Yellow buckeye buds about to burst, 1 April 2019 (photo by Kate St. John)
Yesterday I found these buds about to burst in Schenley Park.
Yellow buckeyes (Aesculus flava) are one of the first trees to leaf out in the spring, unfurling their dramatic palmate leaves. They’re such a welcome splash of green that I photograph them nearly every year. This is the first time I noticed the bud at this stage. I didn’t expect it to be red.
Over the years my buckeye photographs have documented the vagaries of spring in Schenley Park. In cooler years — such as 2015 — the buds weren’t this far along in mid-April. Here’s a closed bud on 15 April 2015.
Closed bud on 15 April 2015 (photo by Kate St. John)
In hot years — such as 2012 — the buds opened weeks ahead of schedule. This buckeye was completely leafed on 19 March 2012.
Yellow buckeye tree 19 March 2012 (photo by Kate St. John)
This year appears to be a “normal” spring … whatever that means these days.
Spraying outdoor clothes with permethrin (photo by Kate St. John)
1 April 2019
Today is April Fools Day but here’s no joke. Now’s the time to spray your outdoor clothes with permethrin to repel black-legged ticks that carry Lyme disease.
Black-legged ticks (Ixodes scapularis), sometimes called deer ticks, are tiny blood-sucking arachnids that transmit the parasite that causes Lyme disease from small rodents to us.
Lyme disease is debilitating and if not stopped early can ruin your life for a very long time. If you live in Pennsylvania you probably know someone who’s had Lyme disease, maybe even yourself. Pennsylvania has the most Lyme disease cases per year in the U.S. — 10,001 of them in 2018 according to this PennLive report.
The predictions for 2019 say Lyme disease will be even worse in Pennsylvania this year. Black-legged ticks need moisture to survive and the past year has been wet. There will be lots of ticks. Watch out!
So how do we avoid getting Lyme disease?
Stay away from places where black-legged ticks live,
Keep ticks off your skin,
Check your body daily for any ticks that got through those defenses.
Unfortunately most of us can’t stay away from tick habitat. It’s in our own backyards.
Black-legged nymphs live in moist leaf litter or at the edge of wooded areas. Many people catch Lyme disease while gardening. Have you been moving damp leaves lately?
Tick habitat is on the edge (photo by Kate St. John)
Don’t fool yourself that you’re completely safe in city parks. A 2017 study of Pittsburgh’s regional parks — Highland, Schenley, Riverview and Frick — found infected ticks in all of them. Highland was the worst. Download the study here.
The edge at Frick Park (photo by Kate St. John)
The best defense is to keep ticks off your skin.
Stay on-trail as much as possible. (Not possible when gardening!)
Wear light-colored clothing so you can see ticks if they get on your clothes.
Wear long pants and long sleeves. Before you step off trail, pull your socks over your pant bottoms.
Field check for ticks before you go home.
To really keep ticks away spray your outdoor clothes — pants, shirts, socks, shoes, jacket, hat — with permethrin. READ AND FOLLOW LABEL DIRECTIONS. The repellent lasts through six washings. It works really well for me.
And as always, take a shower shortly after coming indoors and check your body for ticks every day. Read more about tick prevention and daily checks at these links.
Get ready for a bad tick year.
Today is Spray Your Clothes Day.
(photos by Kate St. John, map from CDC.gov, black-legged tick diagram from Wikimedia Commons; click on the captions to see the originals)
(*) Note: The CDC map of Lyme disease shows reported cases, not all cases. Western Massachusetts & the Adirondacks look Lyme-free because of a difference in reporting.
Birding on the Duck Hollow Trail, 31 March 2019 (photo by Ramona Sahni)
This morning at Duck Hollow fifteen of us braved wind and snow flurries to look for birds on the Monongahela River and along the Duck Hollow Trail.
Best birds were a common loon, four horned grebes, two pied-billed grebes, eastern phoebes (new arrivals), and a red-tailed hawk on its nest at the Homestead Grays Bridge. Since both male & female red-tailed hawks incubate the eggs we don’t know which parent was on the nest.
As we walked back to our cars a killdeer flew high overhead, calling.
Thanks to everyone who braved the cold weather. Such a change from yesterday’s 60 degrees!
Chestnut-breasted coronet, Ecuador, March 2019 (photo by Michelle Kienholz)
Friends of mine recently returned from a birding trip in the Ecuadoran Andes with Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania. These photos from Michelle Kienholz have made me want to go there.
The hummingbirds are stunning in shape and color. Above, a chestnut-breasted coronet (Boissonneaua matthewsii) lives in the sub-tropical forest at 4,000 to 8,500 feet above sea level.
Below, the long-tailed sylph (Aglaiocercus kingii) is best viewed from behind to see his iridescent 4.7-inch tail. He lives in the forest at 3,000 to 9,800 feet.
Long-tailed sylph, Ecuador, March 2019 (photo by Michelle Kienholz)
Speaking of tails, this one is astounding on the black-tailed trainbearer (Lesbia victoriae). Despite his long equipment he maneuvers skillfully in gardens and bushy areas at 8,500 to 13,000 feet.
Black-tailed trainbearer, Ecuador, March 2019 (photo by Michelle Kienholz)
Michelle says it rained a lot in Ecuador but the birds didn’t mind. Here, a black flowerpiercer (Diglossa humeralis) contemplates his next move. The sharp tip on his beak is a tool for piercing flowers.
Black flowerpiercer, Ecuador, March 2019 (photo by Michelle Kienholz)
As colorful as a hummingbird, the masked trogon (Trogon personatus) is the size of an American robin. The trogon’s upright perching style makes him appear larger than that.
Masked trogon, Ecuador, March 2019 (photo by Michelle Kienholz)
Cornelian cherry (Cornus mas), 28 March 2019 (photo by Kate St. John)
Garlic mustard and goutweed leaves, 28 March 2019 (photo by Kate St. John)
Early blooming coltsfoot, 17 March 2019 (photo by Kate St. John)
Hairy bittercress, purple dead nettle and garlic mustard leaves, 28 March 2019 (photo by Kate St. John)
Forsythia beginning to bloom, 28 March 2019 (photo by Kate St. John)
Honeysuckle leaves, 28 March 2019 (photo by Kate St. John)
Spring is coming at a good pace this year. Unlike hot years, such as March 2012, there’s time to appreciate each new leaf and flower before the next set appears.
My photos above show a selection of leaves and flowers at Schenley Park this past week. Most were taken on March 28 but the real surprise was coltsfoot blooming on St. Patrick’s Day. That flower hid for ten days and appeared again last week.
Unfortunately, all of these plants are alien and some are invasive. Their ability to spring ahead of the local plants gives them an advantage all year long.
Click here for that same honeysuckle branch, bud-to-leaves on March 11, 16.
Did you know that meerkats have complex alarm calls?
Related to mongooses, meerkats (Suricata suricatta) live in colonies in southern Africa where their biggest enemies are jackals and eagles. Because they’re highly social they warn each other when danger is near. They even have special sounds to describe the source and threat level for each danger — combinations of “danger from the ground” or “danger in the air” with low, medium and high threat levels.
In this BBC Earth video, scientist Marta Manser tests the meerkats under various threat conditions. Everything goes as planned until she tests for “danger from the air!” by presenting them with a taxidermy jackal arriving by balloon.
“The results of that experiment were inconclusive.”
The meerkats looked up, confused. There is no alarm call for “flying jackal.”
Drift of fluffy seeds from London plane trees, 17 March 2019 (photo by Kate St. John)
28 March 2019
Last week I found fluffy drifts on the sidewalks in my neighborhood. They’re the airborne seeds of London plane trees (Platanus × acerifolia), planted in Pittsburgh in the late 1800s because they’re tolerant of air pollution.
Like their parents — oriental plane tree (Platanus orientalis) + American sycamore (Platanus occidentalis) — London plane trees retain their dangling seed balls over the winter.
Can you hear the golden-crowned kinglets in this video? They are very loud but I can’t hear them at all, though I can see their beaks moving. Their voices are at a high frequency I no longer hear.
Golden-crowned kinglets sing an ascending, accelerating series of up to 14 very high-pitched tsee notes lasting up to 3 seconds and sometimes ending in a musical warble that drops an octave or more in pitch. This is one of the first bird songs that people stop being able to hear as they age.
If you can’t hear the kinglets you are probably over age 65, perhaps younger, and probably have age-related hearing loss. Presbycusis affects 1 out of 3 of people by age 65 and half of us by age 75. The CDC explains that “the most important sounds we hear every day are in the 250 to 6,000 Hz range.” Kinglets vocalize around 8,000 HZ.
What are HZ? Sounds cause vibrations and are measured in vibrations per second: 1 Hertz (HZ) is 1 vibration/second. High-pitched sounds vibrate faster than low pitched sounds so “high pitch” is also “high frequency.”
At birth humans can hear sounds from about 20 to 20,000 HZ but we start losing our upper range of hearing at age 18! Most of us don’t miss sounds above 17,000HZ but some teenagers in the UK will. They capitalized on the age-related hearing difference by creating a “mosquito whine” ringtone that teachers cannot hear. See and hear it on NPR.
The kinglets in the video are vocalizing at 7700 to 8400 HZ as shown in this graph from the Spectroid app on my mobile phone. The pink scale at the bottom shows the kinglets singing in the 8000 HZ area (at right) and my voice below 5000 HZ (long pink lines on the left). (Top graph shows loudness in decibels.)
So now I have two ways to see golden-crowned kinglets singing. I can watch their beaks or I can watch the Spectroid graph on my mobile phone.
Perhaps if I point my cellphone in the woods I’d see if any golden-crowned kinglets are out there.
p.s. Click here for a video that explains age-related hearing loss & helps you answer the question “How Old Are Your Ears?“
(photo of golden-crowned kinglet by Steve Gosser, Spectroid graph recorded by Kate St. John; video by The Wood Thrush Shop on YouTube)
Terzo prepares to incubate five eggs, 24 March 2019 (photo from the National Aviary falconcam at Univ of Pittsburgh)
Peregrine falcons in southwestern Pennsylvania lay eggs from March through early April. By the last week of March some pairs have already begun to incubate while others are still courting and mating.
Here’s the latest news from eleven sites near Pittsburgh where peregrine falcons have been confirmed or could be nesting. If you live near one of these sites, stop by and let me know what you see — or don’t see. We need news from the sites marked (**). 1. Cathedral of Learning, University of Pittsburgh 2. Downtown Pittsburgh, near Point Park University 3. Westinghouse Bridge, Allegheny County, over Turtle Creek 4. Elizabeth Bridge, Allegheny County, Monongahela River (**) 5. McKees Rocks Bridge, Allegheny County, Ohio River (**) 6. Neville Island I-79 Bridge, Allegheny County, Ohio River 7. Ambridge-Aliquippa Bridge, Beaver County, Ohio River 8. Monaca-East Rochester -or- Monaca-to-Beaver RR Bridge, Beaver County, Ohio River (**) 9. Hulton Bridge / Harmar, Allegheny County, Allegheny River (**) 10. Tarentum Bridge, Allegheny-Westmoreland County, Allegheny River 11. Route 422 Graff Bridge, Kittanning, Armstrong County, Allegheny River (**)
BUILDINGS IN THE CITY
Cathedral of Learning, Univ. of Pittsburgh
Of all the peregrine sites in Pittsburgh, the Cathedral of Learning is the easiest one to watch because the nest is on camera. Hope laid five eggs March 11-21, 2019. Now she and her mate Terzo are incubating. In the March 25 Day In A Minute video above you can see their daily routine. Hope spends the night on the eggs, Terzo brings food (off camera) at dawn, Hope leaves, and Terzo takes over incubation. Then they switch off periodically.
Louie at the nest area, 8 March 2019 (photo by Lori Maggio)
This year Dori and Louie are nesting on Third Avenue opposite Point Park University’s Lawrence Hall because the Gulf Tower is unavailable. This means they aren’t on camera.
Lori Maggio confirmed that peregrine eggs were still in progress Downtown on March 21 because she saw the pair mating that day.
BRIDGES ON THE MONONGAHELA RIVER and TRIBUTARIES
Westinghouse Bridge
Westinghouse Bridge peregrines about to mate, 17 March 2019 (photo by Dana Nesiti)
Dana Nesiti visited the Westinghouse Bridge many times in early March and usually found the pair mating — as shown in his March 17 photo above. On March 24 John English and I visited the bridge and heard a peregrine calling. Soon the male arrived and went back and forth to the (hidden) nest area. Eventually he stayed inside and the female flew out and around the valley. Perhaps this pair is incubating now.
Elizabeth Bridge (defunct)
Elizabeth Bridge, early May 2018 (photo by Elizabeth Cain)
Last year a pair of peregrines nested in a cubbyhole in the upper arc of the Elizabeth Bridge. Unfortunately, that location is very unsafe for fledglings and all of their offspring landed on the roadway and were hit by cars.
This year while the bridge is still under renovation PennDOT blocked the cubbyholes. No peregrines have been seen for several weeks now, but we need additional confirmation that they aren’t nesting there. If you live nearby or use this bridge please look for peregrines and let me know what you see — or don’t see.
BRIDGES ON THE OHIO RIVER
McKees Rocks Bridge
Pair of peregrines at McKees Rocks Bridge, 4 March 2019 (photo by John Flannigan, Jr)
Peregrines have nested at the McKees Rocks Bridge for many years but are always hard to monitor because the bridge is so large. John Flannigan captured a distant photo of the pair on March 4, 2019. More monitors are needed. Please contact me if you’re interested.
Neville Island I-79 Bridge
Peregrine pair at Neville Island I-79 Bridge, 2015 (photo by John English)
Peregrines have nested successfully at the Neville Island I-79 Bridge since at least 2012. This spring Anne Marie Bosnyak saw them mating at dusk on March 19 so we know eggs were in progress a week ago. This pair may be incubating now.
NEW LOCATION! In late February and early March Mark Vass reported a peregrine — and then a pair — perched on the Ambridge-Aliquippa Bridge over the Ohio River. This bridge is a logical place halfway between two peregrine sites, Neville Island and Beaver, but its superstructure is “made of air” — open trusses with crossbars — so it’s hard to imagine where a nest could be. Last week Karen Lang began checking the bridge and has seen a peregrine every time she’s looked — March 20 and 25.
Monaca, Rochester, Beaver area
Railroad bridge over the Ohio River from Monaca to Beaver (photo by Kate St.John)
Peregrines have usually nested on a bridge in the Monaca – East Rochester – Beaver area but no one is monitoring them this year. Can any of you help?
In January Gina Gilmore photographed a banded female peregrine hanging out near the Hulton Bridge on the Harmar side. Since then many observers have visited there because the Harmar bald eagles have laid eggs — but there’s no news of a peregrine. Has anyone seen a peregrine at Harmar lately? Please let me know.
Tarentum Bridge
Male peregrine at Tarentum Bridge, 25 March 2019 (photo by Dave Brooke)Female peregrine in the nestbox at Tarentum Bridge, 25 March 2019 (photo by Dave Brooke)
Further up the Allegheny River there’s a lot of peregrine activity at the Tarentum Bridge. Yesterday morning, March 25, Dave Brooke stopped by to take pictures and saw the pair mating. The Tarentum female is very loud so you can’t miss her even if you can’t see her. Perhaps incubation will begin soon. (p.s. the male is banded and has a clear chest; the female is unbanded and has a spotted breast)
Graff Bridge, Kittanning
U.S. Route 422 bridge over the Allegheny River at Kittanning, PA (photo from Wikimedia Commons)
Peregrines have nested successfully on the Graff Bridge (Route 422) at Kittanning for at least four years but no one is currently monitoring the site. Please let me know if you’re interested.
(photo credits: Cathedral of Learning: national Aviary falconcam at Univ of Pittsburgh, Downtown Pittsburgh by Lori Maggio, Westinghouse Bridge by Dana Nesiti, Eagles of Hays PA, Elizabeth Bridge by Elizabeth Cain, McKees Rocks Bridge by John Flannigan, Jr, Neville Island I-79 Bridge by John English, Ambridge-Aliquippa Bridge from Wikimedia Commons, Beaver-Monaca RR Bridge by Kate St. John, Hulton Bridge from Gannett Fleming, Tarentum Bridge by Dave Brooke, Graff Bridge from Wikimedia Commons)
