By Daniel Barringer, Preserve Manager.

I don’t spend a lot of time in the office—there’s a lot of land out there to manage. But in the winter we have reports to fill out, events to plan, and presentations to prepare. So when the weather is icy or extremely cold you may find me in the visitor center barn office.

We use reports to track hazard trees, record preserve visitation, and track every piece of equipment and preserve infrastructure along with its expected lifespan and current condition. Not to mention we document every cent we spend!

I’ve also been keeping up to date a presentation on managing invasive plants, and recently added one on landscaping with native plants; now I’m preparing one on the barns of Crow’s Nest for an event here on March 29.

Speaking of events, last year we held 20 public events here (not including our own summer camps and Nature Clubs, our monthly volunteer days, and not counting outside groups using our facilities). So far in 2025 we have 15 scheduled at Crow’s Nest in the first six months alone, including our always-popular Hepatica Hike, monthly Sound Meditations in the barn, the aforementioned Barns of Crow’s Nest slideshow and hike (a rare opportunity to see inside the barns), a Mycology Foray with Tianna Godsey, Fairy Village Crafting with Devon Funt, Birding with Jeff and Angela in May, and our Contra Dance in June. More events are constantly being added and we’re working on our fall lineup now. And you heard it here first: we’re super-excited to be planning a barn concert with singer-songwriter Edie Carey on December 5. You can see all of our events here.

So amid the paperwork you might imagine my delight to have a visitor in the office, a tiny reptile. That’s the ring-necked snake (Diadophis punctatus edwardsii) pictured above and, for scale with a pen, below. They’re common, though usually they’re under leaves and rocks, so we don’t see them all that often. This one showed up by my desk in the office, and was returned to the wild under some leaves in a protected spot (where it may very well find a way inside again). With an office in a converted barn, wildlife makes a regular appearance.

By Daniel Barringer, Preserve Manager. 

Despite some rough weather in the last few weeks we had a decent day for February’s hardy volunteers at Crow’s Nest Preserve. We went back to a hedgerow that had been done a few years ago and cut shrub honeysuckle from the understory. Since it had been cut before the sprouts were smaller and we covered a lot of ground in a short time.

We pick this spot for occasional winter projects because it is on a south-facing slope to take advantage of the of the sun and shelter from the wind. We didn’t have sun on this day but we kept moving and kept warm. We are so grateful for all the work we accomplish with volunteers. Join us if you can on the first Wednesday of most months from 9 – 11:30 am.

By Daniel Barringer, Preserve Manager. 

Assistant Educator and Land Steward Devon Funt has prepared a presentation about the native woodland garden she designed and installed with volunteers, located on a bank above the parking area at Crow’s Nest Preserve’s Warwick Woods. We were able to find some photos—from December 2020 and June 2024—showing the dramatic change. Above is a screenshot of what it looks like; the red arrows point to the same tree for reference.

This restoration and garden have appeared on this blog before, but I don’t think we captured the change as dramatically as Devon has here. This year the woodland wildflowers and ferns should begin to fill in and we’ll be able to document an even more dramatic change. Look for an update here, or better yet, come to Warwick Woods to see the gardens in person!

 

 

By Daniel Barringer, Preserve Manager.

We’re pleased to say we’re all cleared out at Crow’s Nest Preserve. Cody started plowing last evening and resumed this morning. The visitor center walkways have been shoveled a couple of times. So if you are interested in doing a little cross-country skiing or getting outdoors in some sunny, beautiful scenery, we are here.

That said, at this writing (10:45 am) I haven’t seen a single car go by, other than Natural Lands staff. So conditions on public roads may not be great. And keep in mind that the gravel parking lot we can plow most of the surface snow off of, but gravel can’t be plowed down to expose all the stone without digging up and damaging the surface, so the parking lot is a thin layer of snow and stone.

by volunteer Kathy Dale. 

National Audubon’s Christmas Bird Count has been conducted since the year 1900. The program began as an alternative to the Christmas Day “side-hunts” that were common at that time. These side-hunts involved a competition between teams of hunters to bring in the biggest pile of feathered quarry on Christmas day. The early part of the 20th century saw a decrease in many birds including species of herons and the Passenger Pigeon. This decline resulted in the efforts to develop laws to protect birds, including the Migratory Bird Treaty Act which is still in force today. In 1900 Frank Chapman, an early officer in the then-nascent Audubon Society, proposed a new holiday tradition—a “Christmas Bird Census” that would count birds during the holidays rather than hunt them. 

Over the years the data collected has been invaluable to determining the population trends of North American wintering species, which has been helpful to federal, state, and local land managers and conservation professionals to develop their management strategies. To date, more than 300 peer-reviewed articles have been produced using the data collected on the Christmas Bird Count (CBC).

Audubon’s Christmas Bird Count now occurs in 20 countries across the western hemisphere from December 14 to January 5 every year. The countries of Central and South America joined in the CBC during the 1970s. (Note that in the southern hemisphere the count period occurs during their summer.)

The West Chester CBC (in which Stroud Preserve is contained) is defined by a 15-mile diameter circle centered on the West Chester Friends meeting house. All CBC locations are defined as a circle. The West Chester Count is sponsored and run by the West Chester Bird Club and has been conducted since 1902.

In order to conduct the surveys over the entire circle the West Chester count is organized by two “compilers” that recruit volunteers, collate all of the data, vet all of the observations, and submit the data to National Audubon. The circle compilers, Merle Tanis and Dorothy Bedford, arrange teams of birders into 13 sectors within the circle. Volunteers in each sector survey as much of the area as possible within the one count-day to document all bird species and numbers of birds of each species seen or heard. Stroud Preserve is in Sector 8, and is a very important part of the territory as Natural Lands manages it for wildlife. 

On December 14, 2024, our intrepid small team of three people covered as much of Stroud Preserve as we could, walking around the marshy areas and along edges of many fields and forest.  Some of the species seen at Stroud that day include:

• American Goldfinch
• American Robin
• Black Vulture
• Blue Jay
• Brown Creeper
• Canada Goose
• Carolina Chickadee
• Carolina Wren
• Dark-eyed Junco
• Downy Woodpecker
• Eastern Bluebird
• Golden-crowned Kinglet
• Hermit Thrush
• Northern Cardinal
• Northern Flicker
• Red-bellied Woodpecker
• Red-shouldered Hawk
• Red-tailed Hawk
• Song Sparrow
• Tufted Titmouse
• Turkey Vulture
• White-breasted Nuthatch
• White-throated Sparrow
• Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

One species we typically see at Stroud during the CBC that is iconic is the Hermit Thrush. This is a bird that is found during the winter here but spends its breeding season far north in Canada. It is an unassuming bird, but one that is more likely to be seen at Stroud Preserve and other similar preserves, than in your backyard as it is not a feeder bird. In fact, southern Chester County is the northern edge of its winter range!

The edges of the forest and shrubs along the central path at Stroud can be very productive for birds like Eastern Bluebird, Song Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, Red-Bellied Woodpecker, and Carolina Chickadee among other birds. Other very “birdy” areas at Stroud include the marshy area near the parking lot that fronts Creek Road (along the purple trail) and the  marshy area where the red and yellow trails meet in the center of the preserve. But you are likely to see birds anywhere in the preserve as there is such varied habitat.

My husband and I have been birding for the West Chester CBC since 2001 and, before that, multiple counts in the Washington, D.C. area since the 1980s. We enjoy trying to find the birds during this time of year when the trees are bare and it is easier to see them. It is a chance to see some birds that only visit during this colder time of year, like the Hermit Thrush and White-throated Sparrow. This year we were joined by biology student Sophie Nieblum home from college on holiday break. It was helpful to have more eyes and ears to identify all the bird activity!

 

By Kit Werner, Senior Director of Communications.

Bamboo is a genus of invasive plants from Asia that are extremely difficult to remove. Like all invasive plants, this quick-growing grass takes over where it’s planted, displacing native species and, by extension, the insects and other wildlife that rely on those native plants.

A few of our nature preserve have bamboo on them, hard-to-kill relics of a time before the lands were under Natural Lands’ care.

Our land stewardship experts have found the best way to remove bamboo is to cut the plant and apply an herbicide to the cut “stumps.” Sometimes repeat application is required.

By cutting the bamboo as close to the ground as possible, we take away the plant’s ability to photosynthesize, which starves and weakens the plant. The downside is that it’s very labor intensive. Fortunately, we had the help of a wonderful group of volunteers aiding our staff with a recent bamboo banishment effort at Stroud Preserve. Several folks from our Force of Nature® volunteer team were joined by PECO and Mattioni Plumbing, Heating, and Cooling on a warm day. Armed with loppers, they flush-cut the thick stalks of bamboo. Later on, staff applied an herbicide to the cut stems. (Thank you, amazing volunteers!)

In many townships in our region, planting bamboo is a violation of township zoning code. Check in your township and, if it’s not yet listed, consider encouraging your township supervisors to ban this invasive plant.

By Daniel Barringer, Preserve Manager.

Chester County last had an outbreak of Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (EHD) in deer in 2018. In 2024 there were also a somewhat unusual number of dead deer found in the area. Some of those have been tested and the Pennsylvania Game Commission has determined that a few of them had EHD.

EHD is caused by a virus that is spread by midges that are not native to Pennsylvania but blow in occasionally from the south. Outbreaks don’t normally happen often enough here for deer that exhibit some resistance to pass that trait on to subsequent generations, so this disease has a high mortality rate for deer in our area.

The midges breed in mud so the disease is sometimes worst in dry years, when deer congregate near the little remaining surface water and are exposed to them in the diminishing mud flats. This year was about as dry as any in memory. There is no vaccine that will inoculate deer. There is no cure once infected, though some exposed deer will survive. The disease ran its course until the vector—the midges—were killed by frost.

The extreme outbreak in 2018 resulted in much smaller deer populations and this was noticeable in the reduced amount of browse in the forest. There was distinctly more forest regeneration in the few years after that until deer numbers gradually rose again.

Humans are reportedly not affected by the virus, though people who hunt should avoid exposure to outwardly sick deer as there could be secondary pathogens to which they could be exposed. Deer exhibit symptoms within seven days of exposure, according to the PA Game Commission, and succumb 8 to 36 hours after that.

This year was not like 2018, but until frost we were monitoring deer populations around Crow’s Nest Preserve and requesting dead ones be tested. (Note that the deer in the photo above is just one that walked past our trail camera; there’s nothing to suggest it was a deer with EHD.)

Claudia Winters, Natural Lands’ assistant preserve manager for Sadsbury, Willisbrook, and Green Hills Preserves, is a self-professed birder. But really, she is a wildlifer. She has a passion for myriad critters and the natural areas that protect and sustain them.

Claudia’s appreciation for the outdoors began at an early age. “Starting when I was very young, I would climb the pine trees out in the yard. I was so small that I could get almost all the way to the top. From 50 feet up, I would look out over the surrounding farms and fields as the tree top swayed in the wind.”

As a bird lover, she’s kept looking out and up, usually with binoculars at the ready.

Except when it comes to looking for Bobolinks, Eastern Meadowlarks, or Grasshopper Sparrows during spring breeding season. These native songbird species all build their nests on the ground, tucked between clumps of meadow grasses. To spot these tiny nests, Claudia has to look down and be careful where she steps.

“They pick a spot, usually a little depression in the ground, and then weave dried grasses into a tiny cup-shaped nest,” said Claudia. “They’re so well camouflaged.”

Nationwide, grassland birds are struggling. Researchers estimate many species have lost more than half their population since 1970. One quarter of these are “Tipping Point Species”: birds that are predicted to lose another 50 percent of their population in the next 50 years.

These bird species spend their winters in the southern U.S., Central, or South America. They migrate north in the spring to breed in the grasslands of the northern U.S. and southern Canada. With the decline of native prairies and meadows, these species have adapted well to hayfields and pastures. However, as more farms are lost to development, grassland species are struggling to survive.

Fortunately, the meadows and farm fields of Natural Lands’ preserves are ideal nesting habitat for ground-nesting birds. That is, of course, unless the land is mowed before the baby birds have fledged.

“We can control when we mow our fields or when our farmers harvest their crops. All Natural Lands properties with native grassland or farmland are managed through delayed mowing practices with a ‘no-mow before’ date of July 15th,” said Claudia. “But we need to spread the word to other landowners and farmers if we’re going to give these birds a fighting chance.”

That’s why Natural Lands has joined up with Willistown Conservation Trust (WCT) to partner on the Grassland Bird Collaboration, which WCT launched in 2022. With a grant from the Cornell Land Trust Bird Conservation Initiative, the Collaboration reaches out to Chester County property owners and the farmers who work these lands. “We work with these partners to provide guidance on best management practices to benefit the three focal species: Bobolink, Eastern Meadowlark, and Grasshopper Sparrow,” said Claudia.

One of the most vital land management practices is to delay mowing during the breeding period. Mowing before birds complete their nesting cycle removes available habitat. Implementing a “no-mow” period when there are babies and fledglings in a field allows young birds to develop in a safe environment before the nesting grounds are disturbed.

So far, the Collaboration has enrolled more than 1,000 acres of privately held land to participate in “bird-sensitive” field management practices. The goal is to expand that number to 1,500 acres.

Chester County is well positioned to support this conservation effort thanks to local mushroom farms and their demand for mulch hay. Mushroom houses prefer later-season hay that has been left to mature and dry in the fields. Providing for the mushroom market creates a double benefit: less disruption both to farming practices and to grassland birds during their crucial breeding period.

“The unique local agricultural market provides a great opportunity to work with farmers to meet our conservation goals,” says Zoë Warner, project manager for the Grassland Bird Collaboration. “This enables us to increase the wildlife benefit of conserved land within a large contiguous preservation belt. The land will not simply be ‘open space.’ It will provide valuable and essential breeding grounds to help reverse the precipitous decline of grassland birds.”

“These birds don’t just rely on our fields and meadows for nesting. They also use them as stopover sites or staging grounds, before or during migration,” said Claudia, who coordinates Natural Lands’ involvement in the Grassland Bird Collaboration, including monitoring breeding pairs of grassland species at Bryn Coed, ChesLen, and Stroud Preserves. “We found that Bobolinks, in particular, feast on insects and seeds in preparation for their 6,000-mile journey back to South America. Especially when most of the surrounding fields have been mowed, the grasslands enrolled in the program are a lifeline to these amazing animals.”

aiding in the effort.

Volunteers Mike Niven and Kristen Cooney, both members of Natural Lands’ Force of Nature®, are also trained volunteer bird surveyors and serve an important role with the Grassland Bird Collaboration.

Mike and Kristen collect and submit data using eBird—a free, online program that allows users to track bird species—at designated monitoring sites on both nature preserves and private properties enrolled in the Grassland Bird Collaboration program. Like fellow surveyors, they follow specific protocols to record all avian observations. Their monitoring focuses on Bobolinks; Eastern Meadowlarks; Horned Larks; and Grasshopper, Field, and Savannah Sparrows.

Said Mike Niven, “I really enjoyed assisting with the collaboration because it allowed me to see how the scientific process works and gives me a sense of accomplishment knowing that I am potentially helping. I know that it will take years to make a difference, but I am looking forward to seeing if some of these species return to Chester County in higher numbers.”

By Kit Werner, Senior Director of Communications.

Saunders Woods Preserve in Gladwyne welcomed a collection of original paintings by local artist Ann Hopkins Wilson earlier this year. The nature-inspired works were displayed for six months along the walking trails there, carefully lashed to the trunks of mature trees.

Once an abstract painter focused on universal geometric patterns binding nature and man, Ms. Wilson has moved to incorporate animal imagery into her work. “It is an urgent response to the depletion of species and habitats locally and worldwide,” she says. “My paintings are prayers to protect, honor, and preserve our natural world.”

It is fitting that Saunders Woods was the temporary home for this collection, which has also been displayed at Bartram’s Garden and Awbury Arboretum. Lawrence and Dorothy Saunders, who donated the property to Natural Lands in 1988, always wanted their 25-acre “Little Farm,” as they called it, to welcome the community and to be a place where nature would inspire art and education.

Said Martha Moore, Natural Lands’ engagement director, “We’re always looking for creative ways to help people enjoy our preserves and understand the scope of our work. Saunders Woods is a beautiful place to visit any time, but Ann Wilson’s work added a new dimension. We were delighted to have her pieces grace our trees for a time. Her art serves as a unique reminder to our preserve visitors of how saving open space and caring for it well protects the natural world that supports us all.”

By Kit Werner, Senior Director of Communications. 

Crow’s Nest Preserve Manager Dan Barringer looks out across the meadow that was, until recently, a large inground swimming pool. Wildflowers are just beginning to emerge through the cover crop of rye. “It took 150 truckloads of donated fill to cover the site,” he notes. “New meadows never look great the first year after seeding, but next year it should be stunning.”

Just behind him, a group of exuberant 9- and 10-year-olds—part of Crow’s Nest’s summer camp program—shout and laugh as they build shelters, swings, and hammocks among the trees.

This is Warwick Woods, an 82-acre wooded property that was added to Crow’s Nest Preserve in early 2020. It was once the site of a private campground that had 150 campsites and seven major buildings, including a general store, game room, bath houses, pavilion, and swimming pool. When the campsite’s owners decided it was time for them to close their business and sell the land, Natural Lands jumped on the opportunity to conserve it by adding it to the adjacent preserve.

Just four years later, barely a trace of the campground’s infrastructure remains. A total of 27,000 square feet of impervious surface was removed, along with four wells, 150 electric meters, water spigots at every campsite, and overhead utility lines and poles.

“It took a lot of people to return this land to a more natural state,” offers Dan. “In addition to staff effort, strong partnerships and amazing volunteers are to thank for these results.”

Staff from a neighboring stone quarry owned by Polycor, Inc. donated time and equipment to remove all the man-made structures, and their community connections made possible the donation of clean fill for the in-ground pool.

Junior ROTC youth from nearby Owen J. Roberts High School worked to create a trail through the former campsite and picked up debris left behind after the structures were demolished. They also pulled invasive garlic mustard and hauled out broken equipment from the woods.

Natural Lands’ own Force of Nature® volunteers have spent many hours at the site. They planted a native woodland garden on the embankment where the general store once stood, transforming the space from dump to divine. They also helped cut down invasive giant reed (phragmites) along the edge of a large pond on the property and planted a “habitat island” buffer of young trees, fenced as a group to prevent deer browse. And, of course, they picked up seemingly endless demolition debris.

Says Dan, “There was one volunteer day of digging debris out of the ground when our Force of Nature crew was covered ears-to-toes in mud, but they were grinning the whole time.”

While Natural Lands is perhaps most known for preserving and caring for land, the organization also prioritizes connecting people with nature and each other. The Warwick Woods restoration has engaged a wide variety of people already and will continue to do so. By investing their time and resources in the project, these friends deepen their relationship with the natural world and their commitment to Natural Lands’ mission.

For visitors that want to see the Warwick Woods addition—which brings the total acreage of Crow’s Nest to 712—the best access is via a section of the Horse-Shoe Trail that passes through Crow’s Nest Preserve for 6/10 of a mile. The entrance is just west of Trythall Road. We are also building a trail that connects Crow’s Nest Deep Woods Trail to Warwick Woods via the Horse-Shoe Trail from the northwest. One more Eagle Scout project to add boardwalks will complete that section of trail. Also look for upcoming events—including more volunteer opportunities—planned for this sylvan space in the coming months and years.

“It’s a truly spectacular setting, filled with songbirds, diabase boulders, and ephemeral pools teeming with life,” Dan shares. And, on a hot July afternoon, an ebullient group of summer campers couldn’t agree more.

This preserve addition was made possible by Chester County – Preservation Partnership Program, PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR), RJM Foundation, Warwick Township, and the Virginia Cretella Mars Foundation.