CANCELLED -- Birding Trip to Beltzville State Park

Due to the extremely cold weather forecast and the frozen lake, the trip to Beltzville State Park is CANCELLED. 

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

Photo of a male Ruddy Duck by Dave DeReamus

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!

12th Annual CBC4Kids Held!

Saturday, January 10, 2026 dawned with a threat of rain. Luckily, the rain held off until just after Lehigh Valley Audubon Society’s 12th annual CBC4Kids was over!

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. 

One of 3 bird counting teams of children who participated in Lehigh Valley Audubon Society’s 12th annual CBC4Kids on January 10, 2026

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.

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

LVAS Environmental/Conservation Note:

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

Bird Watching Field Trip to Allentown Lakes

join lvas president, Barbara Malt, to check out some local lakes in Allentown for waterfowl and other birds.

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.

Bufflehead photo by Dave DeReamus

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!

Winter Ducks of Pennsylvania Presentation

learn about wintering ducks.

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

Northern Pintail Photo credit: Mick Thompson

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!

Registration Open Now for CBC4Kids on January 10th

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.