July’26 - This Month in Bucks Birding
July: Season of the Baby Birds
Catbird is carrying food (ants) to the fledglings
July is officially baby bird season. To avoid attracting predators, birds are often remarkably quiet around their nests—but that doesn’t mean there’s a lack of activity. In fact, breeding behavior is hitting its peak.
Right now, the first brood of fledglings is starting to leave the nest and experience the world on their own. Unfortunately, well-meaning nature enthusiasts often pick them up, assuming they are injured. In reality, a baby bird will happily sit in the exact same spot for hours waiting for its parents to return with food. If you see a baby bird, the best thing you can do is leave it be. Pass the word along to your friends and neighbors so they can help protect our fledgling neighbors, too!
You might be challenged with ID if you are a beginner birder or otherwise. It gives an opportunity to brush up on various plumage patterns of the birds.
Once again, it's a wonderful time to explore Atlas birding, a rewarding way to keep your favorite hobby going strong through the summer months. Barb Stollsteimer has written a fantastic blog post on how to get started with Atlasing — check it out here.
Summer birding is still rewarding if you plan your day and avoid heat and dehydration. Stay cool and well hydrated if you are on a bird walk.
Bird Walks in Bucks County:
(Please check our events page for more information and registration links):
Every Saturday: Bird walks are held at Peace Valley, Churchville, and Silver Lake nature centers. (Please check the nature center websites for specific timings). You can borrow a fully stocked "Birding Backpack" (donated by Bucks County Birders) complete with binoculars and local checklists at the center.
Bi-Weekly Bird Walk at Bucks County Audubon at Honey Hollow. Led by an staff naturalist on the first and third Saturdays of the month. Naturalists explain behavior, songs, field marks, and calls.
July 10th at 8am - Join Barb and Vicky at Nockamixon State Park on Friday, July 10 at 8 am, starting at Parking Lot 13, and find a variety of breeding birds in Bucks County.
Looking for more? There are plenty of other resources for birders—including self-guided walks, birding hotspots, and local bird clubs—available on our website.
July Bird Talk — This month's speaker is Jack Hobe, teaching us how to draw song birds. Jack is a wildlife artist, birder and educator from Bucks County, PA. He enjoys sharing the wonder of the outdoors and the practice of nature sketching with the public through nature workshops. Jack uses a sketchbook and a set of watercolors to portray the flora and fauna around him from life, and enjoys birding at locations in the Greater Philadelphia area. Mark your calendar for this exciting talk — July 28th, 6:45 pm. This will be an in-person meeting at Peace Valley Nature Center.
Conservation Corner Any conservation related questions can be directed to Vicky Mahmoud at bucksbirders@gmail.com.
Bird Collision Season 3 of the Bird Safe Doylestown bird collision monitoring program just ended. If you would like to participate, please visit our conservation page and register as a volunteer. Any questions on bird window collision directed to the Bird Safe Bucks coordinator, Vin Pannerselvam at bucksbirders@gmail.com.
Special Interest: Call Bird Songs & Field Recordings
Composer Julian Revie and an international artistic team are creating In the Beginning — a newly composed large-scale immersive musical and visual work to be presented at Christ Cathedral in California in November 2026.
Combining choir, organ, handbells, spatial sound, architecture, and large-scale projection, the work explores creation, light, memory, renewal, and the hidden harmonies woven throughout the living world — echoing the spirit of Saint Francis of Assisi’s vision of creation as a living song of praise.
As part of this project, they are inviting contributions of recordings and imagery related especially to birds that persist, sing, and flourish in places marked by environmental devastation, fragility, abandonment, industrialization, ecological imbalance, or human neglect.
The central artistic idea is one of life, beauty, and renewal emerging where they are least expected.
They are seeking moments in which beauty, tenderness, and life emerge unexpectedly.
They welcome:
- audio recordings of birdsong and natural sonic environments
- video recordings of birds and landscapes
- photographs of birds, feathers, nests, wings, and environmental textures
- extreme closeups and microscopic imagery
- slow-motion footage
- recordings of wind, water, resonance, and natural movement
- contemplative moments where beauty appears unexpectedly
More info and how to submit can be found here: Spiritus - In the Beginning
