Category Archives: Birds of Prey

More Than Nine Inches

Birds of Prey, Schenley Park, Weather & Sky
City lights glow on the snow and clouds, Pittsburgh at dawn 17 Dec 2020 (photo by Kate St. John)

18 December 2020

It began snowing here in Pittsburgh on Wednesday morning, 16 December 2020, and didn’t stop for 17.5 hours. By 7:30 the next morning there were 9.25 inches of snow in Oakland. City lights glowed against the snow and clouds.

9.25″ of snow in Oakland, 17 Dec 2020, 7:30am (photo by Kate St. John)

Yesterday I took a long walk to Pitt’s campus, Carnegie Library and Schenley Park to appreciate the beauty. Here are a few of the scenes I encountered.

Red Euonymus leaves peek out of the snow, Univ of Pittsburgh, 17 Dec 2020 (photo by Kate St. John)
White trees frame the Cathedral of Learning, 17 Dec 2020 (photo by Kate St. John)
Bach, Shakespeare, and Dippy wear snowy blankets at Carnegie Museum, 17 Dec 2020 (photo by Richard St. John)
This meadow near Schenley’s Westinghouse Fountain offers seeds for sparrows and juncos, 17 Dec 2020 (photo by Kate St. John)
Sweetgum seed balls wear snowy caps, 17 Dec 2020 (photo by Kate St. John)

On my way home I found one of Santa’s elves near the Library!

Santa’s elf or fire hydrant? 17 Dec 2020 (photo by Kate St. John)

Though the snow didn’t melt it did compress in 24 hours. Here are two snapshots of the Pitt peregrine nestbox at 7:30am on Thurs 17 Dec and Fri 18 Dec. Though there is still a lot of snow it is not as daunting, even if it hasn’t been shoveled.

No peregrines visited the nest yesterday but I know they are present. I saw Morela perched on a gargoyle.

UPDATE 18 Dec 2020, 4:08pm: Morela examines the snow.

(photos by Kate St. John; statues photo by Richard St. John)

Remember When: Hays Eaglecam Is 7 Years Old

Birds of Prey, Nesting & Courtship
PA’s first eaglecam was installed at Hays in December 2013 (screenshot from Hays on YouTube)

Seven years ago this month Pennsylvania’s first eaglecam was installed at the Hays bald eagle nest site.

On Throw Back Thursday take a trip down memory lane in this vintage article from 27 December 2013: Pittsburgh Has PA’s First Eaglecam!

p.s. The eaglecam is Live at: Hays Bald Eagle Nest at Audubon Society of Western PA

(screenshot from YouTube video of Hays eaglecam, December 2013)

Picture Of The Week

Birds of Prey, Schenley Park, Weather & Sky
Merlin eating a junco at sunset, 7 Dec 2020, Schenley Park golf course (photo by Kate St. John)

12 December 2020

If you follow me on Facebook or Twitter you’ve seen my best photo of the week, perhaps for the whole year, with only a brief description: Merlin eating a junco at sunset, Schenley Park golf course, 7 December 2020. Here’s the back story.

This week Pittsburgh suffered through six days in a row of unrelenting overcast “Pittsburgh Gray” skies. During that period there was only one moment when the sun made an appearance and I was determined to be outdoors with a big view of the sky when it happened: The Gleam At Sunset on Monday December 7.

During winter Pittsburgh often has overcast skies all day and clear skies at night. When the transition happens at sunset you can see clear sky approaching from Ohio but it will arrive too late to enjoy the sun. We have 10 minutes of happy sunshine and then it’s dark. The Gleam At Sunset.

The Gleam at Sunset, 30 Jan 2016 (photo by Kate St. John)

A gleam was predicted for Monday so I walked to Schenley Park golf course to reach high open ground. The sky started to clear. The sunset was going to be beautiful.

Passing through Fezziwig Grove, I began to think about the merlin(s) that visit the golf course in winter. As I scanned the dead snags a merlin flew in with prey, a dark-eyed junco. My cellphone is not a robust camera so I positioned myself for the merlin silhouette.

I was lucky to photograph both: a merlin and The Gleam at Sunset.

(photos by Kate St. John)

What’s That Whining Sound?

Bird Behavior, Birds of Prey
Juvenile red-tailed hawk, Washington DC, 2017 (photo from Wikimedia Commons)

Have you heard whining that sounds like this?

Sometimes you hear songbirds calling nearby, “Danger! Watch out!”

In July and early August young red-tailed hawks whine for food. Here’s one in July 2018 at New York’s Botanical Garden with an American robin raising the alarm.

And here’s one on a windowsill in Austin, Texas, July 2011.

Red-tailed hawks raise one brood per year. The female lays eggs in March or April. The eggs hatch in 28-35 days and the young fledge 42-46 days later. That’s when the begging begins.

For three weeks juvenile red-tailed hawks depend on their parents and are not shy about asking for food. Whine!

The whining doesn’t end there. Though the youngsters become increasingly self sufficient they still want a handout if they can get one. Whine! Whine! Whine! Their parents ignore them.

Self sufficiency is the first big hurdle on their way to becoming successful adult red-tails. Some youngsters take longer than others to get the hint.

Meanwhile, whine, whine, whine, WHINE!

(photo from Wikimedia Commons; click on the caption to see the original. Audio from Xeno Canto, videos from YouTube)

Young Raptors As Home Wreckers

Bird Behavior, Birds of Prey, Nesting & Courtship, Peregrines
Immature bald eagle, March 2015 (photo by Steve Gosser)

21 July 2020

Something is happening among nesting bald eagles in the James River watershed that may explain what we’re seeing among peregrines in western Pennsylvania. There are lots of eagles at the James River but less nesting success than in the past. The Center for Conservation Biology (CCB) in Williamsburg, Virginia has figured out why.

CCB has been conducting bald eagle nesting surveys every March since the 1970s. Seven years after DDT was banned they found only one pair of bald eagles in the watershed. This year there are 319 pairs.

Meanwhile, “eagle productivity has dropped as the population has grown and breeding density has increased.” The number of eaglets per nest peaked at 1.6+ in the mid 1990s but has dropped to only 1.05 today.

Lower nesting success is not a food problem, it’s a competition problem. CCB explains:

The mechanism causing the decline does not appear to be traditional resource competition where pairs scramble for their share of limited fish. Rather, the mechanism appears to be young marauding eagles that are disrupting territory holders and competing for a limited set of viable breeding territories.

Young bald eagles are harassing adult pairs in an attempt to gain a territory — so much so that some pairs fail to nest successfully.

Adult and immature bald eagles jousting (photo by Steve Gosser)

This sounds like what happened at the Cathedral of Learning peregrine nest this year. In February a young male, Ecco, showed up at the Pitt nest and persistently vied for the site — so much so that Morela didn’t lay eggs until May and her eggs were never incubated. Hmmmm.

Young bald eagles are home wreckers. Maybe young peregrines are, too.

Read more about the James River bald eagle population at CCB’s James River Eagle Population Continues to Soar While Productivity Continues to Fall.

(photos by Steve Gosser)

A Dose of Love

Birds of Prey, Nesting & Courtship
Barred owl chicks (photo from Wikimedia Commons)

I don’t know about you but I really need uplifting news today. Here’s a dose of motherly love and cuteness as two barred owl chicks (Strix varia) grow up.

Thanks to The Dodo and Cornell Lab of Ornithology for brightening our day.

Barred owl mother and chick (photo from Wikimedia Commons)

(photos from Wikimedia Commons; click on the captions to see the originals)

Whoops! I Can Fly

Bird Behavior, Birds of Prey

16 June 2020

Sometimes learning from a small mistake is just what you need to make the next big step in life. A red-tailed hawk nestling found that out last Friday.

The three nestlings at Cornell’s Red-tailed Hawk Nestcam were ready to fledge on 14 June but no one had done it yet. One was eating and playing with his food. The other two were bored and puttering around the nest high above Cornell University’s stadium.

One of them, J2, decided to test his wings from a perch on the stadium light. It was windy. He started to slide down the light. Whoops! … I can fly!

Watch the faces of his siblings as he flies around the stadium and lands in the trees.

By 10:30am Sunday all three had fledged.

See video highlights of them leaving the nest at allaboutbirds.org/cornellhawks. (Scroll down below the live-cam panel.)

(video from Cornell Lab’s Red-tailed Hawk Cam)

Hays Eaglets Are Growing Fast

Birds of Prey, Nesting & Courtship
Two eaglets at the Hays bald eagle nest, 20 April 2020 (screenshot from the Hays eaglecam at ASWP)

21 April 2020

Every day that passes without an egg at the Cathedral of Learning nest confirms my disappointment that there’s no Pittsburgh peregrine family to watch online. However, we have a great alternative at a local nest with two active chicks.

The eaglets at the Hays bald eagle nest have long since passed the brooding stage and already have pin feathers. Their parents stand guard overnight as seen this morning before 5am.

Hays bald eagles at their nest: 2 parents, 2 chicks. 21 April 2020, 4:50am (screenshot from the Hays eaglecam at ASWP)

They’re growing up fast. Watch the Hays eagles at http://aswp.org/pages/hays-nest.

Two New Eaglets At Hays

Birds of Prey, Nesting & Courtship
First eaglet at Hays, 21 March 2020 (photo from Bald Eagles in Western Pennsylvania – ASWP Facebook page)

While I was distracted by the COVID-19 emergency, the Hays bald eagles hatched two eggs!

The first eaglet appeared on Sat 21 March 21 at 7:40am, above. The second one hatched on Monday 23 March at 6:40am, below.

Second eaglet at Hays, 23 March 2020 (photo from Bald Eagles of Western Pennsylvania – ASWP Facebook page)

In the day between hatchlings, Audubon Society of Western PA captured this video of the mother rolling her second egg. Notice how carefully she holds her talons inward as she steps near her chick. What a good mom!

Watch the Hays bald eagle family online at http://aswp.org/pages/hays-nest.

p.s. Stay safe, folks. Online viewing is best! Allegheny and seven other Pennsylvania counties are now under a Stay At Home order through 6 April. (Click for details) We are allowed to go outdoors but must stay six feet apart.

(photos and video from Bald Eagles of Western Pennsylvania — Audubon Society of Western PA)

Pittsburgh Eagles: A Look Back to 2013

Birds of Prey, Nesting & Courtship
Harmar Bald Eagle carrying nesting material, March 2013 (photo by Steve Gosser)
Harmar Bald Eagle carrying nesting material, March 2013 (photo by Steve Gosser)

Seven years ago we suddenly had three bald eagle nests in Allegheny County, PA. Hays and Harmar were new and Crescent Township was only a year old.

On Throw Back Thursday, let’s look back to March 2013:

(photo by Steve Gosser, 2013)