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).
Latest News and Info
The Raven LunaChicks run 2026 WSB in Gloucester County
Remembering Doris McGovern
Meetings
October 01, 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.
Reconstructing the ecology and evolution of North American avian influenza viruses
Speaker: Dr Louise Moncla (in-person)

Dr. Moncla’s research lab focuses on using genomic approaches to understand RNA virus emergence, evolution, and transmission, with a particular focus on highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses. Her lab draws on approaches from virology, phylodynamics, and population genetics to study how emerging and re-emerging RNA viruses cross species barriers, evolve within individuals, and transmit across populations, with the ultimate goal of improving surveillance and public health responses.
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Field Trips
https://ebird.org/hotspot/L1025768
Free to all members and non-members
Join us to explore one of Philly’s Top 3 birding locations. This park has a few good birding areas, including the lakes, woods, and meadows of the old golf course. We will concentrate on areas that are productive each month. Due to consistent flooding in the park, please be prepared for muddy and wet areas. Waterproof shoes or mud boots are recommended. Dress for weather.
Meet at the parking lot east of the gazebo (GPS: 39°54’13.5″N 75°10’53.5″W), NOT at the gazebo. In case the gates are closed, please park on 20th Street and walk to the meeting place.
No binoculars? No worries! Birding backpacks with binoculars and field guides are now available on loan at all branches of the Free Library of Philadelphia.
For questions, please reach out to birdphillywalks@gmail.com.
The event is free and open to everyone.
See more
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http://ebird.org/ebird/hotspot/L4002670
Free to all members and non-members
Join us for a walk at this quiet under-birded park in West Philly. The woods, streams, and meadow provide great habitats for migratory and year-round birds.
Let’s meet at 6610 Sherwood Road. Sturdy footwear is recommended due to the dirt paths and rolling hills there.
No binoculars? No worries! Birding backpacks with binoculars and field guides are now available on loan at all branches of the Free Library of Philadelphia.
For questions, please reach out to birdphillywalks@gmail.com.
The event is free and open to everyone.
See more
Add to Google Calendar
Download ICS

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.
