The Saturday before Christmas, nine of us ambled in Glen Providence Park on a beautiful, cold, sunny morning for the Christmas Bird Count. It has become a fond holiday tradition (and reunion!), with most of our group having participated in multiple Bird Counts. Thank you to everyone who volunteered their eyes and ears that morning!

We documented 306 birds of 25 species – with the quantity due to eight flocks of Canada Geese flying overhead. Some of our most exciting sightings were a Brown Creeper, Winter Wren, and several woodpeckers and vultures. Once again this year, the Great Horned Owl that has been calling many nights around the park did not make an appearance that day, but we heard it just the night before.

It was the 123rd year for the CBC – the world’s longest-running Citizen Science survey! Here is our official Christmas Bird Count list of 25 species for Saturday, December 17, 2022:

Canada Goose – 171
Mourning Dove – 17
Black Vulture – 1
Turkey Vulture – 6
Red-tailed Hawk – 2
Red-bellied Woodpecker – 3
Downy Woodpecker – 2
Hairy Woodpecker – 3
Pileated Woodpecker – 1
Blue Jay – 3
American Crow – 3
Fish Crow – 9
Carolina Chickadee – 5
Tufted Titmouse – 7
White-breasted Nuthatch – 6
Brown Creeper – 1
Winter Wren – 1
Carolina Wren – 7
American Robin – 22
House Finch – 7
American Goldfinch – 4
Dark-eyed Junco – 8
White-throated Sparrow – 7
Song Sparrow – 3
Northern Cardinal – 6

A few photos from that morning are below, and a video by Carol Carmon…

The Saturday before Christmas, eight of us headed out on a very overcast morning in Glen Providence Park for the Christmas Bird Count. The air was damp, making it feel colder than the thermometer’s 40 degrees! But the Bird Count never fails to be a literal and figurative breath of fresh air in the midst of the holiday bustle, and we were accompanied by wonderful people. We documented 140 birds of 28 species – second only to last year’s wintry count, when we documented 29 species!

Some of our most exciting sightings were a Brown Creeper, Hermit Thrush, Winter Wren, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, and Sharp-shinned, Cooper’s, and Red-shouldered Hawks! Alas, the Great Horned Owl that has been calling many nights around the park did not make an appearance that day, but having heard it just the night before, we were able to include it in our count for the week.

It was the 122nd year for the CBC – the world’s longest-running Citizen Science survey! Here is our official Christmas Bird Count list of 28 species for Saturday, December 18, 2021:

Mallard – 10
Mourning Dove – 18
Turkey Vulture – 1
Sharp-shinned Hawk – 1
Cooper’s Hawk – 1
Red-shouldered Hawk – 1
Belted Kingfisher – 1
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker – 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker – 5
Downy Woodpecker – 1
Hairy Woodpecker – 1
Northern Flicker – 1
Blue Jay – 5
American Crow – 6
Fish Crow – 5
Carolina Chickadee – 2
Tufted Titmouse – 5
White-breasted Nuthatch – 3
Brown Creeper – 1
Winter Wren – 1
Carolina Wren – 2
Hermit Thrush – 1
American Robin – 46
House Finch – 3
Dark-eyed Junco – 6
White-throated Sparrow – 9
Song Sparrow – 1
Northern Cardinal – 2

It was overcast enough that it was hard to see the birds with binoculars, much less capture their picture, but here are a few photos from the Bird Count and Christmas Bird Count Week…

Carol Carmon’s video on YouTube (below) captures the morning beautifully!

It was a beautiful spring morning on Saturday for our 9th Spring Bird Walk in Glen Providence Park! Alas, we had canceled last year’s due to Covid, so we were especially excited to hold the walk again this year. It was the 4th bird walk that Dave Eberly has led for us. Predictably we heard more birds than we saw, but we identified seven warbler species, Baltimore Orioles, a Cooper’s Hawk, and we even managed to document a new species for our Park Bird List, the Gray-cheeked Thrush! That brings the number of species documented in Glen Providence Park to 129.

Thank you very much to Dave Eberly for leading yet another bird walk for us, to the wonderful group who attended, and to Carol Carmon for videoing. Watch the video on YouTube for an explanation of bird behavior during migration, what eBird is used for, and a glimpse of some of the birds seen on our walk.

Here is our complete checklist of 37 species for Saturday, May 15, 2021, as entered on eBird:

Mourning Dove – 1
Common Loon – 1
Turkey Vulture – 3
Cooper’s Hawk – 1
Red-tailed Hawk – 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker – 4
Downy Woodpecker – 1
Pileated Woodpecker – 1
Northern Flicker – 2
Red-eyed Vireo – 4
Blue Jay – 4
American Crow – 2
Carolina Chickadee – 2
Tufted Titmouse – 4
White-breasted Nuthatch – 1
House Wren – 3
Carolina Wren – 2
Gray Catbird – 15
Gray-cheeked Thrush – 1 – A new species for our Park Bird List!
Wood Thrush – 5
American Robin – 10
American Goldfinch – 4
White-throated Sparrow – 1
Song Sparrow – 3
Baltimore Oriole – 2
Red-winged Blackbird – 2
Brown-headed Cowbird – 1
Common Yellowthroat – 2
American Redstart – 1
Northern Parula – 1
Chestnut-sided Warbler – 1
Black-throated Blue Warbler – 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler – 1
Canada Warbler – 1
Scarlet Tanager – 1
Northern Cardinal – 2
Rose-breasted Grosbeak – 1

5/27: Edited to add YouTube link

See the individual events in our Calendar for more information and logistics. All events are free, family-friendly, and open to the public – we hope to see you in the park!

Friends of Glen Providence Park
2020 Schedule of Events

Schedule subject to change – please check back to confirm times, details, and meeting locations.

UPDATE: Covid-19 cancelations and postponements are noted below.

Winter Discovery Walk with Mike Rolli
Sunday, January 26, 1:00-3:00pm
Meet at State Street entrance
Rain, snow, or shine

Love Your Park Walk with Chris McNichol
Saturday, February 15, 10:00am-12:00pm
Meet at 3rd & West Street entrance
Rain, snow, or shine

Geology Walk with Charles Randall
Saturday, March 7, 2:00-4:00pm
Meet at 3rd & West Street entrance
Rain, snow, or shine

CRC Streams Clean-up – POSTPONED
Saturday, April 4, 9:00-10:30am
Meet at State Street entrance
Rain or shine

Spring Bird Walk with Dave Eberly – CANCELED
Saturday, May 9, 8:00-10:00am
Meet at 3rd & Kirk Lane entrance
Rain or shine

Arts in the Park: Kossler Duo – POSTPONED TO JUNE 2021
Saturday, June 27, 5:00-6:30pm
Main entrance
Rain date Sunday, June 28

Arts in the Park: Paul Downie & Friends – POSTPONED TO 2021
Saturday, July 11, 5:00-6:30pm
Main entrance
Rain date Sunday, July 12

Arts in the Park: Danie Ocean – POSTPONED TO 2021
Saturday, August 22, 5:00-6:30pm
Main entrance
Rain date Sunday, August 23

Arts in the Park: Malidelphia – POSTPONED TO 2021
Saturday, September 12, 5:00-6:30pm
Main entrance
Rain date Sunday, September 13

National Public Lands Day – POSTPONED
Saturday, October 3, 9:00–12:00 noon
Location TBD
Rain date Sunday, October 4

Wicked Plants & Ghost Walk with Marcia Tate & Stephanie Gaboriault – POSTPONED TO 2021
Saturday, October 31, time tba — Glen Providence’s 85th Anniversary!
Location tba
Drizzle, snow, or shine

Green Friday Walk with Holly Hoffmann & Aura Lester
Friday, November 27, time tba
Meet at State Street entrance
Drizzle, snow, or shine

Christmas Bird Count
Saturday, December 19, 8:00-10:00am
Meet at 3rd & West Street entrance
Rain, snow, or shine

And don’t forget the Great Media Easter Egg Hunt held by Media Lions & McCarrin Chiropractic – it’s the park’s longest-running event, held annually since 1954! This year’s date is Saturday, April 4 at 11:00am (sharp!), State Street entrance. – CANCELED

Join Friends of Glen Providence Park in our 8th year participating in the Christmas Bird Count, the world’s longest-running Citizen Science survey!  In this early-winter bird census, thousands of volunteers across the US, Canada, and many countries go out over a 24-hour period to count birds. Researchers and conservation biologists use the data to study the long-term health and status of bird populations.

119th Annual Christmas Bird Count

Saturday, December 15
8:00-10:00am
Rain, snow, or shine!* 
Park entrance at 3rd & West Streets

Slow down for a morning and take a break from the holiday rush!

Logistics

• Please note the location– we will meet at the 3rd & West Street park entrance
• *Rain, snow, or shine – but in the event of high winds, we will post on Facebook and our website that morning whether we will meet. 
• Be prepared for steep hills and rugged, possibly muddy and/or icy terrain
• Experienced and novice birdwatchers welcome!
• Of course, bring your binoculars and bird guides!

Friends of Glen Providence Park will submit our results to the CBC Compiler for Delaware County. We will also post the results on our website!

Join us for a bird walk in Glen Providence Park during spring migration! We’ll look for warblers and other migrants, and see if we can add to the 127 species on the Park Bird List. We will be led by Dave Eberly – a lifelong birder, for the past 27 years, he has participated in the Christmas Bird Count (CBC), the world’s longest-running Citizen Science project. For the past 10 years, he has taken on the important task of compiling all CBC data for Delaware County!

Spring Bird Walk

Saturday, May 5, 2018
8:00-10:00am
*Kirk Lane entrance
Rain or shine

Logistics:

• * Please note the location- we are starting at the Upper Providence entrance at Third Street and Kirk Lane. *
• Estimated distance: 1-1.5 miles
• Estimated time: 2 hours
• Rain or shine
• Free!
• Be prepared for steep hills, and uneven (possibly wet) terrain: wear your hiking shoes, bring a hiking pole if you use one… and of course binoculars and your favorite bird book or app!

A congenial group of both new and long-time citizen scientist volunteers joined us on a 21-degree morning for our seventh Christmas Bird Count (CBC) in Glen Providence Park! It was hard to complain about the cold after last year’s freezing rain, and in the snowiest December I can remember in Pennsylvania, the snow-covered woods were lovely. The birds were active during the brief periods the sun came out, and then blended into the grey whenever it was overcast. As always, it was a refreshing Saturday morning in the midst of the holidays!

It was the 118th year for the CBC – the world’s longest-running Citizen Science survey! Here is our official Christmas Bird Count list for Saturday, December 16, 2017:

Canada Goose – 162
Turkey Vulture – 3
Red-tailed Hawk – 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker – 5
Blue Jay – 5
American Crow – 3
Carolina Chickadee – 4
Tufted Titmouse – 2
White-breasted Nuthatch – 4
Carolina Wren – 4
Dark-eyed Junco – 5
White-throated Sparrow – 6
Northern Cardinal – 2
blackbird sp. – 20

And to include those birds who weren’t cooperative enough to appear on the big day, here are the additional species we saw in the Glen during Christmas Bird Count Week (from the Wednesday before to the Tuesday after the Christmas Bird Count):

Snow Goose
Mallard
Great Blue Heron
Mourning Dove
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Downy Woodpecker
Winter Wren
American Robin
Song Sparrow
American Goldfinch

Photos from Christmas Bird Count Week below…

Photos by author

Join Friends of Glen Providence Park in our 7th year participating in the Christmas Bird Count, the world’s longest-running Citizen Science survey! The CBC was started on Christmas Day 1900 by the Audubon Society, in reaction to the tradition known as the Christmas “Side Hunt”: whoever brought in the biggest pile of feathered (and furred) quarry won. Instead of hunting birds, the CBC would count them!

118th Annual Christmas Bird Count

Saturday, December 16
8:00-10:00am
Rain, snow or shine!
* Park entrance at 3rd & West Streets *

In this early-winter bird census, thousands of volunteers across the US, Canada, and many countries in the Western Hemisphere go out over a 24-hour period to count birds. Researchers and conservation biologists use the data to study the long-term health and status of bird populations across North America.

Slow down for a morning and take a break from the holiday rush!

Logistics

• * Please note the location- we will meet at the 3rd & West Street park entrance *
• Rain, snow, or shine
• Be prepared for steep hills and rugged, possibly muddy terrain
• Experienced and novice birdwatchers welcome!
• Of course, bring your binoculars and bird guides!

Friends of Glen Providence Park will submit our results to the CBC Compiler for Delaware County. We will also post the results on our website!

Join us for a bird walk in Glen Providence Park during spring migration! We’ll look for warblers and all sorts of other migrants, and see if we can add to the 127 species on the park’s bird list. This walk will be led by Tom Bush – he’s a lifelong birder, an officer of the Birding Club of Delaware County, and he has led bird walks at Smedley Park and John Heinz NWR. Tom has been on several of our walks – we are delighted that he will be leading this one! 

Spring Bird Walk

Saturday, May 6, 2016
7:30-9:30am
*Kirk Lane entrance
Rain or shine

Logistics:

• * Please note the location- we are starting at the Upper Providence entrance at Third Street and Kirk Lane. *
• Estimated distance: 1-1.5 miles
• Estimated time: 2 hours
• Rain or shine
• Free!
• Be prepared for steep hills, and uneven (possibly wet) terrain: wear your hiking shoes, bring a hiking pole if you use one… and of course binoculars and your favorite bird book or app!

We will launch our 2017 Calendar of Events with the next session of our ongoing Citizen Science Project, Tree Mapping in Glen Providence Park! Volunteers have been cataloging and digitally mapping the park’s trees since 2011, contributing to a worldwide database. We document the species, diameter, location, and other data for individual trees in the park.

The data is entered on PhillyTreeMap, a subsection of the worldwide OpenTreeMap, a web-based map database of trees. As of January 2016, we have identified 54 species of trees in the park. You can see the latest map showing Glen Providence Park on PhillyTreeMap.

No experience necessary! Our plant gurus Marcia Tate and Shannon Davidson will guide us – come out to learn about tree identification and the many benefits that trees provide to our community and the environment.

Citizen Science: Winter Tree Mapping

Saturday, January 28
2:00-4:00 pm
Rain/snow date Sunday, January 29, 2:00-4:00 pm
* Park entrance at 3rd Street & Kirk Lane in Upper Providence *

Logistics:

• * Please note the location- we are starting at the Upper Providence entrance at Third Street and Kirk Lane. *
• Estimated time: 2 hours
• Free!
• If you have a smartphone, it would be helpful to download the OpenTreeMap app – it’s the easiest way to add trees to the database. We’ve found that the app burns through phone batteries quickly – so if you have one, an external phone battery would be a great idea.
• Be prepared for steep hills, and uneven (possibly wet) terrain: wear your hiking shoes, and bring a hiking pole if you use one.
• Bring binoculars, tree ID guides, & measuring tape if you have your own, but not necessary.
• If the weather is questionable on Saturday morning, we will post on our website and Facebook by 12:00 noon whether we will use the Sunday rain date. 

Tree mapping