Saturday, Oct. 12
This year, field trip registration is free! The 2024 event will be a celebration of birding in Philadelphia. We hope you’ll join us as we explore the city’s green spaces and see the amazing birds that can be found here. Click here to register for your field trips now!
MORNING TRIPS
The Discovery Center/Fairmount Park (WALKING)
Time: 8:00 – 10:30 am
Cost: free
Meeting Location: 3401 Reservoir Dr, Philadelphia, PA 19121. Park in the visitor lot, opposite the disc golf course and meet our trip leader in the courtyard on the water’s edge just inside the main gates of the center. Restrooms available. GPS coordinates: 39.981706, -75.191262
The Discovery Center opened to the public in September of 2018. This unique partnership is home to both Audubon Mid-Atlantic and the Philadelphia Outward Bound School, who decided to come together and create an environmental education space inside Fairmount Park, the largest park system in the country completely within the limits of the city. We’ll take the time to look at both our Strawberry Mansion Reservoir and other areas of Fairmount Park. Click here for an eBird list of species recorded for this site.
FDR Park (WALKING)
Time: 8:00 – 10:30 am
Cost: free
Meeting Location: 1500 Pattison Avenue & S Broad St, Philadelphia, PA 19145. There are two entrances to FDR Park along Pattison Ave. The westernmost entrance leads directly to the parking lot in front of the golf course entrance. Meet your trip leader at the parking lot in front of the entrance to the park’s former golf course. GPS coordinates: 39.904739, -75.182935
FDR Park is South Philadelphia’s largest park and one of its most important public institutions, reflecting the remarkable racial, cultural, and economic diversity of South Philadelphia. Its lakes, architecture, athletic fields, and nature trails create a civic commons where Philadelphians of all backgrounds can recreate, experience nature, and enjoy the cultural expressions of South Philadelphia. This walk will be dedicated to the art of Bird Photography and we will be joined by our good friends from Unique Photo! Unique Photo will be providing trial equipment. Click here for an eBird list of species recorded for this site.
John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge (WALKING)
Time: 8:00 – 10:30 am
Cost: free
Meeting Location: 8601 Lindbergh Blvd., Philadelphia, PA 19153. Park your car in the John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge Parking Lot and meet your trip leader at the entrance of the Visitor Center. Restrooms available. GPS coordinates: 39.89218, -75.2572
Please note: the John Heinz NWR field trip is sold out.
John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum was the first wildlife refuge opened in a major American City. This gem is a unique, urban oasis where both people and wildlife can find their space outdoors. It is notably home to the largest remaining freshwater tidal marsh in Pennsylvania, known as Tinicum Marsh. The refuge has been designated as an Important Bird Area by the National Audubon Society. Its diverse habitats provide a sanctuary for birds in Greater Philadelphia. Click here for an eBird list of species recorded for this site.
Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education (WALKING)
Time: 8:00 – 10:30 am
Cost: free
Meeting Location: 8480 Hagy’s Mill Road, Philadelphia, PA 19128. Meet your trip leaders in front of the main visitor Center. Restrooms are available. GPS coordinates: 40.056, -75.25267
Opened in 1965 as the first Nature Center in a major American City, the Schuylkill Center has been a home of conservation and education for almost 60 years! Since 1999, the Center has focused efforts and resources on creating a preserve that supports the highest level of plant and animal diversity native to southeastern Pennsylvania. Academic study is integrated with recreation and enjoyment to establish a basis for meaningful programs and to help instill a sense of discovery in those who visit our grounds. Click here for an eBird list of species recorded for this site.
AFTERNOON TRIPS
Navy Yard (WALKING/DRIVING)
Time: 1:00 – 3:30 pm
Cost: free
Location: 4500 S Broad St, Philadelphia, PA 19145. Meet your guide at Pier 7 (Admiral Pier Way and League Island Blvd). GPS coordinates: 39.887483, -75.166089
The Navy Yard has over 20 acres of open space and a mile of waterfront trail. These green spaces provide habitat during migration for songbirds, raptors and a large variety of additional species. The trails provide overlooks to search for gulls, terns, waterfowl, and other types of waterbirds along the Delaware River. The Navy Yard was certified as a Level-1 arboretum in 2018. The campus is open to the public daily from sunrise to sunset. Click here for an eBird list of species recorded for this site.
Laurel Hill Cemetery (WALKING)
Time: 1:00 – 3:30 pm
Cost: free
Meeting Location: 3822 Ridge Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19132. Meet your guide outside of the gift shop off of Ridge Avenue. Please park along Ridge Avenue or Clearfield Street. GPS coordinates: 40.004197, -75.187484
Please note: the Laurel Hill Cemetery field trip is sold out.
Laurel Hill Cemetery is an historic garden cemetery in the East Falls neighborhood of Philadelphia. Founded in 1836, it was the second major rural cemetery in the United States after Mount Auburn Cemetery in Boston, Massachusetts. The cemetery is 74 acres in size and overlooks the Schuylkill River. This birding tour includes some history about Laurel Hill! Click here for an eBird list of species recorded for this site.
Morris Arboretum (WALKING)
Time: 1:00 – 3:30 pm
Cost: free
Meeting Location: 19 W Northwestern Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19118. Just past the entrance kiosk you will see a cleared (but NOT paved) parking area to the left. Meet your guides in this parking lot. GPS coordinates for the lot: 40.090876, -75.223456
Please note: the Morris Arboretum field trip is sold out.
Morris Arboretum’s natural areas include wetlands, meadows, and the woodlands along the Wissahickon Creek. These areas provide a great habitat for a wide variety of wildlife and birds year-round. There are resident birds, as well as migrating raptors and warblers to see. Click here for an eBird list of species recorded for this site.
Woodlands Cemetery (WALKING)
Time: 1:00 – 3:30 pm
Cost: free
Meeting Location: 4000 Woodland Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19104. Parking will be OUTSIDE The Woodlands, as they have limited availability for parking. Please park along Woodlands Ave., Baltimore Ave. and 41st and 42nd Streets. You will meet your guides at The Stables. Walking in from the main entrance on Woodland Ave., take a right and follow the bend around the left to meet at The Stables as shown on this map. GPS coordinates: 39.946766, -75.203990
The Woodlands‘ 54-acre undulating landscape is at once a one-of-a-kind 18th-century English pleasure garden, 19th-century rural cemetery, and a modern green oasis for its neighbors in bustling University City and West Philadelphia. The Woodlands was designated a National Historic Landmark District in recognition of its unique history and rich resources. Actively used today, the cemetery, mansion, landscape, and programs are an educational resource for local school children, community residents, university students, as well as for a small, highly motivated cadre of scholars seeking further understanding of American architectural and botanical history, urban development, and the origin and growth of West Philadelphia. Click here for an eBird list of species recorded for this site.
Photo Contest
SUBMIT YOUR PHOTO TO AUDUBON’S PHILLY BIRDING WEEKEND PHOTO CONTEST!
Unique Photo is sponsoring a photo contest for shots taken during Philly Birding Weekend tours. Click here for more information.
Please note:
- If you are unable to participate in your field trip(s), please email us as soon as possible at phillybirding.com.
- Trips will go rain or shine. If a field trip is canceled due to dangerous conditions, we will notify you via email as soon as possible.
- Please read our waiver and photo release form prior to registering for field trips.