Field trips have always been an important part of the Audubon Wildlife Society's purpose of educating people about the natural world around them, so for fifty years we have been exploring much of this region to see its flora and fauna. I will attempt to cover some of the highlights in this all-too-brief history.

Places like Brigantine, Barnegat - Long Beach Island, and Cape May have been favorites from the beginning. These areas are prime birding spots and well worth a visit every year or so. Brigantine (now known as Forsythe) is always a great spot to see the Snow Geese, although in years past we have also traveled down to Fortescue in March to witness this spectacle. And what would winter be without a visit to Barnegat to see the Harlequins and "freeze to death" to quote club member Esther Gray! Cape May is just a wonderful destination any time of the year, and we have birded there in every season. In fact, back in October 1963, the club started going to the Spring Weekends. Although we no longer attend as a club, many individual members still travel down on their own.

The club has also birded many other diverse areas through the years. Places like Shark River, Bombay Hook, Island Beach, Carpenter's Woods, the Great Swamp, Hawk Mountain, National Park, and Tinicum to name but a few! Local areas, too, like Hopkins Pond and Pennypacker Park in Haddonfield, Cedar Run Refuge in Medford, Taylor's Wildlife Preserve in Cinnaminson, and Palmyra right near the Tacony-Palmyra bridge are good for birds, especially in migration, and we have taken many trips to these areas.

Usually only one trip a month is scheduled, but some months, like May, are just so good for birds that the club has quite frequently scheduled two or even three trips! I have come across old records where we have had three weekends in May of early morning bird walks at local areas like Hopkins Pond and Crows Woods some years. In other years we would head to Glassboro Woods for migrating warblers one weekend and the next weekend we were off to see the shorebirds along the Delaware Bay Shore!

Overnight trips have been popular off and on through the years. As far as I can tell, the first overnighters were back in the 50's when Frank McLaughlin would lead trips down to the Atlantic shore to view nesting shorebirds. The trip participants would stay over-night in the Haddon Hall in Atlantic City to get an early start the next morning to not only view the birds, but also to help p signs up warning people of endangered nesting shorebirds on the beaches. Some other overnight trips have been to Cape Henlopen in Delaware and Stokes State Forest in northern New Jersey.

We have also done, and continue to do today, botany trips to various habitats throughout the area. Karl Anderson of the NJ Audubon Society regularly leads our club's current botany trips to such diverse areas as Whitesbog, New Jersey and Susquehanna State Park in Maryland. Some trips from the past have included the Delaware Water Gap area, Bowman's Hill Wildflower Preserve, and Tyler Arboretum. Even though the club usually takes only one dedicated botany trip per year, wildflowers and other flora are still looked at and enjoyed on almost every trip we take!

The club actually takes many different kinds of trips, not just birds and botany. Throughout the years we, have done canoe trips, Lost Towns of the Pine Barrens trips, bus trips to Audubon's House in Pennsylvania and the Botanical Gardens in New York, frogs and other assorted night sounds trips, fossil hunting trips, and visits to area museums. Natural history trips are always popular, and we have been to various habitats like beaches, marshes, and the Pine Barrens to learn about the general ecology of an area. Butterfly watching has become popular in recent years, so we have started running trips for this, also!

Many thanks to long-time club members Nancy Gallager, Esther Gray, Jean Gutsmuth, Bill Leap, and Augie Sexauer for their help on telling me about the old days. I could have easily written another three pages with all the stories and information they had given me! Many thanks are also due to all the field trip leaders and participants we've had over the years who have made every trip a unique and successful one! So, if you're looking for a fun and interesting way to learn about our natural world, please join us as we look forward to another 50 years of exciting field trips!

Sandra Keller