Barred owl, Frick Park, 2 May 2021 (photo by Charity Kheshgi)
2 May 2021
Frick Park and adjacent Duck Hollow are two of the hottest birding hotspots in southwestern Pennsylvania. So many birds show up during spring migration that we birders spend hours there in April and May.
Frick’s 644 forested acres are a green oasis halfway through Pittsburgh’s developed metro area. The Monongahela River at Duck Hollow beacons to water and shorebirds while the woods attract songbirds to refuel before continuing north.
The Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy map of Frick Park shows how Duck Hollow (furthest point south) connects to the larger park. The birding is so good in that corridor that I often walk from Duck to Frick. If the two locations were a single hotspot their combined species count would probably surpass 200. Click here to download the Frick Park map.
Charity Kheshgi photographs birds at Frick Park and/or Duck Hollow nearly every day. Her slideshow above includes a few of the birds she saw on the cusp of May. See more by following her on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/charitykheshgi/
p.s. I was there for the Blackburnian warbler but missed the barred owl because I didn’t visit Frick on 2 May. So many birds, so little time!
(photos by Charity Kheshgi, maps from Google and Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy)
Such magnificent photos. What does Charity use to capture these images? Thanks for sharing her bounty. Loved looking at it.
(If I’m remembering correctly) Charity uses a Sigma 150-600 lens.
Any tips on locating the barred owls for viewing would be appreciated. I’ve only ever seen a screech owl in my yard.
Thanks for the blog and pictures!
It’s a little late to reliably find the barred owls. They were always near their nest in May but the youngsters fledged and dispersed.
Hello! I found your site while googling where to find the owl roosts in frick. I often see people on ebird posting screech owls and referring to usual roosts, but I’m not sure exactly where to look. Do you know if there is a map anywhere? I’ve had the pleasure of seeing and hearing barred and great horned owls there but not the screech owls. Thanks in advance.