By JP Phillips
Contributing Writer

There are 330 species of birds that either live in or pass through Chester County every year.  Many are not attracted to backyard feeders, but they are all around us--in the woods and fields, lakes and streams.  You just need to know where to look.

The West Chester Bird Club (WCBC) was founded in 1910, making it one of the oldest continuously operating bird clubs in the country.  In 2025, they will celebrate 115 years of doing what they do best—sharing knowledge and helping each other and the community see these beautiful animals.

Today’s WCBC has a packed schedule of meetings, presentations, local bird walks and field trips designed to satisfy any level of interest and expertise.  While the group welcomes new members, membership is not required to participate.  An appreciation for the outdoors and a decent pair of binoculars is all that is needed.

Rhoda McNitt has been a member of the club for at least ten years and a bird admirer since she was a child.  She grew up in central Pennsylvania, and moved to the West Chester area in the 1970s.  She has been a resident of Cartmel, part of the Kendal-Crosslands communities, for the past four years.  Her parents dabbled in backyard birding and kept feeders near the house. They would use a bird book to identify any species they weren’t familiar with, and marveled at the uncommon varieties that sometimes passed through.  One day, an evening grosbeak (rare back then and just as uncommon now in Pennsylvania) showed up in their yard—a first time viewing for them.  

“We knew the common birds,” she said. “I just remember how excited we all were to see this unusual bird.”  

From that day forward she was hooked.

There is a quote on the WCBC website from their 1985 president James D. Russell that sums up the benefits of going on a group bird walk. “Birding is a pastime we can pursue and enjoy alone, but through the club field trips and programs, we are able to share experiences and learn from each other as well as keep up on current bird sightings and activities.”  On every WCBC bird walk, there are folks of various levels of expertise and the experienced “birders” are happy to help the amateurs.

McNitt explained that the first thing leaders will do is make sure everyone knows how to properly use their binoculars.  She uses a pair marked 10x42, which isn’t too big or too heavy.  It provides ten times the magnification and a 42 mm objective lens size, allowing for a good field of vision.  

“With a wider field of view, it's easier to find things,” she said.  

In addition to the left and right eye focusing, there is an adjustment to accommodate those wearing eyeglasses that many people are unaware of.  Then the real challenge becomes seeing the bird with the naked eye and finding it with binoculars.  

“You keep your eyes on the bird and you bring your binoculars up.  Try not to move your head, which is very difficult,” McNitt said.  She recommends practicing in the backyard with a bird, flower, tree branch, or post as a target.

When trail leaders spot a bird, they announce it to the group and give its location.  “They use the clock. So, you might say, oh--it's in that oak tree, and it's about two o'clock,” McNitt said. “You try to describe what's around it.  Like three branches up … that kind of thing.”  She also said that many leaders bring laser pointers, making it easier for participants to find the bird’s location.  It’s much easier for participants to follow the light to just below the location of the bird, and then try to sight it with their binoculars.

Birding in a group has other advantages besides a knowledgeable leader.  

“You have lots more eyes and ears.  And I learned probably about four years ago now that the higher pitch birds, I couldn't hear,” McNitt said.  She told the story of a walk where the leader identified a lovely species of bird called an American redstart.  “And I couldn't find it.  I couldn't hear it,” she said.  “I was standing there looking and looking and then here came the bird.  It landed on the branch and I could see it clear as day. I could see it was singing, but I couldn't hear it.  I went to the audiologist and said, ‘I want to be able to hear that.’  So, I got hearing aids.  They help some.”

Many experienced birders are skilled at identifying birds by their calls.  Once they hear it, they will stay in an area looking for its color or some movement in the leaves and hopefully spot it.   Merlin Bird ID, created by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and fueled by Ebird, Cornell’s crowd-sourcing database, is a handy and free smartphone app.  In addition to being able to listen and identify a bird by its sound, a user can quickly complete a description checklist and Merlin will come up with a list of potential matches based on the user’s location.  

McNitt said that any time of the year there are birds to be seen, but the spring and fall migrations bring the best chance to see uncommon birds. 

“The spring is really the time to look for warblers because the males are in their breeding plumage,” she said.   She explained that normally drab male birds become brilliantly colored, all in the hopes of attracting a mate.  After the breeding season, those feathers are replaced by more subdued ones, enabling them to blend more easily into the background for the fall migration back down south.

McNitt said that the WCBC always welcomes new members and she definitely recommends an organized bird walk.  

“It's great to be with a group who knows what you're looking at,” she said.

Their website, westchesterbirdclub.org, contains tons of birding information including an extensive list of free club bird walks, field trips, bird count events, and meeting/presentation schedules.  Meetings are held at the Friends Meeting House in West Chester and streamed simultaneously on Zoom.  Every Thursday at 8:30 a.m. there is a bird walk at Exton Park.  In addition to local birding spots, the schedule includes day trips to places like Brigantine and Sandy Hook to see water birds, and Marsh Creek and Valley Forge to see seasonal birds.  The 2024-25 schedule includes details and carpooling information.