Birding Hotspots

Southeast Pennsylvania has a lot to offer for birding! You can find a searchable species list and state abundance maps provided by the Pennsylvania Society for Ornithology (PSO).

A premier hotspot will be right outside the doors of the 2023 meeting location within Rushton Woods Preserve and Farm with 167 species documented on eBird. There are also a number of other great birding hotspots just minutes from the meeting location!

American Redstart. Photo by Brian Storey.

Willistown Conservation Trust owns and manages three nature preserves in the area – Ashbridge, Kirkwood and Rushton Woods Preserve. These lands re maintained for the preservation and enhancement of their natural and scenic features and appropriate public access and education. Our nature preserves are open to the public 365 days per year from sunrise to sunset, providing natural places that offer peace and respite for all.

  • Ashbridge Preserve | 1691 East Strasburg Road, West Chester, PA. Ashbridge is a 55-acre mix of early and mid-successional woodland, with old fields and open wet meadows. It contains the main stem of Ridley Creek, a small tributary, and associated wetlands and floodplains.
Ashbridge Preserve. Photo by Jennifer Mathes.
  • Kirkwood Preserve | 855 Grubbs Mill Road, Newtown Square, PA. Kirkwood is an 83 acre primarily rolling grasslands with scattered trees and a few woodland areas. Some wet meadow surrounds the main stem of Crum Creek.
Kirkwood Preserve. Photo by Jennifer Mathes.

Other great birding locations in the area include:

Birding in Philadelphia:

More birding locations: