All posts by Kate St. John

Dropping in From Outer Space

Weather & Sky
Perseid meteor shower in August 2021 (photo from Wikimedia Commons)

24 January 2025

Last summer on 25 July a small rock dropped in from outer space. Six months later it’s famous as the only meteorite ever recorded in sight and sound as it hit the Earth.

When the rock exploded on impact at Joe Velaidum’s house in Marshfield near Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada, the activity was picked up on the home’s RING camera.

It caused a divot in the walkway approximately 2 centimeters [3/4 inch] in diameter.  Velaidum reports that he was standing at that location minutes before the meteorite struck it; he considers the event “a near-death experience”.

The Charlottetown meteorite came from the asteroid belt, according to the University of Alberta researcher [Chris Herd], and would have traveled at least 200 kilometres per hour (124 mph) just prior to impact.

— Wikipedia account: Charlottetown meteorite

No wonder Velaidum considers it a near death experience! Even though the rock was small it could easily have killed him at that speed.

This photo embedded from the CBC’s P.E.I. homeowner captures sound and video of meteorite strike on camera, and scientists believe it’s a first shows Chris Herd holding a fragment of the rock.

Chris Herd, curator of the University of Alberta’s meteorite collection, says this is the ‘first and only meteorite ever found on the Island.’ (Travis McEwan/CBC) (photo embedded from cbc.ca)

Learn more and see the meteorite explode in this video from New8Now on YouTube.

video embedded from News8Now (La Crosse – Eau Claire, Wisconsin)

Check out the CBC’s article: P.E.I. homeowner captures sound and video of meteorite strike on camera, and scientists believe it’s a first.

Snowy Owl? Or Plastic Bag?

Birds of Prey, Musings & News
Is that a snowy owl? Franklin County, PA 12 Jan 2014 (photo by Nancy Magnusson via Flickr Creative Commons license)

23 January 2025

Those who ventured out in this week’s bitter cold hoped to see birds from the far north who had just arrived on the wind. The typical way to find them is to drive past frozen fields watching for movement and scanning for anything that looks like a bird.

What’s that white lump in the field? Is it a snowy owl? Or a plastic bag?

Eleven years ago the winter of 2013-2014 was extremely cold and there was a huge irruption of snowy owls in the Northeast and Great Lakes. People photographed all of them, even the distant ones, to document them in eBird.

At top: Is that a plastic bag on that patch of snow? Below: Are there plastic bags or snowy owls in this photo? And how many?

Where’s the snowy owl? There are 3 in Jackson County, MI on 26 Dec 2013 (photo by Don Henise via Flickr Creative Commons license)

Is there a snowy owl in this picture?

Where’s the snowy owl in this picture? West Dennis Beach, Cape Cod, 17 Jan 2014 (photo by On The Wander via Flickr Creative Commons license)

Answer: All three photos have a snowy owls in them. The middle photo has 3 along the ridge top.

This winter we have not seen a big influx of snowy owls into Pennsylvania though there have been a couple of sightings.

screenshot of snowy owl sightings in the northeastern US in Jan 2025 (eBird species map as of 23 Jan 2025)

Recently there’s a snowy owl near Grantsville, Maryland which is often photographed from afar. A white lump?

If you’ve ever looked for a snowy owl and found a plastic bag you’ll enjoy the story and photos at The Search for Snowy Owls by Friends of the Fox River in Elgin, Illinois.

Ice, Anyone?

Water and Shore, Weather & Sky
Crew members from icebreaker USS Bristol Bay take a dip in icy Lake Erie after freeing Algoma Hansa (ship closest to them) 8 March 2015 (photo from Wikimedia Commons)

22 January 2025

While it snowed in Florida yesterday (click here for video!) the deep freeze up north is making the Great Lakes ice up.

As of yesterday Lake Erie was iced over on its western and all along the shore to Buffalo. Erie freezes before the other lakes because it’s so shallow.

Great Lakes surface Temperature and ice cover as of 21 Jan 2025 (map from Great Lakes Environmental Research Lab)

With the western end frozen solid it’s hard to keep shipping channels open. Ten years ago during the very cold winter of 2015 ships got stuck in Lake Erie’s ice. This one is stuck near Ashtabula, Ohio that February. Coast Guard icebreakers came out to rescue it.

Ship stuck in ice near Ashtabula, OH, 19 Feb 2015 (photo from Wikimedia Commons)

When the job is done the crew gets “ice liberty” to jump in the water. In the photo at top they are gazing at the ship they freed. Below you can see they are wear waterproof ice suits when they do it.

Crew of USS Bristol Bay on “ice liberty,” (photo )

This is their a reward for a job well done.

Ice, anyone?

p.s. The day after I wrote this article, the USS Bristol Bay was called out to Buffalo, NY to free a ship stuck in the ice. Here’s news on 23 January 2025 before the icebreaker showed up.

Instead of Snow, Snowy Egrets

Travel, Water and Shore, Weather & Sky
Snowy egret in flight at Wakodahatchee, Florida (photo from Wikimedia Commons)

21 January 2025

It’s Crazy Cold in the U.S. right now. While half the continent is unusually cold a winter storm is sweeping through the deep South. You know it’s wild when there’s a Blizzard Warning in coastal Louisiana today!

National Weather Service Blizzard Warning for the Lake Charles, Louisiana forecast area, 21 Jan 2025, 4:36am CST

Fortunately there’s not much snow in Pittsburgh but it’s cold with a low tonight of -8°F.

Ecco looks at the snow, 20 Jan 2025 (photo from the National Aviary snapshot camera at Univ of Pittsburgh)

But I woke up in South Florida this morning and I feel mighty lucky. My husband and I started planning this trip two months ago and just happened to pick the same week as a continental cold snap.

South Florida is not particularly warm right now and it’s going to rain shower every day but I can’t complain. Instead of snow I’m in the land of snowy egrets. And they don’t care if they get wet.

video embedded from Geoffrey Smith on YouTube

By the time we get back to Pittsburgh the 4-day cold snap will be over. I have no regrets about missing it!

Hays Bald Eagle ‘Dad’ is Back!

Birds of Prey, Nesting & Courtship
Adult male bald eagle ‘Dad’ at Hays, 18 Jan 2025 (photo by Dana Nesiti, Eagles of Hays PA)

20 January 2025

From 2013 through 2023 a male bald eagle, nicknamed ‘Dad’ by his fans, nested at Pittsburgh’s Hays site. Here he is adding sticks to the nest in November 2018.

Male bald eagle, ‘Dad’ adds sticks to the Hays nest in Nov 2018 photo by Dana Nesiti, Eagles of Hays PA)

Sadly ‘Dad’ disappeared from his territory in September 2023 and many feared he was dead. A new male, HM2, mated with the original female in 2024 and she laid one egg but the nest failed when the egg deteriorated and collapsed.

Then on a gray and rainy morning, Saturday 18 January, Dana Nesiti (Eagles of Hays PA) was taking photographs at the Hays nest viewing site when an adult eagle came in, perched, and flew. Dana’s in-flight photos show that this bird has ‘Dad’s unique traits: a wing gap and a stubby talon.

It didn’t take long to spread the happy news. ‘Dad’ eagle is back!

With Dad’s return hope is renewed for a successful nesting season even though it’s already late January. As Merry Wander commented on Facebook:

…and Dad only needs 4 days to whip this place into shape…

Woo hoo!

p.s. If you aren’t on Facebook you won’t be able to see Dana’s entire Facebook message. I’ve quoted it below.

“1-18-2025 Got to the trail while it was still dark and was able to see a eagle in the cam tree with binoculars. While I was watching that eagle it flew out at 7:22am and circled the river a couple times before flying downstream. It appeared to be a sub adult. I continued down the trail to the nest area and took my pack off and was going to get set up. Another eagle was flying down the hillside which looked like a sub adult and it had a adult eagle chasing it. They did some maneuvers and also flew downstream. It was still dark and my camera was in my backpack.

“At 9:20am a eagle came over the hill and landed in the slanty tree area and sat for a few minutes. When it flew we were shocked. This eagle appears to be the original Hays male “dad”. I’m 99.999% sure it is. What do you think?

“EDIT: Looking at other images from the flight of the hill, we can see the top wonky feather and his stubby talon. I’m saying 100% the original male!!

“There have not been any signs of nest building that we are aware of and the past week there have been several different sub adult eagles hanging around. Sorry for the bad quality pics as the sky was drab and rainy.“

— quoted from Eagles of Hays PA on Facebook, 18 Jan 2025

Follow Eagles of Hays PA on Facebook for more news of the Hays bald eagles.

Green Woodpecker Murmurs and Shouts

Bird Behavior, Songbirds

Green woodpecker in France (photo from Wikimedia Commons)

19 January 2025

The Eurasian green woodpecker (Picus viridis) is a bit unusual. Instead of drilling trees he spends most of his time on the ground, poking his beak in the soil.

Eurasian green woodpecker foraging on ground (photo from Wikimedia Commons)

That’s because he …

Predominantly [eats] ants, chiefly meadow-dwelling species of genera Formica (winter) and Lasius (spring to autumn); generally, larger ant species preferred.  …

Uses bill to sweep away moss, dead leaves, other debris, or snow; pecks funnel-shaped holes up to 12 cm (4.7 in) deep in ground, and procures prey with action of the very long tongue; such holes may be exploited in lengthy and repeated visits. When snow cover heavy, can dig tunnels almost 1m (more than 3 feet) long to reach prey. 

— Green Woodpecker account at Birds of the World

About That Tongue: When Shaun Robson in Dorset, England worried that green woodpeckers were disappearing from his area, Jason Miller (@jasonmillerart) answered with a video that proved they’re still around. Can you hear the green woodpecker murmuring?

embedded video from Jason Miller Jason Miller @jasonmillerart on X (Twitter)

He can also be quite loud.

video embedded from European Wildlife by Lukáš Pich on YouTube

These traits may remind you of a North American woodpecker. Though not closely related, our northern flicker (Colaptes auratus) also forages on the ground for ants and shouts in the spring.

Northern flicker foraging on ground (photo from Wikimedia Commons)
video embedded from MyBackyardBirding on YouTube

… and he murmurs “wika wika wika” with his lady. (Note: In the audio below you’ll also hear the chattering of an upset wren.)

These Crows Are Drawn to Science at Night

Crows & Ravens
Crows coming to roost near the Carnegie Science Center, 17 Jan 2024 just before 6pm (photo by Carol Steytler)

18 January 2025

Crow news has been coming fast and furious in Pittsburgh this week.

On Wednesday I posted an update (Crow Update, mid-January) even though I didn’t know where they were roosting.

On Thursday many of you responded with your own sightings including this video from Lyndsay Krut on Mt. Washington.

video embedded from Lyndsay Krut on YouTube

Then Friday morning the crows became famous when Pittsburgh photographer Dave DiCello happened to run through their morning staging area and posted his video on Facebook and Twitter. Dave DiCello Photography has 160,000 followers on Facebook. His post went viral.

That was Friday morning.

Friday evening Crow Patrol member Carol Steytler followed crows to the roost and found out they are drawn to Science! — specifically to the roof of the Carnegie Science Center and nearby trees.

Crows gather at the Carnegie Science, 17 Jan 2025, 5:54pm (video by Carol Steytler)

Notice them on the roof edge in Carol’s photo.

Crows roosting near and on the Carnegie Science Center, 17 Jan 2024 (photo by Carol Steytler)

Watch Dave DiCello’s morning video again and you’ll see them silhouetted against the base of the glowing eMotion Cone. Dave also took a daylight photo.

So now we know the crow map looks like this. Pink is morning, orange is evening, and that circle of pink and orange is the roost.

map of Pittsburgh winter crow movements, week of 13-17 Jan 2025 ()

Thank you, everyone, for your sightings.

I’ll be interested to see what the crows do this coming week as Pittsburgh experiences extreme cold with temperatures down to -9°F and wind chills as low as -25°F. And they have to sleep outside. Brrrr!

Short-Eared Owls Bring Joy to Winter

Bird Behavior, Birds of Prey
Short-eared owl in Lawrence County, Jan 2025 (photo by Steve Gosser)

17 January 2025

When Debbie and I went to Lawrence County last Sunday we knew we would see sandhill cranes but our real target, our Fingers Crossed hope, was to see a short-eared owl (Asio flammeus). Friends had told us about them and we’d seen Steve Gosser‘s stunning photos on Facebook.

We were very lucky. While we were watching the cranes a photographer drove by and told us where to find a female (dark plumage) roosting near the ground. On our way there we saw a paler bird, probably male, perched on playground equipment.

Short-eared owl, female, 14 Dec 2024 (photo by Steve Gosser)

But we weren’t lucky enough to see this!

I also re-learned a valuable lesson: “There is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing.“

I wore the wrong boots last Sunday because I forgot how much we would stand in the snow to watch birds. My feet were cold. It made me grumpy. I was not liking winter at that point.

But when I got home I put the bad boots away and pulled out my Sorrels and I’ve been happy ever since. Winter has some big advantages. Steve describes it perfectly.

Follow Steve Gosser on Facebook here. He also has a 2025 calendar featuring his photos.

p.s. The weather next week will be particularly challenging, especially on Monday 20 January when Pittsburgh’s high will be 9°F with a low of -5°F. Bundle up!

Look Behind You … Cranes!

Cranes

16 January 2025

Last week I heard there were more than 100 sandhill cranes (Antigone canadensis) at the Volant Strip Grasslands (plus short-eared owls) so on Sunday morning, 12 January, Debbie Kalbfleisch and I drove up to Lawrence County.

On Rt 19 just north of Jackson School Road I could see them from the passenger window. From Black Road we had the same view as Glenn Koppel’s photo taken later that same day. Woo hoo! 116!

I was glad there was snow on the ground because these tall gray birds show up easily against white but can be hard to see in brown vegetation.

Sandhill cranes partially hidden in brown vegetation (photo by Chuck Tague)

Fifteen years ago there was no snow when I went to up north find them, again in Lawrence County. I thought I’d never see them and then …

Find out what happened in this 2009 vintage article, including an elusive plastic bag snowy owl.

Look Behind You
Sandhill cranes in Lawrence County, 2013 (photo by Cris Hamilton)

Crow Update, mid-January

Bird Behavior, Crows & Ravens
Crows flying over Riverview area, Dec 2022 (photo by Jeff Cieslak)

15 January 2025

After the big push to find Pittsburgh’s winter crow flock for the Christmas Bird Count in late December I took a break and merely enjoyed them. Searching and counting is hard work so I didn’t look for crows and if I saw them I certainly didn’t count them. Thankfully, you’ve been letting me know what you see.

Fred’s comment yesterday makes me wonder if crows are roosting on Downtown buildings.

Last Friday, 1/10/25, just before 7 am there were thousands of crows flying around and roosted in trees of the little park on First Ave downtown (across from PNC) and perched on all the buildings around. Their collective cawing would have made conversation at normal levels difficult. Having seen similar numbers in Oakland and Schenley in the early evening, made me wonder if they make the pre dawn rally to town.

— Comment from Fred, 14 Jan 2025

Frances and Sue indicate crows might be tucked in across the river at Southside.

In recent days I have noted them flying west to east over Southside Flats early in the morning (dawn).

— Comment from Frances, 13 Jan 2025

Lots of crows roosting on E Sycamore St in Mt. Washington, starting about 30 minutes ago (4:30pm).

— Comment from Sue Thompson on 8 Jan 2025

In the past two weeks I’ve noticed crows flying east to west toward Schenley Park and the Hill District and staging briefly in Schenley before dusk.

Winter crows at Schenley Park, 21 Jan 2017 (photo by Mike Fialkovich)

So I put these 5 observations on a map. Orange is dusk, pink is dawn, the dots are staging areas.

5 observations of winter crow flock movements at dusk (ORANGE) and dawn (PINK), 13-14 Jan 2025 (map screenshot from Google Maps, annotated)

Pittsburgh’s crows may have split or moved their roost this month and I wouldn’t be surprised if they did. Bitter cold temperatures like last night’s 7°F prompt crows to spend the night on a warm rooftops rather than in bare trees.

UPDATE: check the comments for additional news on 15 Jan.

And here’s a treat for crow watchers: In Lawrence, Massachusetts the Crow Patrol sees crows after dark on roofs and trees using infrared cameras. Notice how crows’ eyes glow white in infrared light. 🙂

video embedded from Winter Crow Roost, Lawrence, MA on YouTube