1 April 2025
On Sunday I saw two rare birds: the barnacle goose (Branta leucopsis) at Creighton and a northern rough-winged swallow (Stelgidopteryx serripennis) at Duck Hollow. The barnacle goose is obviously rare — far outside its range and none had ever been reported in Allegheny County — but northern rough-winged swallows are returning on migration yet eBird made me justify it.
The two birds represent different kinds of “rare.” The goose is rare in place no matter what time of year. The swallow was rare in time though it was in the right place. I reported the swallow on 30 March but he wasn’t supposed to arrive last month. Today, 1 April, eBird says that northern rough-winged swallows are not rare at all.
As spring migration heats up we’ll encounter more birds rare in time as the early individuals arrive ahead of the crowd. Here are a few species we expect to see this month … but not yet.
Rare in Pittsburgh on 1 April but OK in late April:
- Blue-headed vireo (Vireo solitarius)
- Purple martin (Progne subis)
- Blue-gray gnatcatcher (Polioptila caerulea)
- House wren (Troglodytes aedon)
- Gray catbird (Dumetella carolinensis)
Something to look forward to!