Owls: Silent Creatures of the Night

Barred Owl in Cape May. These birds are often detected by their loud, deep "who-cooks-for-you?" call. Photo by Toribird.

Owls seem to inspire a sense of wonder and awe with their silent flight, needle-sharp talons, and nocturnal habits. A moonlit Barn Owl is like a gossamer ghost, the haunting trill of the pint-size Eastern Screech Owl captures the imagination, a Snowy Owl with its gorgeous moon-face is an instant celebrity. But these are normal birds, somehow related to the commonplace Turkey Vulture and Mallard. Isn’t it incredible what nature can do? 

One of an owl’s most unique and supernatural features is the ability to fly on silent wings through a dark forest to capture unsuspecting prey. This silent flight is vital to an owl’s survival in two ways: it allows for the element of surprise since the animal it pursues will not be able to hear the hunter approach; and since most species of owls hunt by ear, fewer distracting flapping sounds makes it easier to zero in on prey.

So how do these birds do it? Owl wing feathers have small comb-like serrations on the leading edge, which breaks up noisy turbulence. Also, owls generally have large wings, which allows them to flap less - less flapping means less sound. Finally, their feathers are soft and velvety, which further dampens sound - think about how much noisier it is to rub two pieces of paper together than two pieces of velvet or flannel. This all has trade-offs, however, since owls cannot fly as fast as daytime speed hunters like falcons. 

The feather serrations (circled in brown) on the wing of a Northern Saw-whet Owl. Photo by Toribird.

Check out this BBC video for an awesome demo on the silent flight on an owl! 

Another awesome ability that these birds have is their senses. Many owls have superb night vision, aided by their huge eyes. In fact, their eyes are so large that they can’t move in their sockets the way ours can. To get around this, they can turn their head more than 180 degrees to look in any direction! Owls also have incredible hearing. Have you ever noticed that an owl’s face looks different from the face of a hawk, eagle or any other bird? Well, that’s a good observation! The feathers on an owl’s face are acoustically transparent (like the mesh of a speaker), and funnel sounds right to the bird’s ears - ears that are asymmetrical (one is higher that the other), further helping the hunter pinpoint its prey. 

Snowy Owl in Kensington, photo by Toribird.

As incredible and secretive as these birds are, it can be astonishing that we do in fact have owls right here in the city. Tiny screech owls can hang out in any park with enough trees, even backyards, and Great-horned Owls have nested near the Philly airport. Perhaps most amazingly, Snowy Owls will show up from time to time! Last year I enjoyed seeing one on top of a school near Kensington. They also like airports since the flat landscape is familiar to a bird that has spent its life on the arctic tundra - consider that a tree is likely as foreign to a Snowy Owls as a highway! 

It is very exciting to have these enthralling birds around, but we must all be sure to behave responsibly around them. If you are lucky enough to encounter an owl, keep your distance and make sure to watch the bird for signs of anxiety, backing off if it becomes fearful. If you take pictures, do not use flash; it can temporally affect these nocturnal birds’ eyesight. For the sake of all wildlife, please stay only on designated trails to avoid trampling habitat. Use careful judgement when sharing the location of owls; they are shy birds and don't like crowds ogling them. You may also want to play taped owl sounds to get them to call in response, but please use it sparingly, and avoid it during important points in the breeding season. 

An Eastern Screech Owl, a species I hope to hear on the owl prowl. This picture was taken in Texas, the screech-owls there are a bit different from ours. Photo by Toribird.

I am exited to say that we will have the Woodlands’ first ever owl prowl on Thursday February 20th! We’ll meet at the stable at 5:30pm, then spend about an hour after dark listening for owls throughout the cemetery. I suggest you wear layers of warm clothes and bring a flashlight. Since this is our first time, I can’t guarantee that we have any nocturnal friends residing at The Woodlands, but I hope you’ll join me in finding out! 

Written by: Toribird

Jane Austen, Would You Have This Dance?

Dancing Assemblies were held in the City Tavern, pictured to the left of the Bank of Philadelphia, from around 1773-1791. Its central location and weekly high-society events made it the social and economic heart of the city in the late 18th century.
Sketch of the City Tavern circa 1780’s. (Courtesy of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania)

In the domain of elite society in 18th Century Philadelphia, no other group had quite the influential flare as the Philadelphia Dancing Assembly. Established in 1749 by a group of gentlemen involved in the city’s political, professional, and mercantile businesses, the Dancing Assembly was modeled after London and Bath Assemblies of gentility and high-society entertainment. Participants and subscribers of the exclusive club utilized the weekly assemblies to show off their dancing talents, or participate in conversation and card games while eating and drinking the night away. Both a determinant of social status and an opportunity to mingle with Philadelphia’s single elite, a colonial gentleman or lady could display their extraordinary taste in leisure activities, privileged wardrobe, and dancing prowess at a gathering. Interestingly, religious affiliations were not a consideration in determining eligibility.

Among the notable member families were the Bond’s, Shippen’s, Plumstead’s, and our favorite socialite family, the Hamilton’s! Seasonal ticket purchases confirm our own William Hamilton and his family were among the fashionable, social gentility taking part in Dancing Assembly events of the late 18th century. [1]

Special Dancing Assembly events took place around Philadelphia in grand venues of political and social acclaim, including City Tavern at 2nd and Walnut Streets and OEller’s Hotel, on the south side of Chestnut Street, between 5th and 6th Streets. Live music filled the gatherings each year between the months of January and May, as 10 couples at a time participated in formal “minuets” and rowdy “country dances”.

October 1, 1772 Assembly Ticket. (Courtesy of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania)

Couples waiting for their turn to dance were encouraged to mingle, play cards, and enjoy a variety of wines, liquors, teas, coffees, chocolate, and simple cakes or biscuits. Single men were encouraged to officially court the single women they were paired with. Dancing Assembly gatherings even took place during the American Revolution (though much less frequently than other years) as Philadelphia was a hub of political, social, and military activity. They were a setting of communication between domestic and international leaders as well as leisurely escapism from the troubles of war time; a diversion or distraction afforded to the city’s elite.

A ‘minuet’ would generally begin every formal ball in the 18th century as an honorable tradition. A minuet began with formal bows and curtsies, followed by specific steps in a “S” pattern. (Illustrations from Kellom Thomlinson’s Art of Dancing, London, 1735)

Publications like this would be accessible only to the upper class in the U.S. to learn the proper etiquette.

Dancing Assembly gatherings became such an exciting cultural institution for the city that they attracted families of the highest regard. During his presidency, George Washington’s birthday was celebrated in special Dancing Assembly balls and it is recorded in member correspondences that Washington himself attended various member events when Philadelphia was the capital of the United States. So, the Hamilton’s were dancing among quite important company! Their membership in the Philadelphia Dancing Assembly exemplified their elite wealth and social prominence in the city, and the legacy of the Assembly cannot be understated. In Philadelphia, the Dancing Assembly continued throughout the 19th and well into the 20th centuries. The spirit of high-society mingling and entertainment also inspired similar membership-based gatherings in cities all across the developing United States. At each, the dress, manner, and dancing skill of each family further elevated their social status.

After 1791, Dancing Assemblies were held in the famous Oeller’s Hotel, pictured on the far right, recounted in traveler publications as having an elegant room in the French fashion, (Courtesy of the Library Company of Philadelphia)

To celebrate a tradition of the Hamilton family, (with a nod to Jane Austen too!), The Woodlands is hosting Jane Austen Night, Friday, February 28th, featuring the Germantown Country Dancers. For one night only enjoy seasonal treats, drinks, dance like the elite members of Philadelphia Dancing Assembly members did so many years ago. How will your dancing skills compare?

Learn more about Jane Austen Night and get tickets here.

Written by: Nicole Felicetti

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1.         Brooks, Lynn Matluck. "The Philadelphia Dancing Assembly in the Eighteenth Century." Dance Research Journal 21, no. 1 (1989): 1-6. Accessed February 4, 2020. doi:10.2307/1478608.

Growing Community with The Woodlands Grave Gardeners

The Grave Gardener program is entering its 5th year come Spring 2020, and the application period to join this internationally famous group of volunteers is open right now, through January 15th. Many are familiar with the program, either from watching our segment on CBS Sunday Morning, reading about us in the Associated Press, or seeing our name in blogs like Atlas Obscura and The Order of the Good Death. The Grave Gardeners have inspired a new wave of gardening, and we’ve seen it spread to other historic cemeteries in our own back yard, to small and large cemeteries across the country, and to individuals tending the gravesites of strangers and loved ones all over the world. It has been an incredible 5 years.

Hamilton Mansion (river view) 1907.

The history of The Woodlands is steeped in horticulture. When William Hamilton inherited 250 acres on the west bank of the Schuylkill River, he turned The Woodlands into his full time home. Between 1770 and 1813, Hamilton transformed the area now known as University City into his English country style estate, complete with the first Federal Mansion built in America, the most important greenhouse in the country at that time, and over 90 acres of English style pleasure gardens. William Hamilton’s gardening efforts were so significant, Thomas Jefferson sent a large amount of the botanical collection acquired by Lewis and Clark on their journey to The Woodlands for germination and study. After Hamilton died in 1813 with no direct heirs, his estate was left to other family members, and from there fell into disrepair. Seed and Nurserymen like Henry Dreer rented the greenhouse to expand their own businesses, and parts of the estate were being reallocated for uses like an Almshouse and later the University of Pennsylvania. In 1840, The Woodlands Cemetery Company was formed under the leadership of Eli K. Price as an early act of preservation to save the Hamilton Estate from the growth of industrialization taking place along the Schuylkill. (You can read all about this history and more with our online resources!)

During this time, rural cemeteries acted as an early form of public parks, and city residents enjoyed spending time in cemeteries like The Woodlands to picnic, garden, and enjoy time outdoors. A popular headstone style during the Victorian Era, “Cradle Graves” were a common style of headstone installed by families at The Woodlands. They would be tended by individual families with flower gardens, but in recent decades have only been filled with grass. The Grave Gardeners are adopting these cradle graves and bringing the gardens back.

Many people might not know the full value of the Grave Gardeners to The Woodlands as an organization, or how the program has transformed this not-so-hidden gem in West Philadelphia. Five years ago, The Woodlands was a 54-acre private non-profit Cemetery and Historic Trust, with over 30,000 burials, more than 700 trees, and only two full time staff (we’re now a team of three!). The gates were open every day to welcome members of the community from students, to travelers, and families from the neighborhood to explore and learn in an open green space. The landscape had plenty to offer, but we knew we could do more if we had a little help.

We’re breaking down a few (out of countless) reasons the Grave Gardeners make The Woodlands special, and we hope it inspires you to apply to be a part of this transformative group of people (just remember to do so by January 15th).

They multiply resources. As a three person staff, it is incredibly challenging and rewarding to be the stewards of this National Historic Landmark District. We create programs, cultivate a growing community, and watch over our permanent residents, historic structures, and trees. The Grave Gardeners give us the opportunity to propagate plants and keep things alive within the cemetery. Planting flowers and trees is relatively easy. Keeping these young plants alive is hard. The Grave Gardeners do a fantastic job, and we couldn’t keep everything growing without them.

The Grave Gardeners have an endless amount of enthusiasm. When we first considered what the Grave Gardener program would look like, we imagined 20 committed people who all lived nearby, liked to garden, and were interested in learning more about the people who were buried in The Woodlands. We ended up with 75 people who felt committed to this place, and wanted to literally get their hands dirty in an effort to learn more and help beautify the landscape for all 35,000 annual visitors to enjoy. They attend workshops in the winter for a crash course into the practice of gardening in cemeteries, why Philadelphia is a hot spot for horticulture, and how best to plant and design a diverse grouping of fillers, spillers and thrillers (If you know, you know. And if you don’t, we’ll teach you!) into a Victorian era cradle grave. Today there are about 130 Grave Gardeners who take this enthusiasm for learning and focus it on weeding, watering, and sharing it with their friends and family.

Each year they put us face to face with the best possible problem. So many people apply to be a part of the program, we sadly can’t accept them all. There are other ways to get involved though! We have a robust volunteer group full of people who help with landscape clean up days, special projects, and help make public events go smoothly. You can take a Thursday tour to learn more about The Woodlands history and new research to share with family and friends as you explore the grounds. You can even make plans to be buried here and continue the ongoing tradition of this being an active cemetery. While we can only accept Grave Gardeners during a short window in January, you can enjoy the cradle graves and floral landscape 365 days a year from dawn to dusk.

Have we piqued your interest? You can learn even more about becoming a 2020 Grave Gardener and apply today.

Birding at the Woodlands - Sparrows Galore!

It's winter again, time for hot cocoa, visiting family for the holidays, wearing fuzzy socks, and cute sparrows! Though several sparrows can be seen in the area year-round, a number of them are cold-weather visitors. Something extra nice about sparrows, is that since they are seed-eaters, they are very eager to visit bird feeders. And if you find sparrows to be slightly boring 'little brown birds' that all look the same, I'm hoping this blog will change your mind!

Male House Sparrow at The Woodlands on a snowy January day. (Photo by Toribird)

If you live in an urban area, you likely have House Sparrows all around you, all year long! They are native to the Old World, widespread across most of Asia and Europe. They were first introduced to the US in the mid-1800s, and now are invasive pests over most of the Americas. Though they are a challenge for native wildlife, I must admit I find them rather pretty, and their babies are so cute in the summer! The males are distinctive, with black on the chin and around the eyes, grey on top of the head, a wide brown 'swoosh' behind the eye, and an unmarked grey belly. See if you can spot those markings in the picture! 

A dapper winter visitor is the Dark-eyed Junco. You might know it by the colloquial name 'Snowbird'. The ones on the east coast are quite different from other sparrows with a slate-gray back, snow-white belly, and cute pink bill. There are actually 15 different races of Dark-eyed Junco, 6 of which are easily recognizable. In fact, 5 of these races were considered separate species until the 1980s!

Dark-eyed Junco at The Woodlands (Photo by Toribird).

White-throated Sparrow at The Woodlands (Photo by Toribird).

 Another species with its winter home in Philly is the White-throated Sparrow. Well named, they do have white throats. You can also ID them by the yellow spots in front of their eyes and "racing stripes" on their heads. I particularly like these guys since they whistle out their song even in the coldest months of the year, when little else is singing. White-throats have two color forms, the bright ones with pure white 'eyebrows' (pictured), and a browner variety with muddy-tan eyebrows. This variation is regardless of age or sex. Fascinatingly, a breeding White-throat couple will always consist of one white-striped bird and one tan-striped one. 

I hope I've gotten you excited for some winter birding. Hopefully, you’ll see the sparrows mentioned in the blog, as well as woodpeckers, robins, and maybe a hawk or two while birding at The Woodlands during the winter.

Written by: Toribird

Generational Divides Unite With History

The Woodlands is a small non-profit organization like many others, and our small staff of four heavily rely on the help of volunteers and interns. Many of our volunteers self identify as “Millennials” or were born in the years just before or after this polarizing generation came to be. We treat the age differences of the staff and interns as a gift, benefit, and useful insight. Younger generations are a key to the successful future of the Arts and Culture Sector, and we take advantage of our interns experience to help our history-based non-profit reach new, young audiences. With this in mind, we find humor in the current “OK Boomer” phenomenon spreading through contemporary culture. “Ok Boomer” was even featured the past two weekends on CBS Sunday Morning. You can view their segment from the younger generations’s perspective here, and the views of the older generation here. We realized this is the perfect time to tell the story of Samuel Breck’s 19th century visit to The Woodlands. It reminded us that the generational divide spotlighted today by “Ok Boomer” is nothing new, and as with most trends, connect us to history. We asked our (Millennial) intern Kathie to put her spin on this story, and we hope you enjoy it.

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“OK, Boomer!” is a phrase heard ringing around the contemporary social sphere. It’s infiltrating social media, office dynamics and the political arena as a way for the younger generation to identify their differences and exasperation with their elders who are a product of the post-WWII reproduction boom, thus named the Baby Boomers. Over the past 20+ years –which is pretty much the entirety of my lifetime—technology, communication, social and political dynamics have progressed, morphed and exploded at an incredibly rapid pace to produce a contemporary culture that is distinctly at odds with that which existed half a century ago. As society changes at an exponential rate, it would make sense that those of us born before the recent era of a nearly digitized existence might have a hard time keeping up at full capacity. Even I, as a millennial, find myself amazed by children’s adaptation to the technological and social advancements.

Although the dichotomy between current generations may be a bit more drastic than experienced in the past it is a dynamic that is essentially timeless. Here at The Woodlands, evidence of the perpetual headbutting between generations manifested in a small, and silly incident during the transition time between the era when Hamilton’s decadently designed home was used for tastefully executed social events, and the founding of the Woodlands Cemetery Company. Between Hamilton’s death in 1813 and the opening of the Cemetery Company in 1840, the house was rented out to southern families as a vacation spot as a way to generate income. It is of no surprise that these families would have children who took advantage of having a huge house at their disposal for their youthful mischief.

Photo of Samuel Breck

A diary entry—transcribed below—by Samuel Breck depicts an experience he had with a member of the younger generation upon a visit to the Hamilton Mansion in 1832. Samuel was a politician who served in the House of Representatives from 1823-1825 and had frequented the Hamilton Mansion as a guest of William Hamilton’s while it functioned as a distinguished estate. Breck lived to be 91 years old and diligently recorded his experiences and thoughts throughout his lifetime. His visit during the summer of 1832 highlights the generational differences that manifested since the time of his previous trips to the estate, presumably about 25 years prior.

Samuel Breck, August 1832

This is a day of fasting humiliation and prayer, appointed by the mayor, in consequence of the existence of the cholera. In the afternoon I rode to the Woodlands to visit my sister and found the family of boarders at prayers. Unwilling to interrupt their worship, I went into the portico and gazed at the unrivaled prospect in front. How often have I seen that splendid view excite the applause and admiration of the gay company that filled the noble villa, in the days of William Hamilton! In the corners of the portico stand the busts of two roman emperors, that were placed there by the founders of the Woodlands, and have been sold, as fixtures, with the house. On approaching one, to salute it as an old acquaintance, I was mortified to see it disfigured by a black lead pencil. Mustaches and whiskers were drawn over the upper lip and the sides of the cheeks and on the forehead the following silly stuff was scribbled:

“My name is Norval:

On the [Grampian] Hill,

I took thy daddy’s pill.”

Truly ashamed of the propensity of my countryman, from Texas to Maine, to dishonor themselves, and the fine arts, I went to work with a piece pf paper, and rubbed off all I could and then called a young gentleman, who sat in the hall (and who happened to be the deformer himself) and gave him a grave lecture, upon the want of refinement and taste, in trying to render ridiculous, such works of skills, brought here to decorate and furnish a beautiful house, and which all polished people – every polite community cherish with the greatest care. I told him how unfortunate it was that a tendency existed among the rising generation to write obscene verses, carve initials of names, and sketch rude figures, on the walls and furniture of places thrown open to the public; how much such conduct in Europe (except perhaps in our good father-land) was reproved and furnished, and denounced as barbarous that in Holland pictures representing one man whipping another, were hung up on the public roads, as an intimation of what a person might expect, who should presume to mutilate public property.

Young Norval’s defacement of William Hamilton’s inspired artistic expression clearly struck a chord with Samuel Breck. The satirical graffiti could be interpreted as the early 19th century “F*#% You!” to outdated ideals within high society. Norval expressed this in a place that seemed increasingly obsolete, and represented the generation he was acting against. Breck’s political stature further underlines parallels to the current disconnect seen in the generational transition happening in positions of power in the United States.

“OK Boomer” is the most recent way in which us “darn kids” of contemporary society are pushing back, and the boomers are responding with their respective annoyance. As more light is shed on the conflict between millennials and baby boomers, we probably won’t be sat down and given a “talking to” as Samuel imposed on Norval nearly 200 years ago, but the underlying annoyance is still there. Tensions surrounding the “OK, Boomer” phenomenon are rising, but Samuel Breck’s Diary entry reveals, and hopefully lightens, the essence of the colloquialism. Let us glean from the marker mustaches on classical sculpture that generational battles are ageless.

Written by:
Kathie Brill