Halloween, October 31, 2023, marks the 88th birthday of Glen Providence Park! Would you help us celebrate Delaware County’s oldest park with a donation to Friends of Glen Providence Park?

Founded as a bird sanctuary and arboretum in 1935, Glen Providence Park remains a 33-acre haven for people and wildlife alike, amidst ongoing development of open space in Media Borough, Kirk Road and throughout the county. We need Glen Providence Park today more than ever.

SInce July 2011, the intrepid volunteers of Friends of Glen Providence Park have been working to preserve and enhance this natural and historic resource that is so accessible to Media and Upper Providence Residents. 

Please, help us continue our activities that benefit the park and the community:

• citizen advocacy for the park land, water and wildlife
• free nature appreciation and education walks
• free and family-friendly Arts in the Park concerts
• citizen science projects such as water studies and Christmas Bird Count
• volunteer historical research, documentation and preservation

As public funding shifts, we need your support more than ever to continue our native tree plantings, trail maintenance and Arts in the Park. If you’ve enjoyed the park, and especially if you’ve participated in a Friends of Glen Providence Park event, please donate today!

See the individual events in our Calendar for more information and logistics. All events are family-friendly and free to pre-registered participants. We hope to see you in the park!

Friends of Glen Providence Park
2023 Schedule of Events

Wonderful Woody Plants of Winter with Mike Rolli
Saturday, January 21, 10:00am-12:00 noon
Meet at State Street entrance
Rain, snow, or shine

Children’s Event: Whoooo’s Awake in the Winter Woods? with Julie Smith
Saturday, February 25, 1:00-2:00pm
Meet at State Street entrance
Rain date Sunday, February 26, 1:00-2:00pm

CRC Streams Clean-up
Saturday, March 25, 9:00-11:00am
Meet at State Street entrance
Rain or shine

Forest Therapy Walk with Shannon Robards
Saturday, April 15, 10:00am-12:30pm
Meet at State Street entrance
Rain or shine

Weekend Trail Crew with Aura Lester
Saturday, April 29, 9:30-11:30am
Meet at Kirk Lane entrance
Rain date Sunday, April 30

Spring Bird Walk with Dave Eberly
Saturday, May 13, 8:00-10:00am
Meet at 3rd & Kirk Lane entrance
Rain or shine

2023 Arts in the Park – coming soon!
We’ll post an Arts in the Park announcement with details, and Calendar listings for each concert.
All Saturdays, 5:00-6:30, with Sunday rain dates

• June 24 – Nothin’ But Voice with A Cappella Pops
• July 15 – Blues with Johnny Never
• August 12 – Didgeridoo with Harold Smith
• September 16 – Rhythm & Blues with Brian Kors

National Public Lands Day Plantings 
Saturday, October 7, 9:00–12:00 noon
Location TBD
Rain date Sunday, October 8

Geology Walk with Charles Randall
Saturday, November 4, 2:00-4:00pm
Meet at 3rd & West Street entrance
Rain date Sunday, November 5

Christmas Bird Count
Saturday, December 16, 8:30-10:30am
Meet at 3rd & West Street entrance
Rain, snow, or shine

IN ADDITION:

The Great Media Easter Egg Hunt will be held this year on Saturday, April 1 at 11:00, with a rain date of Saturday, April 8 at 11:00. That’s run by Media Lions. It’s the park’s longest-running event, held annually since 1954(!), except for 2020 & 2021 due to COVID.

Any updates will be noted here:

• 1/17: added date for November Geology Walk
• 2/9: added concert dates
• 2/28: added Easter Egg Hunt dates
• 3/07: added Forest Therapy walk and April Trail cleanup location

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…

COVID notice: All of our events will follow the latest COVID protocols, and will be subject to change or cancellation due to COVID.

See the individual events in our Calendar for more information and logistics. All events are family-friendly and free to pre-registered participants. We hope to see you in the park!

Friends of Glen Providence Park
2022 Schedule of Events

Winter Discovery Walk with Samantha Nestory
Sunday, January 30, 1:00-2:30pm (our snow date!)
Meet at State Street entrance
Rain, snow, or shine

Children’s Series: Winter Woods Alive! with Julie Smith
Saturday, February 26, 1:00pm-2:00pm
Meet at State Street entrance
Rain date Sunday, February 27, 1:00-2:00

CRC Streams Clean-up
Saturday, March 26, 9:00-11:00am
Meet at State Street entrance
Rain or shine

Herpetology Walk with Kyle Loucks
Saturday, April 16, 10:00-12:00pm
Meet at 3rd & West entrance
Rain or shine

Spring Bird Walk with Dave Eberly
Saturday, May 7, 8:00-10:00am
Meet at 3rd & Kirk Lane entrance
Rain or shine

Children’s Series: Tremendous Trees with Julie Smith
Saturday, May 21, 10:30-11:30am
Meet at State Street entrance
Rain date Sunday, May 22

2022 Arts in the Park! – coming soon!
We’ll post an Arts in the Park announcement with details, and Calendar listings for each concert.
All Saturdays, 5:00-6:30, with Sunday rain dates

• June 4 – Roaring 20s Jazz with Blackbird Society Orchestra
• July 16 – Nothin’ But Voice with A Cappella Pops
• August 13 – Melodic Beatlesque Pop with Jim Boggia
• September 10 – Old-Timey Modern Bluegrass with The Cheddar Boys

Children’s Series: Magnificent Monarchs with Julie Smith
Saturday, August 20, 10:30-11:30am
Meet at State Street entrance
Rain date Sunday, August 21

National Public Lands Day Plantings 
Saturday, October 1, 9:00–12:00 noon
Location TBD
Rain date Sunday, October 2

Nature Walk with Kayla Kehres
Saturday, November 5, time tba
Meet at State Street entrance
Drizzle, snow, or shine

Children’s Series: Lovable Leaves with Julie Smith
Saturday, November 19, 1:00-2:00pm
Meet at State Street entrance
Rain date Sunday, November 20

Christmas Bird Count
Saturday, December 17, 8:30-10:30am
Meet at 3rd & West Street entrance
Rain, snow, or shine

IN ADDITION:

Keep Media Green will be holding a spring volunteer event on Saturday, April 23 at 10:00am, with Glen Providence Park as one of the locations.

We await word on whether the Great Media Easter Egg Hunt can be held this year by Media Lions & McCarrin Chiropractic. It’s the park’s longest-running event, held annually since 1954, until it was canceled in 2020 & 2021 due to COVID.

Any updates will be noted here:

• 5/2 – Added summer concerts and times for remaining Seasonal Children’s Series

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!

COVID notice: All of our events will follow the latest COVID protocols. All will require masks and physical distancing, and most will have attendance limits with email pre-registration required. All events are subject to change or cancellation due to COVID.

See the individual events in our Calendar for more information and logistics. All events are family-friendly and free to pre-registered participants. We hope to see you in the park!

Friends of Glen Providence Park
2021 Schedule of Events

10th Anniversary History & Nature Walk with Marcia Tate & Stephanie Gaboriault
Saturday, January 30, 2:00-4:00pm
Meet at State Street entrance
Rain, snow, or shine

Love Your Park Walk with Chris McNichol
Saturday, February 20, 10:00am-12:00pm
Meet at 3rd & West Street entrance
Rain, snow, or shine

CRC Streams Clean-up
Saturday, March 20, 9:00-11:00am
Meet at State Street entrance
Rain or shine

Nature Walk with Rick Ray
Saturday, April 10, 1:30-3:00pm
Entrance TBA
Rain or shine

Spring Bird Walk with Dave Eberly
Saturday, May 15, 8:00-10:00am
Meet at 3rd & Kirk Lane entrance
Rain or shine

2021 Arts in the Park!
We are delighted to hold the concerts this year that were postponed from 2020 due to COVID. See our Arts in the Park announcement for details, and our Calendar for individual listings.
All Saturdays, 5:00-6:30, with Sunday rain dates:

• Soul & Jazz Pop Fusion with Danie Ocean on June 26
• Rhythm & Soul with Paul Downie & Friends on July 10
• Charming & Virtuosic Classical Guitar with the Kossler Duo on August 7
• African Folkloric Performance Art with Malidelphia on September 11

National Public Lands Day Plantings 
Saturday, October 2, 9:00–12:00 noon
Location TBD
Rain date Sunday, October 3

Green Friday Walk with Holly Hoffmann & Aura Lester
Friday, November 26, time tba — RESCHEDULED to Saturday, December 4
Meet at State Street entrance
Drizzle, snow, or shine

Christmas Bird Count
Saturday, December 18, 8:30-10:30am
Meet at 3rd & West Street entrance
Rain, snow, or shine

Keep Media Green will be holding a spring volunteer event on Saturday, April 24 at 10:00am, with Glen Providence Park as one of the locations.

The Great Media Easter Egg Hunt could not be held this year by Media Lions & McCarrin Chiropractic. It’s the park’s longest-running event, held annually since 1954, until it was canceled in 2020 & 2021 due to COVID.

Updates:

• Start time for April’s nature walk updated on 3-19-2021
• Date for National Public Lands Day updated on 4-6-2021, and changed back(!) on 4-15-2021
• Arts in the Park concerts added on 5-25-2021! Also noted that the Egg Hunt could not be held.

This morning we headed out in wintry Glen Providence Park for the Christmas Bird Count, our first monthly event since Covid-19. We limited attendance to eight masked and distanced people, each of whom has joined us on past bird counts. Starting out when it was 19 degrees(!), it was our coldest CBC yet. The birds were undaunted – we counted 29 species, the most of any since we started in 2011!

Some of our most exciting sightings were a pair of Red-tailed Hawks, a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Pine Siskins, Winter Wren, Brown Creeper, and Snow Geese flying overhead. And there were crows harassing an unseen bird on the western hill, likely the Great Horned Owl we have been hearing! It was exhilarating to be out in the cold, in the beautiful snowy woods, with wonderful company.

Both at the beginning and end of the morning, we saw a gorgeous Red Fox in the wetlands at Broomall’s Lake Country Club.

It was the 121st year for the CBC – the world’s longest-running Citizen Science survey! Here is our official Christmas Bird Count list of 29 species for Saturday, December 19, 2020:

Snow Goose – 3
Canada Goose -79
Mourning Dove – 8
Turkey Vulture – 2
Cooper’s Hawk – 1
Red-tailed Hawk – 2
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker – 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker – 2
Downy Woodpecker – 3
Hairy Woodpecker – 2
Blue Jay – 2
American Crow – 5
Fish Crow – 1
Carolina Chickadee – 6
Tufted Titmouse – 7
Red-breasted Nuthatch – 1
White-breasted Nuthatch – 4
Brown Creeper – 1
Winter Wren – 1
Carolina Wren – 3
European Starling – 10
American Robin – 7
Pine Siskin – 9
American Goldfinch – 9
Dark-eyed Junco – 7
White-throated Sparrow – 17
Song Sparrow – 8
Red-winged Blackbird – 3
Northern Cardinal – 8

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

Mallard
Great Blue Heron
Great Horned Owl

Photos from this morning and Christmas Bird Count Week below…

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

As we post details for each month, we will link to that Calendar event with 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
2019 Schedule of Events

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

A Winter Walk in the Glen with Marcia Tate & Stephanie Gaboriault
Saturday, January 26, 12:00-2:00pm
Meet at State Street entrance
Rain, snow, or shine

Trees & Time with Mike Rolli
Saturday, February 23, 12:00-2:00pm
Meet at State Street entrance
Rain/snow date Sunday, February 24

Herpetology Walk with Kyle Loucks
Saturday, March 30, 12:00-2:00pm
Meet at 3rd & West Street entrance
Drizzle or shine

CRC Streams Clean-up
Saturday, April 13, 9:00-10:30am
Meet at State Street entrance
Rain or shine

Spring Bird Walk with Dave Eberly
Saturday, May 4, 7:30-9:30am
Meet at 3rd & Kirk Lane entrance
Rain or shine

Arts in the Park: Elegant Classical Ballet with Academy of International Ballet!
Saturday, June 1, 5:00-6:30pm
Main entrance
Rain date Sunday, June 2

Arts in the Park: Melodic Songstress Birdie Busch!
Saturday, July 13, 5:00-6:30pm
Main entrance
Rain date Sunday, July 14

Arts in the Park: Funky Soul Music with The Bickel Brothers Band!
Saturday, August 17, 5:00-6:30pm
Main entrance
Rain date Sunday, August 18

Arts in the Park: Heartwarming Summer Pop with Bill Ricchini of Summer Fiction!
Saturday, September 7, 5:00-6:30pm
Main entrance
Rain date Sunday, September 8

National Public Lands Day
Saturday, October 5, 9:00–12:00 noon
Location TBD
Rain date Sunday, October 6

Green Friday Walk with Holly Hoffmann & Aura Lester
Friday, November 29, time tba
Meet at State Street entrance
Drizzle, snow, or shine

Christmas Bird Count
Saturday, December 14, 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 13 at 11:00am (sharp!), State Street entrance.

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!