Barnegat Birding Trip with DVOC

Since March 2004, Upper Main Line YMCA's Earth Service Corps has joined the Delaware Valley Ornithological Club (DVOC) for an annual birding trip to Barnegat, NJ. The day historically has provided up-close views of birds wintering in Barnegat Inlet, providing for some fantastic photo opportunities.

The trip also has included Brigantine/Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge but this year we were unable to access the site due to road damage incurred within the Refuge from Superstorm Sandy this past fall. We replaced this site with exploring the Absecon Inlet in Atlantic City.

In what may have been the nicest weather we have ever experienced in the nine years of attending this trip, this past Saturday started out cold and windy on the jetty but quickly warmed up for a sunny late winter day at the shore. Chris Walters and Frank Windfelder, legendary trip leaders from DVOC, joined the UMLY staff of myself, Brian "BQ" Quindlen, and Mike Mostello to lead our YESC students on a day that ticked off a few lifers for some of us. A few DVOC members also joined the group, including Win Shafer.

Highlights of the day included Harlequin Ducks, Red-breasted Mergansers, Long-tailed Ducks, Great Cormorants, Horned Grebe, Red-throated Loons, Common Loons, Brant, Boat-tailed Grackles (just for Frank!), Buffleheads, Northern Shovelers, Iceland Gull (lifer for me), Great Black-backed Gulls, Purple Sandpipers, Dunlins, Ruddy Turnstones, Willets, and Marbled Godwits.

 Long-tailed Duck

 Common Loon

 Red-breasted Merganser

 Harlequin Ducks

 Ruddy Turnstone

 Brant

 Purple Sandpiper

 Harlequin Duck

 Ruddy Turnstone

 Horned Grebe

Working our way down the jetty.

The team battling the surf and wind at the end of the jetty.

 Great Cormorant

 Purple Sandpiper

BQ 

Great Black-backed Gulls

Iceland Gull

 Dunlin

Herring Gull

YESC Waste Management Mid-Atlantic Field Trip Report

Hey gang,

On February 2nd, 2013, YESC embarked on our first-ever field trip to the Waste Managment Mid-Atlantic Facility in Morrisville, PA. The purpose of the trip was to sharpen our gull identification skills in preparation for the World Series of Birding. Check out a video interview with our YESC President, Ben Bussmann, who summarizes what we got ourselves into:


Check out our stacked eBird checklist from the trip! Highlights include Iceland Gull, Glaucous Gull, Lesser Black-Backed Gull, Bald Eagle, and some healthy totals of winter waterfowl:

Waste Management Landfill, Bucks, US-PA
Feb 2, 2013 10:00 AM - 2:50 PM
Protocol: Traveling
11.0 mile(s)
Comments:     Observed in Waste Management Facilities and surrounding area.
29 species (+1 other taxa)

Canada Goose  X
Gadwall  5
Mallard  10
Bufflehead  18
Common Merganser  7
Pied-billed Grebe  1
Great Blue Heron  2
Accipiter sp.  1
Bald Eagle  2
Red-tailed Hawk  4
American Coot  12
Ring-billed Gull  X
Herring Gull  X
Iceland Gull  4
Lesser Black-backed Gull  X
Glaucous Gull  2     Two first cycle birds showing bi-colored bill, pale legs, white wingtips, and very light brown and white mantle. Plumages noticeably lighter in color and were equivalent in size to surrounding immature herring gulls.
Great Black-backed Gull  X
Rock Pigeon  1
Mourning Dove  20
Belted Kingfisher  1
Downy Woodpecker  1
American Crow  X
Fish Crow  X
Tufted Titmouse  4
European Starling  X
Song Sparrow  2
White-throated Sparrow  1
Dark-eyed Junco  8
Northern Cardinal  5
Red-winged Blackbird  1

To say the least, it was an excellent trip! A wonderful total that featured some life list birds for many people (myself included!) Yet again, another amazing YESC adventure!

- BQ

American Birding Association Mid-Atlantic Young Birder Conference

Hey gang,

This past weekend, YESC members ventured to the first-ever American Birding Association Mid-Atlantic Young Birder Conference! The conference was held at the Ashland Nature Center in Hockessin, Delaware and featured a day full of incredible workshops, presentations, guest speakers, and of course... birding!

After a morning bird walk and opening remarks, the conference kicked off with a morning of presentations. Two presentations ran at the same time with one focusing on beginner birders and the other targeting more experienced birders. These concurrent presentations focused on field identification, types of optics, and an interesting segment on pursuing birding as a career.

 Derek Stoner of the Delaware Dunlins presents "Tails of Mistaken Identity: Birds of Different Feathers" to conference participants

 After two morning sessions, all participants met at the Ashland Nature Center Hawk Watch for a session on identifying birds of prey in flight. Highlights included red-shouldered hawk and bald eagle!

YESC takes a break from identifying birds of prey to strike a pose!

After our morning at the Hawk Watch, we were treated to additional presentations and a speech from the 2012 ABA Young Birder of the Year, Marie McGhee. Marie recapped the highlights of her past birding year reflecting upon challenges of identification and the importance of field notes as a growing birder. An inspiring speech that motivated both participants and staff here at YESC!

We then enjoyed a lunch at the Hawk Watch (since we are able to bird while eating) before returning for additional sessions.

 

YESC members Ben Bussmann and Alex Heerding observe the study skins of birds of prey during "Do You Geek Hawks?" by Dr. Jean Woods

To close out the day, ABA President Jeff Gordon gave a rousing introduction to the conference's keynote speaker, the editor of Bird Watcher's Digest, Bill Thompson III. In addition to some wise words, Bill treated the audience to an excellent musical performance. 

 American Birding Association President Jeff Gordon

 Bill Thompson III reminds us to not let our babies grow up to be cowbirds!

Overall, the American Birding Association Mid-Atlantic Young Birder Conference was a great success! Over one-hundred forty people came and participated in the event. I want to send a special thank you to Bill Stewart, Jeff Gordon, and everyone at the American Birding Association who worked tirelessly to create such an inspiring and wonderful event!

 YESC members posing with Bill Thompson III

Until next time, bird up and get involved!

- BQ

 

YESC Canoe Adventure 2012

Hey gang,

On August 7th, 2012, YESC embarked on our very first canoe camping trip on the Susquehanna River in beautiful central Pennsylvania! The YMCA Earth Service Corps of Discovery II consisted of Alex, Kirsten, Emily, Yusuf, Harrison, Austin, Zach, Annalie, and myself over a physically strenuous four day, three night paddling experience of a lifetime.

The gear loaded up on the first day! We had to bring all of our food, water, and personal gear with us in our canoes.

Some serious guys out on the water!

 Every night we stayed on a different island in the Susquehanna River Trail System. Our first day was an eight mile paddle, and this was our first campsite location on Campsite Island 112. You can see master chefs Alex and Emily making our dinner: beans, cheese, Spanish rice, and chips. Spectacular!

Master navigator Kirsten on day two! Our second campsite was more difficult to find than the first, which made our arrival that much sweeter. After a ten and a half mile paddle, we were very excited to arrive until we realized our campsite was pretty overgrown.

As you can see, quite overgrown! A mix of Japanese Knotweed and Poison Ivy (yikes!) When we arrived, we had to clear space for our tents and gear to fit on the site. We then enjoyed a delicious dinner of mac & cheese and mashed potatoes.

A little post-dinner YMCA from Yusuf, Alex, Kirsten, and Zach!

The third day of our adventure was by far the toughest. We paddled twelve miles, which was our longest distance for the trip in one day. Also, we were paddling against the wind and made our paddle that much more difficult. We arrived at our third and final campsite for the trip, and my camera ran out of battery! No electricity to charge our devices while on the trip.

On the third night, we enjoyed a delicious dinner of lasagna and biscuits made on the fire! At the conclusion of dinner, dark clouds began to loom on the horizon, and we went into waterproof mode: All personal gear was placed in tents, dry bags were sealed and secured, community gear was properly stored, canoes were tied together and then to a strong tree, and we patiently waited for the storm over some smores on the fire. As we patiently waited for the storm to arrive, I checked the weather map on my phone. The map showed a strong band of storms approaching, bringing with it strong lightning, pea-sized hail, and 20mph winds! After thirty minutes of waiting, the storm never arrived. However, as we looked to our east, we observed an incredible sight over the mountain range. The storm was passing and just missed us! We were treated to the most incredible display of lights as we observed the passing storm from a safe distance. For almost an hour, we sat together and enjoyed this incredible spectacle. What a way to spend the final night of our journey together!

Although storms did arrive around 4:45am that morning, it did not stop us from hitting the water and heading home. After bailing the water out of the canoes, we endured the rain as we paddled down the mighty Susquehanna. Below is a video taken on my phone from our final journey:



The final rapids, known as the Dauphin Narrows, were the sign that we knew we were close to our exit. Conveniently, the narrows were also the most treacherous rapids we encountered! 

 We encountered this popular landmark in the Dauphin Narrows. A replica of the Statue of Liberty! You can oftentimes see this statue from Route 322 when traveling to and from State College.

 We made it through the narrows!

One final group photo with the Statue of Liberty in the background!

After we passed through the narrows, we arrived at the exit for the trip. We unloaded our gear and canoes as we celebrated the completion of this incredible trip!

During our journey, we saw 36 species of birds. The highlights included bald eagle (incredibly high numbers,) caspian tern, common loon, a flock of 32 common mergansers, wood duck, great blue heron, great egret, and black-crowned night heron!

The trip was nothing short of spectacular! The teamwork and leadership skills presented by YESC participants was truly remarkable, and I am very proud of everyone who did such a fantastic job on the trip. As I said before, when the going got tough, YESC got going!

I think the photo of Harrison appropriately represents how we all felt after the trip:

Victory!!!

The YMCA Earth Service Corps of Discovery II was a great success! Looking forward to next year's adventure!

- BQ  

 

 

YESC Eco-Career Exploration was AWESOME!

Hey gang,

The YESC Summer of 2012 has certainly been one for the ages! Among all of the highlights of this summer, one of my personal favorites was our first-ever YESC Eco-Career Exploration week! This five-day program introduced our participants to different professionals in the environmental field. We learned about their career, formal and informal education, and other previous experiences that prepared them for their career. Below are some photos from the week:

YESC met with Andrew Donaldson of Land Studies to learn about the UMLY Property Management Plan

 We also met with Shriner Tree Care to discuss the world of Arboriculture. We then donned our hard hats for a tree removal project! 

Later in the week, we spent a day with Dr. Nate Rice on a tour of the Ornithology Department of the Academy of Natural Sciences! In addition to a tour of the study skins collection, we watched a demonstration on how to skin a bird!

 Bee hummingbird

 Male and female ivory-billed woodpeckers!

 Dr. Rice with an emperor penguin!

 Ben and Dani love their internship! Ben is skinning a hooded merganser, Dani is skinning a common merganser. What a mess!

On Thursday, YESC spent time with Gary Stoltz, the Refuge Manager at John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge. Not only did we have an interesting dialogue about his career, but we were given an awesome driving tour to secluded parts of the refuge to learn more about its unique ecology!

YESC concluded the week at Waterloo Mills Preserve with the Natural Resource Manager for the Brandywine Conservancy, Kevin Fryberger. We were given a tour of the beautiful 170-acre property while we learned new strategies about invasive plant removal and management. Not only did we explore about an environmental career, but we learned new strategies to care for our own Cassatt Preserve back at UMLY!

What an incredible week! Thank you to everyone who attended, and a very special thank you to everyone who volunteered their time to mentor our participants. For those who missed this week, do not worry - we will be doing more career exploration throughout the year and next summer!

Time to finish packing for Tuesday's YESC Canoe Adventure trip. More on that later!

- BQ

YESC Conservation Boot Camp at Okehocking - Great Success!

Hey gang,

On the week of July 2nd, YESC began our second week of Conservation Boot Camp! This time, we spent a week of service at Okehocking Preserve in Willistown, Pennsylvania. We removed invasive vines, braved the heat, and enjoyed an incredibly productive week together!

 

 Invasive wisteria vines are no match for YESC! After only a short time, you can see how our work has greatly improved the life of this tulip poplar tree!

Two out of three weeks of Conservation Boot Camp are complete! Join us from August 13th-17th for our final week of service at UMLY!

- BQ