The Delaware Valley Ornithological Club (DVOC) is one of the oldest ornithology organizations in the United States. Founded in 1890, the club has held regular meetings at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia for over 125 years, and has published the periodical Cassinia since 1901. Membership is open to any dues paying person with an interest in birds. The club organizes birding field trips throughout the Delaware River valley region, including a dedicated year-round trip schedule within the city limits of Philadelphia (BirdPhilly).
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Meetings
June 04, 2026 @ 7:15 pm - 9:30 pm
1900 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia
The in-person portion of the meeting will be held at the Academy of Natural Sciences, BEES classroom (3rd floor).
Meeting agenda:
7:15 PM: Zoom opens
7:30-8 PM: Club business
8 PM: Presentation followed by questions (might start earlier if club business finishes earlier).
Please register for the meeting whether you will be attending in person or via Zoom. Then watch for the meeting link in your email. Disregard the meeting link if you will be attending in person.
Fierce and Fast
Speaker: Jim Wright (in-person)
FIERCE AND FAST
Jim Wright, author of the acclaimed new book The Peregrine Falcon, tells all about these incredible raptors in this lavishly illustrated talk: how they can travel at 200 mph, why they nearly went extinct, how they were saved (in the unlikeliest way), how they became an internet superstar, and where the nestlings go after they fledge. Even if you think you know a lot about peregrines, prepare to be surprised. Jim will sell and sign books after the presentation. (Cash or check for book sales)
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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
In addition to this go-to book on peregrine falcons, Jim wrote The Real James Bond, about the legendary DVOC member whose name was stolen by Ian Fleming) and many other books. He monitors nesting peregrines for the state of New Jersey in the spring, plans to coordinate the State Line Hawk Watch this fall, and writes a birding column for The Record in Northern New Jersey every two weeks.
More about the book here:
Booklist magazine just gave The Peregrine Falcon a great review: “Full of personal anecdotes from Wright’s many years as a nest monitor and hawk watcher and quotes from scientists and early naturalists and richly illustrated with beautiful color photos, this will be the peregrine primer for years to come.”
Link to purchase book: https://schifferbooks.
(*Please Note – this presentation will not be recorded for posting on our DVOC website & YouTube at speakers request)
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Field Trips
Free to all members and non-members
Join us at Dixon Meadow Preserve, located on the corner of Thomas and Flourtown Roads in Whitemarsh Township. With its 14 acres repurposed in 2014 and its boardwalk measuring nearly two-thirds of a mile, the Preserve is a haven for birders, walkers, and those who enjoy the area’s natural flora and fauna. With over 180 species reported on eBird, we’re bound to find something special.
Attendees will meet at the parking lot before walking down to the preserve.
Please note afternoon time.
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Free to all members and non-members
Join us on a bird walk with a local birding expert as we hike around a site noted for over 150 species of bird visitor every year. With deep water, limited access, and a lake full of fish, the Strawberry Mansion Reservoir is home to some of the most unique bird species in the area. No experience necessary. This is a joint trip with PA Audubon.
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BirdPhilly is an initiative of the Delaware Valley Ornithological Club. Founded in 1890, the DVOC has been based at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia since 1891. The DVOC runs fields trips throughout the tri-state region, however BirdPhilly focuses on trips within in Philadelphia city limits in collaboration with Philadelphia Parks & Recreation and the Fairmount Park Conservancy.
Through BirdPhilly our goal is to increase interest and awareness of Philadelphia’s birds by providing quality birding experiences on expertly guided field trips. All field trips are free unless the site charges an admission fee. These trips are open to children, adults, and well behaved pets. BirdPhilly also participates in DVOC’s Philadelphia Bird Race to raise funds for conservation and research projects.
The club enthusiastically welcomes new members – young people, beginners and anyone else who is genuinely interested in birding. Members benefit from the wealth of information and expertise that this club offers. The bi-annual club journal, Cassinia, is provided to members.
People interested in receiving the club's weekly email newsletter can sign up by using the button below. Note that new club members start to receive the newsletter automatically after joining the club.
© Bert Filemyr
The Delaware Valley is the name given to the region that lays on either side of the Delaware River, centered on Philadelphia. This consists of southeastern Pennsylvania, central and southern New Jersey and the state of Delaware. Tell me more...
The following counties fall within our boundaries.
In Pennsylvania;
Berks County, Bucks County, Chester County, Delaware County, Lancaster County, Lebanon County, Lehigh County, Montgomery County, Northampton County and Philadelphia County.
In New Jersey;
Atlantic County, Burlington County, Camden County, Cape May County, Cumberland County, Gloucester County, Hunterdon County, Mercer County, Middlesex County, Monmouth County, Ocean County, Salem County, Somerset County and Warren County.
In Delaware;
New Castle County, Kent County and Sussex County
DVOC Flickr Page
Want to see and share photos of Delaware Valley birds? Check out our Flickr page.
BirdPhilly is an initiative of the Delaware Valley Ornithological Club. Founded in 1890, the DVOC has been based at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia since 1891. The DVOC runs fields trips throughout the tri-state region, however BirdPhilly focuses on trips within in Philadelphia city limits in collaboration with Philadelphia Parks & Recreation and the Fairmount Park Conservancy.
Through BirdPhilly our goal is to increase interest and awareness of Philadelphia’s birds by providing quality birding experiences on expertly guided field trips. All field trips are free unless the site charges an admission fee. These trips are open to children, adults, and well behaved pets. BirdPhilly also participates in DVOC’s Philadelphia Bird Race to raise funds for conservation and research projects.
New Bins for New Birders (NB4NB)
Partnering with DVOC's World Series of Birding Team's corporate sponsor, Nikon Sport Optics, NB4NB is committed to supplying new, serviceable binoculars to organizations that expose young people to birding and the outdoors. We focus on those organizations that are local to the Delaware Valley Region: southeastern Pennsylvania, southern New Jersey, and Delaware.
You can quickly and easily make a donation to various DVOC initiatives using PayPal. Click the "Donate" button above to do see a list of initiatives. If you have a Paypal Account please log in. If you do not, use the "Don't have a PayPal account?" section in the lower left-hand corner of the page that appears after you click one of the "Donate" buttons on the next page.
The DVOC is a 501(c)(3) organization.
Contributions to DVOC are tax-deductible.