Birding at The Woodlands: Enjoying Early Spring

Our resident birding expert, Toribird, weighs in on the joys of springtime birding:

Right now is a great time to go birding! Okay, I know I say that in every blog post, but at this time of year there are many things in the birder's favor:

Currently there is a fascinating overlap between the winter birds and the arriving warm weather residents. Many birds have begun to sing to attract a mate or defend territory, and will continue to for a while, so now is a great time to learn their songs, as every species has a unique one. (Or just listen to their serenades for pleasure!) Most trees have not fully leafed out yet, so now is your last chance to see birds without the obstruction of foliage.

Dark-eyed Juncos (Snowbirds) are still around, but will fly back north soon. Picture by Toribird.

This shimmering Tree Swallow is one of the newer arrivals. Picture by Toribird.

As I was birding at The Woodlands on April 11th, I saw a lot of Ruby-crowed Kinglets. The adorable, active, tiny birds are named for a red patch on their head, most obvious when the birds are agitated. Kinglets are a winter bird in Philadelphia, and will head back to their summer homes in a few weeks. Check out The Woodlands and catch them while you can!

Cute Ruby-crowned Kinglet. Picture by Toribird.

Conversely, I have also seen Northern Rough-winged and Tree Swallows, which arrived not too long ago. These insect-eaters need bugs like mosquitos and gnats, which, being cold-blooded, are not around in the winter, causing the birds to migrate. Ospreys are also back, and Chimney Swifts and warblers should not be far behind, along with all the other warm-weather residents!

---

For more seasonal bird trivia, let's talk about the Barnacle Goose! This is not a recent arrival, nor is it a winter bird that will soon leave. In fact, it is very rare to see one in the area at all! It is a bird that, during the Middle Ages, was enjoyed during Lent, when practicing Christians forgo eating meat. Historically, it was believed that Barnacle Geese “popped out” from seed pods on plants or from barnacles on driftwood. Therefore, many people argued that it should be considered a plant instead of an animal. The practice of eating Barnacles Geese during Lent ended when Pope Innocent III officially declared the geese as birds. If you want to read more about this legend, check out the Canterbury Cathedral website.

A depiction of Barnacle Geese 'sprouting'. Copyright David Badke; http://bestiary.ca.

---

Finally, to end on an artistic note, I've included a poem that I wrote just a few days ago. I was inspired by the natural springtime beauty that I encountered while going about my daily activities in the heart of Philadelphia.

Nature’s Springtime Bliss in Philadelphia Streets

Look at the cherry tree on your street.
Do you see it’s blossoms, pale and sweet?
The bumblebees come, the bumblebees go,
Pollinating the blooms as they do so.

If the petals have fallen off your tree,
Observe its leaves, a pretty light green.
Beyond the tree, looking way up high,
Lovely clouds float in the light blue sky.

Oh, the warm breeze that flies by you,
It feels so good, so free and true.
Suddenly, you see an Osprey high in the air
Perhaps returning home right then and there.

Dandelions, violets, forsythias bloom,
Threads of color on nature’s loom.
Even invasives are welcome today;
On the starling’s back the sunbeams play.

Hear the robins and cardinals sing,
Hear their lovely melodies ring.
Looking at all this, do you not feel
The joy of a mountain spring, right now, right here?

Written by Toribird
April, 2019

Birding at The Woodlands: Get to Know - and Help - Philly's Feathered Friends with Toribird

If you are a Philadelphia local, you may take pride in the knowledge that you live somewhere that has been a city since before the United States existed. That's awesome culturally and historically, but at the same time you may find yourself asking, is this sprawling city bare of birds and other animal life? No, surprisingly not at all! Quite the opposite.

The city of Philadelphia is a good place for birding, with lots of green space from your tiny neighborhood square to Fairmount Park. Even building-covered streets with small yards can be surprisingly diverse. During migration, warblers can pop up in any tree. Hawks, vultures and eagles can be seen flying overhead all year. The Schuylkill and Delaware rivers are good for herons, swallows, gulls and ducks. Common birds like robins and cardinals serenade us on spring mornings - if you wake up early enough. 

Mixed flock of gulls on the Delaware River. Photo by Toribird.

Unfortunately, cities are also full of deadly dangers for all these urban residents. Many are hit by cars, and outdoor cats kill or injure countless birds. One of the leading causes of bird deaths in North America is window collision. Birds either see habitat through a window or reflected in it, and fly into the glass trying to get to that habitat. Birds are quite intelligent, and would perhaps learn to avoid glass if they got the chance, but a bird's first encounter with glass is almost always their last. Somewhat surprisingly, most of these collisions aren't with glass-covered skyscrapers, but with the windows of America's residential homes because more individual homes exist than skyscrapers. There are, however, many easy ways to keep your house from killing birds. Check out these websites for detailed information: 

https://abcbirds.org/get-involved/bird-smart-glass/ 

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/why-birds-hit-windows-and-how-you-can-help-prevent-it/

Below are five species of birds that are more common and easy to see in Philadelphia than you may think.  

1. Red-tailed Hawk - This large, sturdy raptor is well adapted to living in both rural and urban areas. The adults do have a rusty-red tail, particularly obvious when the birds are circling above, but young birds have brown-and-black striped tails. Philly hotspot for this bird - The Woodlands

Red-tailed Hawk at The Woodlands.

Red-tailed Hawk on Washington Ave. Photo by Toribird.

2. Bald Eagle - Our national bird has made a big comeback after being severely impacted by DDT. Bald Eagles eat fish, so they often hang out near water. Philly hotspot for this bird - John Heinz NWR at Tinicum

3. Double-crested Cormorant - These strange, duck-like birds catch fish by diving underwater. They have no waterproofing oils on their feathers like many other birds do, so they often perch on a log or other structure with their wings spread out to dry. Philly hotspot for this bird - Art Museum on the Schuylkill  

4. Wild Turkey - Contrary to what you may think, these birds can fly. Like most other game-birds, though, turkeys have powerful legs and usually prefer to walk, flying up into trees to roost at night. Philly hotspot for this bird - Bartram's Garden

5. Ring-necked Duck - These black-and-white eraserheads are a superb example of a badly-named bird. Their 'ring-neck' consists of a very faint chestnut-brown collar, visible when the birds are in-hand, a reminder that shotguns - not binoculars - were once the birder's tool of choice. Philly hotspot for this bird - FDR Park

Colorful American Robin in a West Philly backyard. Photo by Toribird.

So, now that you've read about all this urban diversity, head outside as the weather turns toward spring and see what kinds of feathered Philadelphia residents you meet! 

Written by Toribird

#InternationalWomensDay

On this #InternationalWomensDay, we wanted to take a moment and appreciate the women who make The Woodlands great. The Woodlands is run by a staff of four women, our Board President is an amazing woman, and some of the most influential people buried here are women. Today we shed a bright, well-deserved light on them.

---

Jane Piper Baltzell: one of Philadelphia’s most prominent modernist painters
(1916-1991) 

Roumanian Blouse

Jane Piper (1916-1991)
Roumanian Blouse, 1981-1982
Oil on canvas, 44” x 40”

The Phillips Collection (Gift of E. Digby Baltzell, 1987)

Born in Philadelphia in 1916, Baltzell studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts under Arthur B. Carles (a student of Henri Matisse), whose colorist painting style was greatly influential to Baltzell. She was also inspired by the stunning art collections of Dr. Albert Barnes, and wrote that after viewing his collection of paintings by Matisse at the Barnes Foundation she "was thrown into a whole new world of color and feeling."

Baltzell is known for her abstract and colorful still-life paintings that, as one critic wrote, "have the intricacy of a complex musical score." The fact that Baltzell’s favorite shade was white is easily evident in her paintings, in which white paint is used to create a sense of gleaming sunlight, or to contrast with the otherwise vibrant hues of her work. In addition to painting, Baltzell also taught at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and the Philadelphia College of Art (now known as University of the Arts) from the mid-1950s until 1985.

Her work is in collections in the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Woodmere Art Museum, the Brooklyn Museum, the Corcoran Gallery of Art, and the National Academy Museum.  

At her death in on August 8, 1991, Jane Piper Baltzell was buried at The Woodlands in Section K, Lot #509.
Read her obituary in The New York Times.

---

Mary Grew: Suffragist and Abolitionist
1813 - 1896

The current political climate has been rightly described as messy, but it’s not unprecedentedly so. A century ago, women could not legally vote and two centuries ago, neither could people of color. The struggle to extend voting rights to all Americans was a long one, in which some of the country’s most ignoble fears and prejudices were revealed. Yet, and not without the prolonged work of activists and advocates, progress was made. One influential political mover was Mary Grew, a nineteenth century woman who dedicated her life’s work to fighting for women’s suffrage and the abolition of slavery, and who is buried at The Woodlands Cemetery. Read Mary Grew’s full story here.

---

Emily Bliss Souder: Battle of Gettysburg Volunteer Nurse
1814 - 1886

Emily Bliss Souder was a volunteer nurse at the Battle of Gettysburg during the American Civil War. She lived in Philadelphia with her husband and 4 children. At that point in time, formal organization for trained nurses in the United States had just come to life. In 1861 A woman named Dorothy Dix ”was appointed Superintendent of Female Nurses of the Union Army by Secretary of War Simon Cameron. She was empowered to create a volunteer nurse corps and regulate supplies that were donated to the troops.” (Stanley B. Burns, Nursing in the Civil War, 2009). So, women like Emily Souder and her contemporaries, upon the hearing of significant combat, made the pilgrimage out to scenes of post battle devastation along with doctors, surgeons, and members of the Sanitary Department. Between five and ten thousand women offered their services in the medical field during the Civil War.

The book “Leaves from the battlefield of Gettysburg; a series of letters from a field hospital; and national poems” is a published collection of letters and poems written by Emily Souder describing her nursing experiences. She writes “of the great and pressing want of kind Christian women, who can minister to the bodily suffering and also to the spiritual wants of our poor soldiers…how sorely stricken and wounded our noble soldiers are, and how grievously these rebel wounded are suffering and both lying side by side like brothers.” The book lucidly depicts an inside account of the gruesome aftermath in the weeks following the Battle of Gettysburg, and the crucial role women played during that time. It also provides a glimpse of war in the context of a time period with a limited amount of treatments and technology in the medical world, in comparison to what exists today. The full text can be found here.

---

The Grave Gardeners Flower Show Journey

When we were asked by PHS in the early summer of 2018 to enter the Small Garden design competition of the 2019 Philadelphia Flower Show, we were not entirely sure what we were getting into, but knew that it was an opportunity we could not pass up. It wasn’t just that The Woodlands was being asked to enter the show, it was that PHS was interested in having the Woodlands Grave Gardeners enter the show.

With the realization that the Grave Gardeners would have the opportunity to be in the spotlight for the second time in one year (check them out in an April 2018 episode of CBS Sunday Morning), we knew we had to go big, and couldn’t do that without help. A dedicated group of Grave Gardeners started to get together months before the Flower Show to plan and execute our competitive entry. The theme of our design category is “Yin Yang”. Naturally, we decided to move forward under the guidance of our newly chosen exhibit title “Life From Death,” and create life size replicas of three Grave Gardens highlighting some of the notable horticulturalists buried here including Ann Bartram Carr, WM Henry Maule, and Henry Dreer.

The Grave Gardeners proceeded to learn the unique skill of creating hyper-realistic headstones out of pink foam with the aid of water, heat, and spunk. None of this would have been possible without the guidance of Doug Bailey, who has honed his foam headstone creative skills working on the installations for Eastern State Penitentiary’s Terror Behind The Walls. The process from there is better described through images, and you can follow along the Grave Gardeners journey to the Flower Show below. You’ll also find a guest entry by Toribird, who took the cemetery scene and our theme, “Life From Death” one step further by creating life size replicas of birds and positioning them in the exhibit hanging out, even snacking on bees.

Visit the Grave Gardeners exhibit in person in the “Small Gardens” section of the Design Gallery at the PHS Flower Show. The Flower Show will be running from Saturday, March 2nd through Sunday, March 10th. Learn more about the flower show here, and download a copy of the map to take with you!

And so it begins, Robin and Jessica purchase pink foam to create the hyper-realistic headstones you’ll see in the exhibit.

Thanks to Doug, for sharing his unique experience with our Grave Gardeners, Greta Greenberger, Maureen Cook, May Sam, and Sue Gettlin. Woodlands Staff Natalie and Robin also learned this new skill.

The headstone “engraving” process begins. How did we do it, you ask?! Find out below as Grave Gardener Becca Flemer takes Henry Maule’s headstone to the next level.

Doug showing all the different techniques to carve and build text on the foam. To get raised letters, you apply concentrated heat over vinyl letters and all the foam around the vinyl melts down revealing crisp text.

Grave Gardeners Becca and Sue begin the “engraving” process on Henry Maule and Henry Dreer’s headstones.

BEFORE: Grave Gardener Emma Hollier shows us what life size pink foam headstones look like.

AFTER: Woodlands Intern, Kathie Brill proves that monster mud and white paint go a long way in turning foam into headstones.

At this point we have three brand spanking new looking headstones, which doesn’t fit in a Victorian cemetery scene, so the next step is aging the stones to look like 19th Century marble. Grave Gardeners Becca, Greta, and Rachel Eichelberger take on the challenge.

Grave Gardener Peggy Daniel oversees the layout of the family lot in the dining room of the historic Hamilton Mansion.

Enjoy this time-lapsed video of the “headstone” aging process.

Maule is almost there!

Man With A Van generously donated their services to help us get our platform, foam headstones, and supplies to the convention center! They are THE BEST. From this point on, explore the visual diary of our 2-day adventure in the convention center.

Here, Volunteer and Grave Gardener Joe Shapiro shows off the platform HE BUILT HIMSELF. Thank you, Joe!!

A little cemetery humor!

A HUGE thank you to our Grave Gardener volunteers for making this possible. Pictured above from left: Jessica Baumer (ED The Woodlands), Emma Hollier, Jackie McCrea, Becca Flemer, Greta Greenberger, and Rachel Eichelberger. Not pictured: so many Grave Gardeners. THANK YOU!!!

Thank you so much to all the Grave Gardeners, volunteers and supporters who made our exhibition in the Flower Show possible. We hope you’ll visit our display, and wish us luck in the judging!

---

When you visit the Grave Garden scene at the Flower Show, you’ll notice that in addition to the trees and flowers, there are also a variety of birds present. We asked our resident birding expert, Toribird, to curate The Woodlands wildlife, and she blew us away. Read on to learn more about her personal Flower Show experience.

“Hey, Toribird here. Last July, I was told that The Woodlands would be participating in the upcoming Philadelphia Flower Show, and that it might be nice to have a few model birds in it to emphasize the nature at The Woodlands. As The Woodlands own bird nerd, I was asked if I could make these models. Though not 100% sure what I was getting myself into, it sounded like a unique and fun opportunity, and I said that I'd be happy to. 

Of course, the first step was deciding what birds to make. The setting for our display would be The Woodlands in May, so I wanted to pick common, charismatic, birds for that scene. In the end, I had four species - three Palm Warblers, and one each of Northern Cardinal, House Finch, and Eastern Kingbird. My models started out as lumps of wet Model Magic, which I formed into life-size birds, sometimes needing to come up with very creative ways for them to dry so that they would not end up flat on one side!

Next, I drew the markings of the birds in pencil on the dry Model Magic. Those pencil markings would serve as a guide for painting the models - somewhat like following the outlines in a coloring book. When the birds had all been painted, I inserted pewter bird legs (the kind that woodcarvers often use). 

This all sounds relatively easy, and is not to say that I did not encounter problems. Sketching on all the patterns could be painstaking, but what really proved difficult was matching all the colors in the birds. (Never underestimate the number of shades of red in one male cardinal!) Despite these difficulties, I am happy with what I have created, and glad to be a part of The Woodlands latest adventure!”

Birding at The Woodlands: Keep Birding Through the Winter!

This past winter, a lot of people I've spoken with have expressed surprise that I continue birding through the winter.  Despite dropping temperatures, grey days, and snow, a good amount of birds can be seen during the colder months of the year. (I have seen 83 species since January 1st). Though some birds in our area do fly south for the winter, many that spend the summer further north have their winter homes in the Philadelphia area.

Northern Pintail pair, the male is on the right. Photo by Toribird.

Many species of waterfowl (ducks, geese, and swans) are only here this time of year. One of my favorite winter ducks is the Northern Pintail. Like most ducks, the male and female look different.  The male is an elegant bird with a grey back, white underparts, rich brown head and a long tail, hence their name. The female is mottled brown, like many other female ducks. However, she has a warm brown, unmarked face, and grey bill. Both sexes have long necks and are slender overall. Pintails are freshwater ducks, and can be seen on local ponds and sometimes rivers. 

Also, many sparrows are either in Philadelphia year-round or winter visitors. They eat seeds, which they can still find in winter, giving them no need to travel far like insect-eating birds. This also means that many are regulars at bird feeders. Some of the more distinctive ones are the White-throated Sparrow (which does have a white throat), Fox Sparrow (a lovely reddish-brown), and Dark-eyed Junco (a grey bird that is colloquially known as a Snowbird).

I was birding at The Woodlands in the snow on January 13th, and at first found it difficult to spot anything. Then I saw a wide, low, bush that seemed like it might have kept some snow off the ground underneath it, making it easier for sparrows to get to the earth to forage. Turns out I was right, and there were a lot of birds in that bush. I now actually think that birding in the snow might be easier than birding in the...um...not-snow? because the birds are concentrated in places that offer shelter and easy food, not spread out as in better weather. 

This is the bush with all those birds. Underneath the dirt has been scratched up and mixed with snow by sparrows and other ground birds as they look for food. Photo taken at The Woodlands by Toribird.

---

What's better than birding? Birding + s'mores!

On January third, we held the Winter Solstice Birdwalk, rescheduled from December when rain seemed inevitable. Glad we did! The evening of the third was clear and calm, if chilly. The event began with a 45-minute birdwalk. We saw robins, a Northern Cardinal and some sparrows, but the star of the show was undoubtedly a Red-tailed Hawk which was in a tree near Center Circle. Everyone got a great look, and we could see the namesake rusty-red tail. Red-tails are relatively common at The Woodlands, as in many urban areas, so it felt like a very appropriate capstone to the walk.  

The group then returned to the Hamilton mansion for s'mores and bird-themed crafts. The “Guide to Birding at The Woodlands” zine was sold at the event. Around 60 people attended, of all ages. Among them was a couple from Australia who had their very first s'more at the event! I had a good time at the event, and I'm guessing all our visitors did too! 

Written by Toribird