go on birding trips & enjoy other birding-related activities together (screenings, discussions, lectures).  

Penn Birding promotes the appreciation and study of wild birds and their habitats through community, education, and other activities. Birders and birdwatchers at all levels of experience are welcome to participate. We aim to build a community of students who support each other in learning about birds & developing their birding skills via meetings, walks, and trips for birding.

Penn Birding serves the Penn community by encouraging people to spend time outdoors together on birding walks, which promotes physical and mental wellness.

If you'd like to join, please fill out our membership form here. We need volunteers to help run the group, so please get in touch if you could help with planning events, setting up a web page, funding, communications, recruiting others at Penn to join or anything else.