Welcome to the Willistown Conservation Trust Blog

News, ideas, questions, and observations from the Trust’s Staff as we use local conservation to make a broad impact. To filter the blog posts, click on the category label above a post’s title of the topic you are interested in. I.e. “birds”, “native plants”, etc.

Bird Banding Bird ecology migration

For the Love of Birds

Blake Goll – November 14, 2018 – Share

On the morning before Halloween, the hedgerows and meadows of Rushton were teeming with migratory birds that had descended on...

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Bird banding, Bird Conservation, Brown Creeper, fall migration, Golden-crowned kinglet, kinglet, songbird migration

Bird Banding Bird ecology

Banders Seeing Purple

Blake Goll – October 28, 2018 – Share

This is the time of the season when banders are beginning to grow weary as a result of having been...

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Bird banding, fall songbird migration, migration, Myrtle Warbler, songbird banding, yellow-rumped warbler

Bird Banding Bird ecology migration

When it's Cold Outside, I've Got the Month of May

Blake Goll – October 20, 2018 – 6 Replies – Share

As if we weren't already a motley crew, banders donned their mismatch layers of winter coats, thrifted fleeces, alpaca fingerless...

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Bird banding, bird migration, Cape May Warbler, fall songbird migration, purple finch, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

Bird Banding Bird ecology migration

Something to Chat About

Blake Goll – October 12, 2018 – 2 Replies – Share

Another dreary, drippy morning on Tuesday surprisingly produced a season record of 54 birds spanning a dazzling 20 species.  Highlights...

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Bird banding, kids and birds, Rushton Farm, songbird banding, students and birds, yellow-breasted chat

Bird Banding Bird ecology

Not Just Smoke and Sparrows

Blake Goll – October 5, 2018 – 3 Replies – Share

Mornings at Rushton this week were humid with water dripping from every leaf and berry.  As the sun ignited the...

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Bird banding, Connecticut Warbler, kids and nature, migration, Winter Wren

Bird Banding Bird Conservation migration

How You Like Me Now? Crowds Get Heavy at Rushton

Blake Goll – September 29, 2018 – Share

This week of banding was a whirlwind of feathers, fanatics, and fog.  It began with our bi-annual Open House last...

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Bird banding, Blackpoll warbler, environmental education, Motus Wildlife Tracking, White eyed Vireo

Bird Banding Bird ecology

It's Raining Warblers, Hallelujah!

Blake Goll – September 21, 2018 – 1 Reply – Share

Late September is a thrilling time of abundance in the natural world.  As more yellow leaves begin to hustle to...

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Bird banding, fall songbird migration, Gray-cheeked Thrush, magnolia warbler, migration, Scarlet Tanager, Yellow-bellied Flycatcher

Bird Banding Bird ecology migration

Put the Lime in the Chestnut-side

Blake Goll – September 13, 2018 – 3 Replies – Share

  Strikingly different from the deep calico colors it flaunts during breeding season, the fall Chestnut-sided Warbler is still a...

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American Redstart, Bird banding, Chestnut-sided warbler, fall migration, songbird conservation, veery, wood thrush

agroecology Bird Banding migration

You Look Like a Tall Glass of Waterthrush

Blake Goll – September 6, 2018 – Share

The sallow leaves fell slowly through the visible cloak of humidity, dark silhouettes of jays pierced through the gray overhead,...

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Bird banding, bird migration, Carolina Wren, fall songbird migration, northern waterthrush, sustainable farming

Bird Banding Bird ecology migration

Warblers Comin' in Hot

Blake Goll – September 4, 2018 – 2 Replies – Share

The Rushton banding crew was back at it this morning, collecting as much data as possible before the temperature exceeded...

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American Redstart, Bird banding, fall songbird migration, magnolia warbler, Rushton Woods Preserve, wood thrush

Bird Banding Bird ecology migration

If Black-throated Blues are Here, Fall is Near

Blake Goll – August 30, 2018 – 2 Replies – Share

Even though the autumn equinox has not yet occurred and you're still wistfully packing your bags for one last summer...

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Bird banding, Black-throated Blue warbler, early successional shrub habitat, fall songbird migration, Rushton Farm

Bird Banding Bird Conservation migration

A Toast to Our Birds of 2017 and the Peculiar Tower Atop the Greenhouse

Blake Goll – December 20, 2017 – Share

I like winter.  As December rolls around and the snow sparkles and swirls outside my window, I have no choice...

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Bird banding, Connecticut Warbler, Motus Wildlife Tracking, nanotag, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Rushton Farm

Bird Banding Bird Conservation migration

Monitoring Songbirds On the Move: Rushton Banding Station's Eighth Autumn

Bird Conservation Team – September 11, 2017 – 1 Reply – Share

The last day of August was the inauguration of our eighth fall banding season at Rushton Woods Preserve.  Aside from...

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Bird banding, early successional shrub habitat, fall migration, MAPS banding, stopover ecology, sustainable farming

Bird Conservation Native Plants wildflower meadow

Inspiration From a Wildflower Meadow

Blake Goll – December 31, 2016 – 4 Replies – Share

The following is an excerpt taken this year from my journal, "Meadow Walking," an attempt to document the delights of our...

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american goldfinch, black swallowtail, false sunflower, grass leaved goldenrod, hyssop leaved boneset, native wildflower meadow, new york ironweed, virginia cup plant

Bird Banding Bird Conservation migration

Autumn Songbird Banding at Rushton Farm – A Community Treasure

Blake Goll – September 16, 2016 – 1 Reply – Share

Fall has arrived, which means 20 billion birds are burning through the night sky with the big dipper at their...

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American Redstart, Bird banding, Blue-winged warbler, Chestnut-sided warbler, fall songbird migration, field thistle, White eyed Vireo

Bird Banding Bird Conservation MAPS

Our Woodland Bird Nursery + Highlights from Spring Migration

Blake Goll – July 2, 2016 – Share

Two weeks ago the Strawberry Moon rose within the Cusp of Magic.  In times past this full moon was so named because...

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Bird banding, Common milkweed, Gray Catbird, MAPS banding, migration, native tree, stopover ecology

Amphibian conservation Bird ecology Phenology

Spectacular Spring Secrets

Blake Goll – March 24, 2016 – 2 Replies – Share

The beauty of a cloudy spring day seems to stand out against the sunshine-filled days.  Calming gray skies provide depth...

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American Woodcock, amphibians, Conservation, spotted salamander, spring peeper, vernal pool, wood frog

Uncategorized

Happy New Year!

Blake Goll – December 31, 2015 – Share

Bottoms up!  Here's to the things done and left undone in 2015, the birds that were seen and those that...

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White eyed Vireo, Winter Wren

Bird Banding Bird Events Uncategorized

Songbird Banding Station Annual Open House Tomorrow + A Foreign Passerine & Rushton in the Press!

Communications Team – September 18, 2015 – Share

WAIT! If you’re a subscriber reading this in email format, please click on the title of the post right above in...

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American Redstart, Bird banding, Connecticut Warbler, fall migration

Bird Banding Uncategorized

Rushton Has Birdiest Summer in Five Years! + Making Sense of Migratory Connectivity

Communications Team – August 15, 2015 – 2 Replies – Share

WAIT! If you’re a subscriber reading this in email format (ugh!), please click on the title of the post right above...

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Bird banding, cowbirds, GPS tag, Gray Catbird, Gray-cheeked Thrush, MAPS banding, migratory connectivity, wildlife tracking technology

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