Trailblazers BSES Birding Club, Spring 2026
- May 28
- 3 min read
This spring was yet another super birdy season for Trailblazers! We usually hold the spring session of club during late April into May so we catch the peak of spring migration for birds. In the spring 2026 edition of BSES Birding Club, we tallied a total of 48 different species!
Our first session of club began with our usual review of the rules and expectations. Since we had so many returning students to the club, this introduction didn't take long! Once we were wrapped up, we grabbed our binoculars and went outside to enjoy the beautiful day. As we practiced how to use the binoculars at the BSES Nature Trail entrance, we spotted something large soaring overhead. I got my binoculars on an adult Bald Eagle flying north! This was an exciting find, but the bird was rather distant and hard for the students to see. Suddenly, the students began to shout as TWO MORE adult Bald Eagles were soaring much lower and closer overhead! Every student got great looks at these eagles, and it was just the jolt of birding energy we needed for our first day. After that, we ventured out onto the trail for a brief walk and were treated to great looks at Yellow-rumped Warbler and Tree Swallow.
Our second session of club featured a great mix of birds from the year: Mark pointed out a Hermit Thrush (a wintering bird that was leaving soon,) we enjoyed looks at a pair of Eastern Bluebird as they were feeding (a year-round resident,) and our last looks of the day were of a Great Crested Flycatcher (a bird that migrates to our area in spring to nest.) We also had phenomenal looks at Mourning Dove and Northern Mockingbird just outside of the playground area.
Our third session of club took us into the month of May, but it didn't provide as many looks at migrant birds as we had hoped. We did see our Eastern Bluebird pair again hanging out around the flagpole on Deer Meadow Lane. We also had looks at a Red-bellied Woodpecker in the pipeline area. The most exciting spring bird of the session was a pair of Gray Catbirds that gave great looks to the group!
The fourth session of club was our birdiest: a total of 33 species on just this walk alone! It helped that we ventured over the Peanut Pond, which provided us with a totally different habitat to explore and find birds. On this walk, we had great looks at arriving spring migrants like Eastern Kingbird and Cedar Waxwings! We also got to see Northern Mockingbird and a pair of Canada Geese that call this pond home.
Our fifth and final session was slightly unusual! Impending storms kept us close to the building (basically blacktop-only.) The storms thankfully didn't arrive until after club let out, but we stayed nearby the building out of an abundance of caution. Even still, we had great looks at Northern Cardinal, Brown-headed Cowbird, Eastern Kingbird, and even a pair of flyover Rock Pigeon!
Also, our last session of club was bittersweet: We had to say goodbye to both rising 5th graders as they head to Garnet Valley Middle School next year. We also had to say goodbye to our long-time GVHS Guide, Ethan Kang! Ethan is the founder and president of the Garnet Valley High School Birding Club, a former Trailblazers student, and he runs his website www.bearybirding.com. We are sad that this was his last session, but we are excited for him to do us proud as he attends Cornell University in the fall. Congratulations Ethan, and thank you for your years of service to both Trailblazers and the Delco birding community!
Finally, thank you to Trailblazers families for their continued support of environmental education here in Garnet Valley. We are looking forward to seeing you this summer and next school year for more birding fun!
For more on the birds we observed, check out our eBird Trip Report for the sesssion!
Comments