Join Lehigh Valley Audubon Society on Saturday, March 21, at 10:00 am for an in-person presentation at Penn State Extension office, 4184 Dorney Park Rd. #104, Allentown, PA 18104 by Lehigh County Master Gardeners Sue Dougherty and Laura Kowalski on:

Gardening for Birds and Caterpillars

Sue and Laura will tell us how to make our gardens more bird-friendly with native plants that support birds and the caterpillars that help feed them.  Some of those caterpillars also turn into beautiful moths and butterflies!    

A free pack of native plant seeds for all attendees!  

Light refreshments will be served.

ZOOM PROGRAM:  Friday, March 20, 2026, 7:00 pm

To join, please register at this link: https://lehigh.zoom.us/meeting/register/R_tQIqzvQrOTBPxh7Tfacg
Note:  You may register at any time up to the start of the meeting. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Do you love songbirds? Do you know how important caterpillars are to them? We’re hosting a special screening of The Extraordinary Caterpillar, a beautifully shot 60-minute documentary that reveals the vital—and often overlooked—role caterpillars play in our ecosystems. Peek into the world of nature’s tiniest superheroes!

Watch the trailer here! [https://vimeo.com/1117213704](https://homegrownnationalpark.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=ce919e78833f25cf86f5047ac&id=8807d1617f&e=b36aceae54&i=0c26d4893d)

From blooming meadows to city parks and backyard gardens, this inspiring film celebrates the magic of nature while showing practical ways to make a difference.  Along the way, you’ll see the groundbreaking work of The Caterpillar Lab, entomologist David Wagner, and Doug Tallamy, co-founder of Homegrown National Park.  You'll hear inspiring stories about why caterpillars are essential to healthy ecosystems and learn simple steps you can take to create habitat in your own yard or community. This is a chance to see nature in a whole new light—and to be part of the movement to bring it home. 

Participants learned how to conduct their own count for the GBBC, practiced identifying birds, got to meet Te Kā, a Screech Owl from the Da Vinci Science Center, heard the story of how the newest edition of Birds of the Lehigh Valley and Vicinity came about, and went out for a guided bird walk at Nisky Hill Cemetery.

Yummy bird-themed refreshments were available, along with take-home handouts on bird ID and bird conservation.

Please enjoy this video made by LVAS volunteer Kelly Patla!

Thank you to Pattie Terrero, Diane Rudolph, Jon Levin, Dan Pokras, and Todd Watkins for helping make this possible, along with Bethlehem Area Public Library staff, Kelly Patla on video camera, and Brandon Swayser the Screech Owl wrangler!

Feb. 14, 10 am - Noon

We'll be at the Bethlehem Area Public Library community room, and we'll be combining the bird count with a book launch celebration!

Lots of fun will be had, as usual.

**REGISTRATION REQUIRED at www.bapl.org/backyard-bird-count or call 610-867-3761 to reserve your spot.**

Friday. February 13, 2026 @ 7 pm

We will learn about the purpose and importance of projects like this, along with results of their work. 

Upon registering at this link below, you’ll receive a confirmation email:

https://lehigh.zoom.us/meeting/register/WA5DAkTJSv-tkdQfMY38RA

All proceeds support Lehigh Valley Audubon Society's education and conservation work.

LVAS has been documenting our local birds for over ninety years and published data in a book, Birds of the Lehigh Valley and Vicinity. The fully revised 3rd edition is now available in our online Shop!

Rob hopes to reschedule it sometime later this winter.

Beltzville Lake is one of the premier locations for waterfowl in our area, and Winter is a great time for a wide variety of ducks and other waterfowl.

Saturday, Jan 24 · 8:00 AM to 11:00 AM EST

We'll scan the lake from a few vantage points for waterfowl, while keeping an eye on the nearby fields and forests for other birds. A scope is not needed, but if you have one please bring it along.

Where:  Beltzville State Park, 2950 Pohopoco Dr · Lehighton, PA

Meet at: Beltzville State Park, Parking Lot A for Pavilion #4, located at 40.861464, -75.624825

Leader: Rob Bergstresser (570-657-0990); For questions, please contact Rob

LVAS Meetup:  https://www.meetup.com/lehigh-valley-audubon-society/events/312541838/?eventOrigin=group_upcoming_events

Location via Google Maps: https://www.google.com/maps/place/40%C2%B051'41.1%22N+75%C2%B037'28.9%22W/@40.86142,-75.6247,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m4!3m3!8m2!3d40.86142!4d-75.6247?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI2MDEwNy4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D

A Few Basic Field Trip Guidelines:

• Cell phones should be on silent or vibrate mode.

• Keep voices low while birding to minimize disturbance of the birds and allow others in the group to hear the birds and learn their songs.

• Keep pace with the trip leader. Please do not jump ahead or fall behind.

• Bring your binoculars.

• Beginners and experienced birders all welcome!

• Have fun!

Never miss a guided walk or other LVAS event; become a member of our chapter!

Eleven children from ages 4 to 10 spent time in our classroom at Muhlenberg College learning the purpose of bird counts, how to identify birds, and how to use binoculars. Then everyone piled into cars for a short drive to three local parks, and the three teams got to work spotting and recording birds. 

Altogether, the Crazy Crows, the Nutty Nuthatches, and the Mysterious Marshmallow Mallards counted 411 birds of 22 different species. Highlights included a Merlin, five species of duck, several Ruby-crowned Kinglets, and a Mute Swan strolling down the middle of the road. 

The morning concluded with snacks, a tally of the birds recorded, and a visit to the ornithology museum of Muhlenberg College. Kids left with a National Geographic bird book for children and other fun and educational materials. We hope they also left with the start of a lifetime habit of appreciating and conserving birds.

This year, LVAS volunteer Kelly Patla accompanied Team Nutty Nuthatches in the field and provided a video for us to enjoy. Watch the video here!

Event organizers: Barbara Malt and Chad Schwartz.

We thank everyone who contributed as helpers in the classroom and in the field: Peter Saenger, Dan Pokras, Mark Boyd, Jon Levin, and Kelly and Nathan Patla.

And thanks to all of our LVAS members who support this program and others with your membership dollars and donations!

Article written by Barbara Malt and published January 2026 in THE OSPREY VOLUME 50 • NUMBER 1.

THE OSPREY is the Quarterly Newsletter of The Lehigh Valley Audubon Society, provided first only to LVAS members.

Get all the latest news and event notifications by joining our Chapter of the The National Audubon Society.

We begin the new year with a few glimmers of hope for birds, the environment and us. By taking a couple of simple actions, each of us can make those glimmers a little bit brighter: 

 Take Action for Birds by Friday, Jan. 23!!

1) Oppose -- no later than Friday, Jan. 23 -- a federal plan to vastly expand off-shore oil drilling, including in the high Arctic. More than 200 bird species nest in the Arctic; oil spills and habitat disruption from oil rigs are only two of the ways this plan could prove devastating for birds. You can voice your opposition using forms from Earthjustice or the Center for Biological Diversity. As always, be sure to personalize your comment by changing some of the words or adding your own thoughts. 

If, like me, you sometimes feel your comments will fall on proverbial "deaf ears," take heart: These comments don't just tell the government how you feel; they also help build a case that environmental litigators will use to try to stop the most destructive Trump administration policies in the courts. 

2) Oppose the Senate version of the SPEED Act, a measure that would gut the National Environmental Policy Act, fast-tracking drilling / mining and other potentially destructive projects by eliminating environmental and judicial review and cutting the public out of the decision-making process. Unfortunately, Lehigh Valley Congressman Ryan Mackenzie voted for the SPEED Act To try to make sure it doesn't become law, use this American Bird Conservancy link to contact your Senators.

3) Closer to home, urge your Pennsylvania lawmakers to make our state the first in the nation to ban the highly toxic herbicide Paraquat, which is deadly to birds. A House bill to ban Paraquat -- HB 1135 -- has already been introduced, and a version with bipartisan support is being prepared in the Senate. For more information and to contact your lawmakers, click here. 

Now, for a little good news: The U.S. House and Senate passed a 2026 limited spending package that mostly continues current funding levels for several agencies important to birds -- the Department of Interior, the U.S. Forest Service, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. While far from perfect -- the bill cuts climate research and does nothing to solve chronic agency under-funding, for example -- it is a significant improvement over Trump's request for drastic cuts in environmental programs. 

All of our federal lawmakers voted for this funding bill. When Rep. Mackenzie voted yea, however, it included almost 150 anti-environment riders -- all thankfully removed by the Senate. If you feel motivated to thank Mackenzie for his vote on the bill, be sure to also mention that you were grateful the Senate dumped all the riders, and that you were disappointed in his support of the SPEED Act.  

Thanks, on behalf of the birds!

-- Liz Brensinger, Conservation Chair

Saturday, Jan 17 · 9:00 AM to 11:30 AM EST

These lakes are spring-fed and do not typically freeze, attracting a nice variety of waterfowl in the winter. We will begin at Trexler Memorial Park, and then will drive to a couple other local lakes.

Meet at the Trexler Memorial Park parking lot off Springhouse Road (40.590167, -75.529470)
Leader: Barbara Malt (610-657-2582)

Never miss a guided walk or other LVAS event; become a member of our chapter!

Friday, Jan 16 · 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM EST

For those that missed this LVAS Zoom program on January 16 or those who wish to see it again, use this link to access the program recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gefMHzu2iDc

This talk will provide an overview of dabbling and diving ducks that can be seen in winter in the Lehigh Valley. We will discuss the variety of ducks found here, their habits and habitats, why they are here, and how they survive Pennsylvania winters.

Perfect for beginning and intermediate birders who would like to get to know the wintering ducks.
We hope you can join us.

Never miss a presentation or other LVAS event; become a member of our chapter!

Sat, Jan 10, 2026 · 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM EST

To register for the event, please visit this link:
https://www.lvaudubon.org/shop/cbc4kids

Join the Lehigh Valley Audubon Society for our annual Christmas Bird Count for Kids (CBC4Kids), a fun introduction to birding and community science that teaches kids how to use binoculars, identify common birds, and collect scientific data.

The CBC4Kids is based on the National Audubon Society’s Christmas Bird Count, a 125-year-old citizen science event that has become a cherished holiday tradition for birders nationwide.

Following a short, fun, interactive session learning about birds, citizen science, and how to use binoculars, CBC4Kids participants will form teams and (under the guidance of LVAS members) conduct a bird count in a nearby park. After an hour of birding, everyone will reconvene to tally up the data and share their discoveries.

All children must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

$3.00 per child for Lehigh Valley Audubon Society members and $5 per child for non-members. Subsidy available for students who qualify for free or reduced price lunches.
To register for the event, please visit this link:
https://www.lvaudubon.org/shop/cbc4kids

Please contact education@lvaudubon.org if you have any questions.

We will start in a classroom at Muhlenberg College and then move to a nearby park for the count. Location details will be sent to registered families.

This year will mark the 126th annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count (CBC), the world’s longest-running citizen science project and wildlife census.

The Lehigh Valley Christmas Bird Count will take place on Saturday, December 20, 2025. This will be the 82nd year of our count.

The Lehigh Valley Audubon Society (LVAS) administers the annual Lehigh Valley Christmas Bird Count, and several other counts occur nearby, any of which could use your help!

We are looking for 2 types of volunteer participants in our designated circle, feeder-watchers and extra counters.

Feeder-watchers who live within this circle are needed to accurately identify all species commonly seen in their yard.  They count birds for any length of time on the 20th and report your sightings on a datasheet that we will provide.

Extra counters will be placed on one of our 12 area leaders' teams, within our designated circle, to drive/walk most of the day to count birds.

We hope you can join us!

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact LVAS’s count complier Brandon Swayser at brandon.swayser@davincisciencecenter.org

What is the Christmas Bird Count?

For those of you who are unfamiliar, the CBC is an annual volunteer-run census of birds that takes place across the western hemisphere from December 14th through January 5th every year. It is made up of thousands of local counts, each lasting 24 hours, covering a 15-mile wide diameter circle of land, and organized by a count compiler. Teams of volunteer counters typically split up areas of the circle and drive and/or walk those areas for up to 24 hours straight, recording the birds that they observe. Christmas Bird Counts are rich in tradition and camaraderie, and due to their thorough nature, often turn up some pretty incredible birds! For many birders, the CBC is one of the highlights of their year, a chance to catch up with old friends, see some rare birds, and above all else, contribute meaningful data to one of the worlds’ most powerful conservation science studies.  

That sounds great and all, but isn’t really my cup of tea, how else can I help?

It’s understandable that spending 12+ hours straight birding in the cold isn’t for everyone, but there is another way in which most people can participate, and that is by being a feeder-watcher. Feeder-watchers spend a portion of their area’s count day observing their backyard birdfeeders, or any birds in their yard or local greenspace, and report their sightings to their area’s compiler.

Here are a few easy steps for getting involved as a feeder-watcher: 

1. Determine which (if any) circle your backyard is in by going to:  https://www.audubon.org/community-science/christmas-bird-count/join-christmas-bird-count. Click the bold link on that page that says “click here for a map view of circles expected…” and zoom in to your home area on the map. If you are in a circle on that map, click the yellow bird icon in that circle and you will see the count date, and compiler’s contact info. This map may not be updated until November.

2. Contact the compiler to see if you can sign up to be a feeder-watcher for that count. Don’t wait until the last minute. 

3. On the day of the count, keep a checklist of all bird species you see at your feeders, recording only the highest number of each species that you saw at one time - birds will often visit feeders many times over the course of the day, so this part is important. You also must record your effort - the amount of time that you spent counting birds in your yard and the number of observers who counted with you.

4. Finally, follow your compiler’s instructions (usually a simple email) for reporting your observations. 

Why is the CBC important?

By conducting a standardized survey of birds on the same date, in the same location, with the same methods, and usually by the same people year after year, we gain incredibly valuable data on long term changes in bird populations. CBC data has been the first alert to many population trends over the years and has made an immense impact on avian conservation science. Count data has pointed out downward population trends like that of Evening Grosbeaks and Common Grackle and has helped to inform scientists and catalyze the next steps of conservation work to help these species. Additionally, the CBC is a great way to get new birders involved and grow our team of citizen scientists, and hey, it’s fun!

Preview Video Clip of Bart Snyder's Egg Collection, courtesy of Dale and Alison Steventon

In mid-October, 2025, LVAS President, Barbara Malt, received an email from Dale Steventon saying “I am 90 years old. I was president of the Lehigh Valley Audubon Society in 1977 to 1980. I would like to share several things with you...” Barbara and LVAS History Committee Chair, Betty Abrams, met with Dale and his wife, Alison, in their home in Schnecksville on November 10th.

During their visit, Dale kindly shared an hour-long video that he and Alison recorded in 1993 while visiting Bart Snyder’s museum of wildlife specimens. Snyder (1906-1998) was a member of LVAS and an amateur ornithologist and oologist – a person who studies or collects bird eggs. His personal museum, the largest private collection of its kind in North America, included mounted birds and more than 16,000 eggs representing more than 500 different species. Most specimens included valuable scientific data, including when, where, and by whom they were collected.

A 1987 Morning Call article offers some background on Snyder and his unique collection: “Snyder began his unusual hobby at age 14 when his cousin gave him a set of eggs. Later he became acquainted with oologists all over the country and traded specimens, thereby enhancing his collection. Only about 20 percent of the inventory was collected by Snyder himself. He’s long maintained state and federal licenses necessary for collecting and keeping the specimens, which have been emptied of their contents and rest on beds of foam mulch in cabinets in Snyder’s basement. Although legal at one time, for many years it’s been against the law to take eggs from nests – a point that Snyder underscores each time he speaks to students.”

The contents of Snyder’s collection have since been donated to various research institutions and organizations, including Muhlenberg College. This is a preview of the full video, which offers a rare glimpse of Snyder’s full collection while it was still on display in his West Allentown home.

LVAS thanks Dale and Alison for documenting Snyder’s collection and sharing this video. To view the full-length video, check out Lehigh Valley Audubon Society’s YouTube channel or visit this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCtMlOxdqYE

LVAS has been documenting our local birds for over ninety years and published data in a book, Birds of the Lehigh Valley and Vicinity.

The fully revised 3rd edition is now available for preorder here in our online Shop!

The book is currently at the printer, and we hope to ship in time for Christmas or shortly thereafter. Either way, be one of the first to receive this brand new edition of our popular guidebook (6,000 copies sold since first published)!

Blue Mountain Ski Area

1660 Blue Mountain Dr · Palmerton, PA

Meet at the overlook, just past the Slope Side Grill and Bar. Dress warm as it is usually colder at hawk watching sites. If conditions aren't good for hawk migration then we will go for a bird walk in the valley below. For hawk watching there is no hiking required. Bring drink and snacks. There are heated bathrooms in the ski lodge. Trip leader is Mark Boyd (610-657-9401)

Leaser Lake is wonderful at all times of the year. This time we will look for waterfowl on the lake and continuing late passerines coming through our area.

We will meet at the parking lot for the North Boat Launch at 8:00 AM. Leaser Lake - North Launch, Ontelaunee Road · New Tripoli, PA

Leader: Frank Dickman 484-695-3887

Scott Harris, Wildlife Photographer and Author of “Raptor Quest” takes us on his journey to find all 53 of the Raptors that call the lower 48 states home. He’ll share his adventures, misadventures, successes and failures during his 17 months of traveling more than 100,000 miles across 34 states. In Scotts words, “It’s about the raptors of course, but it’s also about the people I’ve met and the things I’ve learned.”

If you missed the presentation, you can access the recording here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40vlZ_767j8

Congratulations to our Lehigh University campus affiliate, Mountain Hawk Birding, for officially becoming an Audubon on Campus chapter this week!!

Henry's Woods Trailhead, 426 Belfast Rd · Nazareth, PA

Bird walk through Jacobsburg State Park, a favorite location for many birds in a variety of habitats. Meet at the Henry's Woods parking lot at the park.

Leader: Guy De Bruyn (610-709-4141)