ABOUT THE LECTURES

The Birds of the Great Marsh – An Overview with Mike Coulter

To date, 190 species of birds have been recorded at The Great Marsh making it one of the top birding hotspots in Chester County, PA. Resident GMI birdwatcher, Mike Coulter, will guide you through the seasons and introduce you to the diverse array of birds that live and visit the marsh.

Mike Coulter has been an avid birdwatcher for the past 32 years with a focus over the past 9 years on exploring and discovering the diversity of bird life at The Great Marsh in Chester County, PA.

Find Mike on Facebook: Link

Mike will be presenting this lecture at the Nature Center from 10:15-10:45am.

Turtles of the Great Marsh with Bernard Brown

Everyone loves turtles! Hear about the turtle biodiversity of the Great Marsh and how we are studying them.

Bernard Brown is a nature writer, an avid “herper” (someone who observes reptiles and amphibians for fun), and a volunteer with the PA Amphibian and Reptile Survey. He is the author of Exploring Philly Nature: A Guide for All Four Seasons and writes for Grid magazine in Philadelphia.

Find Bernard on Instagram: @PhillyBillyNature

Bernard will be presenting this lecture at the Nature Center from 11:30am-12pm.

Tracking Eastern Towhees at Great Marsh with Shelly Eshleman

Shelly will be talking to the audience about her work at the Great Marsh tagging and tracking Eastern Towhees (Pipilo erythrophthalmus) using Motus.

Shelly is a stall member at the Willistown Conservation Trust and a Ph.D. student in Dr. Jeff Buler’s Aeroecology lab at the University of Delaware. Her dissertation research will focus on the conservation of Pennsylvania’s avian species and will utilize the Motus tracking system, a network of automated radio telemetry receivers. Her previous research used data logging tags to track the migratory movements of Red-winged Blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus) and correlated reproductive hormones with spring migration distance in a collaborative project with the USDA.  

Find Shelly on Instagram: @angelucci18

Shelly will be presenting this lecture at the Nature Center from 1:15-1:45pm.

Animal Tracking for Kids with Jeff Smith

Join Jeff as he teaches animal tracking for kids! Learn about the animals of the Great Marsh, how to spot their tracks, and more.

Jeff Smith is a professional contractor who has been working in the Philadelphia area for over 30 years. His work over the past ten years has focused on historical restoration and renovation; you can see his most recent work on display at the Farmhouse and Glasshouse on the Great Marsh property.

Jeff will be presenting this lecture at the Tent from 11:15-11:30am.