You may sign up for a field trip during registration. Each field trip will initially be capped at ten participants and registration will be first come, first serve. If there is a high level of interest in specific trips, we will try to expand capacity if possible.

Dorothy Rider Pool Wildlife Sanctuary

June 20, 4:00–5:30 pm

Free

This very local trip with easy trails will make for convenient, relaxing birding on arrival day. DRPWS is the headquarters of a local land trust and environmental education group, Wildlands Conservancy. On this roughly 80-acre property bordered by the Little Lehigh Creek, we will visit several habitat types, including meadow, deciduous forest, riparian and suburban-backyard. Species of interest we may encounter include breeding Great-crested Flycatcher, Scarlet Tanager, Baltimore Oriole, and Common Merganser. Wildlands Conservancy staff will introduce you to the organization’s impressive body of conservation work in the region.

Trexler Nature Preserve

June 21, 6:00–8:15 am

$35.25 (includes transportation and boxed breakfast)

We will visit one of the crown jewels of the Lehigh County Parks system, the sprawling and history-rich Trexler Nature Preserve. We’ll begin at the North Range of the preserve and visit restored grassland habitat and some standing dead timber. If time permits, we will take a short drive to Trexler Environmental Center in the Central Range for more grassland birding and a tour of this LEED certified building. Species of interest we may encounter include Red-headed Woodpecker, American Kestrel, and Field and Savannah Sparrow. Note that this trip may include some brief, steep uphill walking.

Jacobsburg State Park & Environmental Education Center

June 21, 6:00–8:30 am

$36.25 (includes transportation and boxed breakfast)

This large state park, approximately 30 minutes from Allentown, features a state of the art environmental education center, busy bird blind, old growth hemlock forest, and a well-maintained native pollinator garden. Species of interest include Indigo Bunting, Scarlet Tanager, breeding thrushes and woodpeckers and warblers including Louisiana Waterthrush. Moderately easy trails.

Leaser Lake County Park

June 22, 6:00–8:30 am

$36.25 (includes transportation and boxed breakfast)

At this impressive Lehigh County Park and surrounding habitat near the Kittatinny Ridge, about 30 minutes from Allentown, we will visit diverse habitats including deciduous forest where we may encounter breeding warblers not typically found in the Lehigh Valley including Hooded and Worm-eating Warbler, wetland and lake habitat with Osprey, Bald Eagle, and Purple Martin, and grassland habitat with Bobolink, Grasshopper Sparrow and Eastern Meadowlark. Moderately easy trails.

Ballas Park

June 22, 6:00–8:15 am

$37.25 (includes transportation and boxed breakfast)

About 30 minutes from Allentown, this small township park is the site of an impressive native wildflower meadow restoration. The fields will be in full bloom with Kittatinnny Ridge as a backdrop. Diverse bird life including American Kestrel, Orchard Oriole, Bobolink and Field Sparrow  may be seen. Flat, easy trails.

Hawk Mountain Sanctuary

June 23, 6:00 am–2:30 pm

$52.56 (includes transportation and boxed breakfast and lunch)

Hawk Mountain Sanctuary, the world’s first refuge dedicated to the conservation of raptorial birds, was founded in 1934 by Rosalie Edge. The sanctuary consists of 2,600 acres of deciduous forest, grasslands and boulder fields and hosts over 60,000 visitors per year, most during fall migration when thousands of raptors pass by the famous North Lookout. A local-to-global approach to raptor conservation educates the public, conducts research, initiates innovative conservation strategies here at home and across the globe and sponsors an acclaimed internship program for young raptor biologists from around the world.  

We will walk to the North Lookout (1 mile rocky walk, bring water and good hiking shoes/boots), view a Broad-winged Hawk nest, observe Chickadee and Kestrel banding demos, and visit the visitor center’s book store and native plant garden. 

Pocono Hotspots

June 23, 6:00 am–2:00 pm

$55.56 (includes transportation, and boxed breakfast and lunch)

This trip will take us about an hour north of Allentown to the diverse and healthy habitats of the Poconos. At Cherry Valley National Wildlife Refuge we may encounter Bobolink, Eastern Meadowlark, American Kestrel, and many breeding early successional songbird species including Willow Flycatcher. In the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area we may encounter breeding Cerulean Warbler, Hooded Warbler, Worm-eating Warbler, Northern Parula, Louisiana Waterthrush, Black-billed Cuckoo, Broad-winged Hawk and more. If time allows we may visit other local spots for secretive wetland songbirds like Canada Warbler and Northern Waterthrush. Varied, easy to moderate trails. Seeing over 75 bird species is possible on this trip.