Join us on
​ Monday, May 11th 2026​
when
​West Shore Wildlife Center​
will bring some of its wild ambassadors for an educational and
entertaining program for the whole family!

Join us at 7:00 p.m.

Unitarian Universalist Congregation of York,
925 S. George Street, York, PA 17403
(all meetings are free and open to the public)​
​

Visit our YAS Booth at the

Master Gardeners' Native Plant Sale

Saturday May 9, 2026, 8:30 AM-1:30 PM

John Rudy County Park, 400 Mundis Mill Road, York, PA 17406

Saturday, May 16th - Wizard Ranch Nature Preserve

• Meeting location: Wizard Ranch Nature Preserve Parking Lot (off of Accomac Rd). Click here for Map Location​
• Time: 7:30 to 9:30 am
• Notes: Join us as we hike some of the newer trails on this Lancaster Conservancy property in hopes of seeing lots of migrants!

All bird walks are free and open to the public. No registration required.

If you notice holes appearing in the leaves of some of your plants this spring, don’t panic—celebrate! It probably means those plants are doing exactly what they were planted to do. One of the main reasons we plant native species is to support insects like caterpillars, which depend on those leaves for food. Think of your plants as caterpillar food, and think of caterpillars as bird food. In fact, many backyard birds require thousands of caterpillars each season to successfully raise their young, so we need lots of native plants to support lots of caterpillars.

A few chewed leaves are a sign that your yard is part of a healthy food web. Native plants evolved alongside local insects, making them far more valuable to wildlife than most ornamental and non-native plants that insects can’t use. Perfect, untouched leaves may look nice, but they often mean your landscape is not supporting the ecosystem.

That’s also why it’s important to avoid routine pesticide use. Sprays don’t just remove “pests”—they often kill the caterpillars and other insects birds need most during nesting season. This May, embrace a little leaf damage and let nature do what it does best. Those holey leaves may be the best sign that your yard is helping birds thrive.

Sunday, May 17th - 9am-1pm - BioBlitz at Graham Nature Center in Hellam

Calling all Community Scientists!

York Audubon Society members are invited to participate in a bioblitz at Graham Nature Preserve (not yet open to the public) on May 17, 9am-1pm (stay for some or all of the time). We will make “observations” (to use the iNaturalist terminology) using our phones or other personal camera/recording device and iNaturalist (app or desktop), in an effort to create a biological inventory of the plants, animals, and fungi at Graham, before we undergo several years of strategic ecological restoration.

No expertise is needed to participate! Our field leads will demo a variety of collection and observational methods and guide participants through making meaningful observations using tools at their disposal. Choose your preferred observation taxon during registration, and feel free to rotate to multiple groups on the day of the event. We will provide a brief (optional) tutorial on using the iNaturalist app, for those new to the technology.

Field leads:

Dan Ardia (F&M) & Aaron Haines (Millersville) – birds and mammals, Keith Williams (Lancaster Conservancy) – reptiles and amphibians, Aaron Howard (F&M) – invertebrates, Linda Ferich & John Thomas (Lancaster Conservancy) – plants

Help us build a baseline that we can look back to in years to come. Registration is required. I hope to see you there!

Folks are welcome (but not required) to join the bioblitz project on iNaturalist.

Want to know more about bioblitzes? Check out this video. ​

Learn more about getting started with iNaturalist.

Magee Marsh & Lake Erie Birding Adventure​
May 14–17, 2026

Join York Audubon for an unforgettable spring migration experience along Ohio’s Lake Erie shore! Magee Marsh is world-famous for its incredible warbler fallout — with dazzling close-up views and birds everywhere you look. Whether you’re a seasoned birder or just learning, this is the perfect place to witness migration at its peak.

Spots fill quickly — don’t miss this spectacular trip!

It's here!! May is the premier month for birding in York County, as spring songbird migration reaches its peak. The first three weeks of the month bring a colorful wave of warblers, vireos, thrushes, and flycatchers moving through the county, with more than 30 species of warblers possible. Among the highlights are Blackburnian, Magnolia, Chestnut-sided, Black-throated Blue, Black-throated Green, and Canada Warblers, along with Swainson’s Thrushes and Blue-headed Vireos. Blackpoll warblers arrive towards the end of the month signaling that migration is near its end.

Spring migrants can be found by visiting almost anywhere good habitat (and therefore food) exists. Mature oak trees at wooded parks and edge habitats are prime places to find warblers and vireos feasting on caterpillars. Top locations include Rocky Ridge, Spring Valley, Nixon Park, Pinchot State Park, Lock 12, Mary Ann Furnace Trail at Codorus State Park, and the Lake Williams/Redman area. Shorebirds also pass through in May, so check out areas with low water levels at places such as Lake Redman Boardwalk, Long Arm, and Codorus SP.

Check out Migration Forecasts and Live Nightly Radar to see which nights to expect the most movement at BirdCast.org.