Great Backyard Bird Count Party at the Bethlehem Public Library

We had a big turnout of about 65 participants for this year’s Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) party at the Bethlehem Area Public Library!

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!

Join LVAS Great Backyard Bird Count Party at Bethlehem Public Library on Feb. 14th

Please join Lehigh Valley Audubon Society for this year's Great Backyard Bird Count Party, in a brand new format!

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.**

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.

Learn with LVAS at the Great Backyard Bird Count on Saturday, February 15th!

Join Lehigh Valley Audubon Society for the Great Backyard Bird Count Party at Wildlands Conservancy in Emmaus

February 15th, 10 am - 2 pm

Stay as little or as long as you like!


We’ll be counting birds from 10 - 2 in heated comfort in the Trexler Education Building. Outdoor walks at 10:30 and 12:30. Live education birds up close and personal at 11:30 and 1:30!

Never miss an event, volunteer opportunity or the latest news, become an LVAS member &/or volunteer!

2025 Great Backyard Bird Count Event Flyer

10th Annual CBC4Kids Registration Open Now

Save the date – January 11, 2025!  Lehigh Valley Audubon Society’s tenth annual Christmas Bird Count for Kids (CBC4Kids) is coming up!  A great antidote to the post-holiday letdown for kids. 

Space is limited, so register early!

CBC4KIDS 2023

Barbara Malt

Originally Published in January - March 2024 Quarterly Newsletter of The Lehigh Valley Audubon Society

Photo of CBC4Kids Participants 2023

Another CBC4Kids is in the books! We were lucky with the weather – the field count part of the activities took place after the night’s rain ended and before the high winds really kicked up . Our teams this year were the Gnarly Nuthatches, Ninja Crows, and Marauding Mallards . They spotted 355 birds, of 37 different species! Highlights included Bald Eagle, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, and American Wigeon . As usual, we wrapped up with a tally and sharing favorite sightings, snacks, and a visit to the Muhlenberg bird museum . Kudos to the nine children and their family members who turned out despite somewhat dire weather predictions . And thank you to the LVAS volunteers who helped in the classroom and in the field – Mark Boyd, Felice Cragin, Dan Pokras, and Paul Sherrer . (Organized by Barbara Malt and Chad Schwartz with assistance from Peter Saenger)