It was a winter wonderland in Glen Providence Park last year! Pennsylvania Woolly bear caterpillars had “predicted” last fall that the 2013-2014 winter would be cold and wet – oh, how right they were. Philadelphia had its third snowiest winter on record (since 1872), making for abundant sledding and magical scenery for winter walks. In February, we found a large valentine written in the snow on the frozen pond!

The temperature went as low as 4 degrees, but we observed birds foraging even on our coldest excursions in the park, leaving us to marvel at the resilience of these creatures. The sightings of Snow Geese and Ring-billed Gull brought our Park Bird List to 105 species. We captured our first photograph of a Bald Eagle in the park, being chased by American Crows! The intriguing Skunk Cabbage once again melted its way through the frozen ground, the first plant to flower each year – in winter.

You can click on any photo below for a closer look, and scroll through them all. You can compare our 2013-2014 winter to other years in my photojournals for December 2011, January and February 2012, and winter 2012-2013.  

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There were some exciting wildlife sightings in Glen Providence Park this January, with this lovely Red Fox, and a Great Horned Owl being pestered by American Crows!  In both instances, by keeping my distance, I was able to observe them for several minutes.

There were some bitterly cold days, but the wildlife is amazingly well adapted: on a hike in 14 degree weather, the birds were active and downright noisy around the pond!  It was also mighty cold the day of our Winter Tree Walk– but we had an amazing time nonetheless!  Our fingers were too cold to capture the Great Blue Heron perched nearby.  But on that hike we discovered that the Skunk Cabbage in the wetlands along Broomall’s Run was up remarkably early, which shows how mild this winter has been overall.

Great Horned Owl & American Crow

It is appropriate that many of our sightings were birds: as we started our Birding Big Year on January 1! We are up to 74 total bird species documented in Glen Providence Park (35 this year), and counting…  The Red-bellied Woodpecker may be the bird species I most consistently see (and hear) in the park. To learn its calls, click here.

After our only real snowfall so far this winter, I spotted the Great Horned Owl.  It is understandable (and brave!) that crows pester the owl, as Great Horned Owls are known to prey on crows, and in fact we have found the feathers of an unfortunate crow along a trail in the park.  It is common to see crows “mobbing” hawks in the park.

Sledding on wet snow

It’s a good thing that people enjoyed the snow on the sledding hill while they could, because it didn’t last long! By the end of the month, the weather was so warm that Spring seemed imminent.  And alas, we found our first tick of the season (in January!).

Here’s hoping for more snow this winter… we have sledding and cross-country skiing in the park to do!

Click on any photo for a closer look, or scroll through the photos below.  You can view more photos in our Facebook Albums: including Wildlife, Scenery, and History.

When Mr. and Mrs. George Butler donated the land for Glen Providence Park in 1935, it was the first park in Delaware County.  Dedicated as a Bird Sanctuary and Arboretum, this park has hosted an amazing array of events and activities in its 76 years, not to mention the habitat it provides for plants and wildlife!

Long before summer concerts in Rose Tree Park, Glen Providence Park had incredibly popular outdoor concerts, from 1937 through the 1970’s.  And the 4th of July fireworks that were held annually from 1954 to 1986 drew crowds in the thousands!

Events were not restricted to summer- the Halloween Haunted Woods in the 1980’s included a “swamp man” in the pond!  In winter, ice skating at the pond was enhanced with a cabin for warmth and lights around the pond for nighttime skating.  And generations have enjoyed the spectacular sledding hill at the main entrance!

Easter sunrise services were held in the park through the 1940’s.  Easter also heralds the longest running event in Glen Providence Park- the Annual Egg Hunt started in 1954!  Other events in the park’s past include fishing derbies, pie eating contests, even picnics for University of Pennsylvania fraternities.

The natural environment of the park is enjoyed year-round by hikers, bird watchers, dog walkers, and children.  From the park’s beginning through the present day, school classes have visited the park to study nature.  Until at least 1970 there was a park guard, whose role was part caretaker and part park ranger, helping visitors identify plants and wildlife.

Glen Providence Park was the pride of the county in its early decades.  Due to the elegance of its plan and its original structures, in 2002 it was determined to be eligible for the National Registry of Historic Places!

Yet in all its 76 years, Glen Providence Park is perhaps the most relevant today.  With concerns about gas prices, the economy, health, and wildlife habitat, a walk through this park provides a free family outing within walking distance of thousands of local residents.  Exercise and stress relief? They’re unavoidable while exploring this beautiful park.   Its land provides a haven for an array of wildlife and native plants.  Glen Providence Park could not be more valuable.

The dedication at the park’s main entrance ends with, “A gift of land is a gift eternal”.  What an incredible gift it is!

Our Letter to the Editor in September 2011

By Stephanie Gaboriault