Birding in the Wissahickon
by Kevin Berkoff, FOW Board of Directors
When our city’s forefathers set out to protect our water supply from industrial pollution and provide the masses with a place to relax and enjoy nature through the creation of Fairmount Park in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, they also created a safe place for Philadelphia’s wildlife. The park, and especially the Wissahickon Valley Park, serves as a much-needed way station for migratory birds that perilously travel the Atlantic Flyway each spring and fall, while also providing appropriate habitat for many of Pennsylvania’s breeding birds.
Bird watching or birding is fast becoming one of the nation’s most popular activities. New citizen science tools like the eBird and Merlin apps provide a great way for beginner and novice bird lovers to accurately identify and record the birds that they see. This has made birding much more accessible to new birders. Birders that use these tools are also providing valuable information to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, which collects this data to monitor trends, changes in bird populations, and migration patterns over time.
If you’d like some practice using these tools under expert guidance, join FOW for the final installment of Troy Bynum’s Bird Walks Along the Wissahickon on Sunday, October 26 at 9 AM. Register here.
There are a variety of different habitats throughout the park that provide great places for birds to live and breed. The open fields of Houston and Andorra Meadows are great places to see birds such as Indigo Bunting, Eastern Bluebird, Common Yellowthroat, Eastern Towhee, and Field Sparrow.
While walking along Forbidden Drive, one can see and hear Acadian Flycatcher, Baltimore Oriole, Brown Headed Cowbird, Blue Jays, American Robin, Gray Catbird, and Common Grackle. During the peak of the spring migration, it is possible to see up to two dozen species of warblers along Forbidden Drive. If you are very lucky in the spring you may also hear the ethereal song of the Louisiana Waterthrush along Forbidden Drive.
Valley Green is a great location to see Pennsylvania’s most beautiful duck, the Wood Duck, as well as Mallards and Canada Geese. Also pay attention for Northern Rough-winged and Barn Swallows that dart and dive along the creek hawking insects. It is also not unusual to see Bald Eagles fishing along this section of the creek.
The wooded trails, including the Orange, White, and Yellow trails are great places to see and hear the melodic calls of the Wood Thrush and Veery, as well as species like Northern Cardinal, Gray Catbird, Carolina Wren, and Downy, Hairy, Red-bellied, and Pileated Woodpeckers. There are also canopy birds like the beautiful Scarlet Tanager and the ever present Red-eyed Vireo.
In the evening and early morning, it is not uncommon to hear the park’s nocturnal specialists such as Great Horned Owl, Eastern Screech Owl, and even Barred Owls that call the park home. During the winter months you can also occasionally find Northern Saw-whet owls and, if you are extremely lucky, Long-eared Owls.
During the winter months, we see many northern species migrate from the northern United States and Canada to the park for the winter. Some of the more common species include White-throated Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Winter Wren, Red-breasted Nuthatch, and Ruby-crowned and Golden-crowned Kinglets. Occasionally, if food is scarce in the North, we can see additional northern species such as Pine Siskin, Purple Finch, and on rare occasion, Evening Grossbeak and Redpoll. The winter of 2025-26 could be one of those years when we see all of these species show up in the park.
Cover photo courtesy of Susie Wilmerding