Improptu LVAS Birding Walk at Melchor Tract Park

Saturday, 10/4/25, 7:30 am: Melchor Tract Park, Williams Township, Northampton County

Bird walk at Melchor Tract Park in Williams Township, Northampton County. This park has become one of the premier spots for sparrows in the Lehigh Valley, and Dave will help point out the differences between several different sparrow species that can be found here in October as participants hone their sparrow skills! This is is also a good location for Palm Warblers and Cedar Waxwings in fall.

Leader: Dave DeReamus (484-788-9280). Any questions, please contact Dave.

Meet at: Melchor Tract Park parking lot accessed from Raubsville Road. Note that there is no sign along the road for this park. Address is 935 Raubsville Road, Easton, 18042 and the coordinates for the parking lot are 40.624696, -75.220548. Driveway entrance is 1/4 mile east of the intersection of Springfield Road and Raubsville Road.

Meetup: https://www.meetup.com/lehigh-valley-audubon-society/events/311333994/?eventOrigin=group_upcoming_events

Location via Google Maps: https://www.google.com/maps/place/40%C2%B037'28.9%22N+75%C2%B013'14.0%22W/@40.624696,-75.220548,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m4!3m3!8m2!3d40.624696!4d-75.220548?hl=en&entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI1MDkzMC4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%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!

14th Annual Upper Perkiomen Bird & Wildlife Festival

Saturday, September 27, 2025

14th Annual Upper Perkiomen Bird & Wildlife Festival

11 am - 3 pm @

Green Lane Park, 2298 Green Lane Rd, Green Lane, PA

Free Admission

NORTH AMERICAN RIVER OTTER NATURAL HISTORY And CONSERVATION

NORTH AMERICAN RIVER OTTER NATURAL HISTORY And CONSERVATION

North American River Otter

Learn about the largest member of the weasel family found in our region, the North American River Otter. Uncover their basic natural history, their decline and conservation success story, and more, with cameos from the Da Vinci Science Center’s otters. 

Brandon Swayser, Director of Environmental Science and Living Collections at the Da Vinci Science Center presented this program. 

A great program for the kids!

For those that missed this LVAS program on September 25, 2025 or those who wish to see it again, following is the link to the program recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1mL0-juYHg

7 Communities Reached with Birding Backpacks

The Emmaus Public Library is the newest home to birding backpacks donated by LVAS!

Each kit contains a pair of Kowa binoculars, a field guide and common bird ID sheet, instructions on how to use binoculars in English and Spanish, and a guide to local parks.

We previously supplied kits to Allentown, Bethlehem, and Easton. This summer we expanded our program to Nazareth, Palmerton, and Parkland, and now we’ve included Emmaus.

Be sure to let your friends, neighbors, teachers, and others in these municipalities know that they or their children can check out a kit and give birding a try!

LVAS: September 5th Field Trip to View Chimney Swifts & Follow-up Report

Chimney Swifts photo credit: Peter Saenger

By late summer, Chimney Swifts have left their nest sites and are gathering in large numbers in preparation for migration to South America. The sight of Chimney Swifts gathering at dusk and funneling into communal roosts in chimneys can be impressive. The past week or two has seen good numbers of Swifts at the chimney at Raub Middle School in Allentown.

When: 7:15 p.m. on Friday, September 5. We will be done by 8:15

Where: We will watch from the top of the St. Luke's Hospital parking deck that is directly opposite the school.

Park along the street at Raub Middle School, 102 St. Cloud St., Allentown.  (Please do not use the hospital parking deck unless you are unable to walk or ride the elevator to the top of the deck. ) 

Come up to the top, open floor and look for us across from the school chimney.

This is an accessible field trip for anyone with mobility limitations, since you can drive up to the viewing spot if necessary. Bring a folding chair if you will need to sit down.

Note: Swift numbers can vary a lot as they move through. A large group can be there one day and gone the next. No guarantees!

Chimney Swift viewing trip Report:

DATE: September 5, 2025
Leader: Barbara Malt
Participants: 23

We met to view the Chimney Swifts gathering to roost at the Raub Middle School in Allentown. We were treated to large numbers of swifts congregating and swirling over the chimney. Eventually the swirling cloud of birds became tighter and individuals began to drop into the chimney.

We estimated at least 2,000 Swifts.

Call for "early bird" volunteers!

Do you live or work in Allentown and Have a few extra minutes in the morning?

Care about saving birds from glass collisions?

If so, Lehigh Valley Audubon Society (LVAS) has the perfect short-term volunteer opportunity for you! 

First, a little background: In the U.S. alone, a mind-boggling billion birds a year are estimated to die from flying into glass. (Did you know that LVAS' own Peter Saenger is one of the researchers who came up with that sobering statistic?) Birds are unable to see glass, and many of the features that make buildings attractive to us -- for example, glass facades, plant-filled atria, or beautiful natural landscaping reflected in glass windows or walls -- make buildings especially dangerous for birds.

Bird Victims of Window Collisions

Downtown Allentown already has a number of predominantly glass buildings, and several new glass-facade buildings are planned. To help LVAS better help the birds, we'd like to understand more about the toll the existing glass buildings may be taking on birds, especially during migration.

That's where you (might) come in. We're looking for a few volunteers to conduct a survey starting the last week in August or first week in September and running through mid-October. It would involve spending a few minutes on some early mornings (pre-8 a.m.) checking around several predominantly glass buildings in the downtown for evidence of bird strikes, including dead birds. LVAS would coordinate the effort, provide whatever support may be needed, and let you know what to do if you find an injured bird.    

Please contact us by posting a comment or through our website at: https://www.lvaudubon.org/contact , if you're able to help or would like more information.

Thanks in advance for standing up (or getting up early) for the birds! 

Read more on our website about Bird-Window Collisions.