Trees and wildflowers are blooming. New birds come to Pittsburgh on every south wind. I expect gray catbirds (Dumetella carolinensis) will back in time for this outing. Will we hear one? Will we see him before he hides? I hope so.
Dress for the weather and wear comfortable walking shoes. Don’t forget your binoculars.
This event will be held rain or shine, but not in downpours or thunder. Check the Events page before you come in case of cancellation.
Hope to see you there.
p.s. If the birding is good I’ll give an option to continue until 11a.
(photo from Wikimedia Commons; click the caption to see the original)
Fancy daffodils at Phipps Conservatory’s Spring Flower Show, April 2022 (photo by Kate St. John)Serrated tulip petals, Phipps Conservatory’s Spring Flower Show, April 2022 (photo by Kate St. John)Spring wreath, daffodils and lilies, Phipps Conservatory’s Spring Flower Show, April 2022 (photo by Kate St. John)
This sundial in Ecuador at GPS 00.000, -78.103 shows the sun’s shadow falling on the equator during the equinox. Mark the shadow at your own home and see the sun return to this position on the Autumnal Equinox on 23 September.
After yesterday’s sunny Spring weather we are waking up to snow this morning. Fortunately Pittsburgh missed the heavy snow and blizzard conditions to our east.
Last night Morela slept in the open at the Cathedral of Learning peregrine nest. You can tell that her feathers provide excellent insulation because several inches of snow did not melt right next to her body.
These rosy-faced lovebirds (Agapornis roseicollis) live up to their name in many ways. When asleep they perch side by side and turn their faces toward each other. When awake they touch beaks and allo-preen to show their care for each other.
In their native range in arid southwestern Africa they’ve just begun their late summer nesting season — February to April — by building a cup nest in a rock crevice or in a nook in a building or bridge. They also use holes in the massive nests of sociable weavers (Philetarius socius). The female does all the incubation. Her 4-6 eggs hatch in 23 days.
Rosy-faced lovebirds don’t migrate but they’ve been taken around the world in the pet trade. Escaped pets have established a thriving feral population in Phoenix, Arizona.
In Africa the flocks adjust their nesting season to match the period of most abundant food. I wonder when they nest in Phoenix.
(photos from Wikimedia Commons; click on the captions to see the originals)
For four days — 18-21 February 2022 — you can take part in this easy citizen science project from the comfort of your home. All you need to do is count birds for at least 15 minutes, keep track of the highest number of each species you see, and record your count in eBird or in the Merlin app.
In fact you can count birds anywhere, indoors or out. Visit a local park or travel even further. I’ll be birding in California at the San Diego Bird Festival.
Today is Candlemas, Groundhog Day, and the astronomical halfway point between the winter solstice and the spring equinox. This halfway point, called a cross-quarter day, is the reason the holidays exist.
In the astronomical year there are four halfway points between the solstices and equinoxes (green arrowheads in diagram; click on diagram for larger version).
February’s cross-quarter day is especially significant because we are coming out of darkness into longer daylight and the growing season. Our ancestors were so excited by the prospect that they created holidays on 2 February to celebrate the halfway point.
For the ancient Celts this day is Imbolc, the beginning of the spring.
And in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania it’s Groundhog Day. If the groundhog “Punxsutawney Phil” sees his shadow today (because the sun is shining) winter will go on for six more weeks. If he doesn’t (because it’s overcast) then we’re in for an early spring.
Trees at dusk and NO CROWS (photo by Kate St. John in 2017)
6 January 2022
Year after year we’ve counted thousands of crows — up to 20,058! — during Pittsburgh’s Christmas Bird Count so we were stunned when the annual count on 1 January 2022 yielded zero (0!) at the South Oakland roost and only seven crows nearby at dusk. Roosting crows were a No Show at the CBC. Where were they? And why?
The best way to count Pittsburgh’s winter crow flock is to find a good vantage point and count them as they stream into the roost. Before Christmas they roosted in South Oakland, confirmed by my count of at least 5,200 crows near Magee Hospital on 8 December. However on Count Day a number of things went wrong.
Crow counters usually work as a team but my teammate Claire Staples was injured in mid-December and is still recuperating. I tried to recruit others but no one jumped at the chance because …
The weather was warm but extremely rainy and foggy. All the high vantage points were enshrouded in fog so I went to Dan Marino Field in South Oakland where the crows fly by. It poured! I was soaked by relentless rain for an hour while I counted five crows overhead and two cawing in the neighborhood. Yet 220 American robins pulled worms from the mud and sang in the rain. As I drove home I checked the roosting trees near Magee Hospital. No crows anywhere!
Apparently crows change their roosting habits in heavy rain.
Were they still flying to South Oakland? As a partial answer I counted from the roof of my building on 2 January for 20 minutes. In the distance 1,140 crows flew toward South Oakland. Less than I expected. Have they split the roost into several locations?
The crows are here somewhere. Have you seen them? Where?
UPDATE: Gerry Devinney filmed a huge flock of crows near the Petersen Events center on 18 December.
On Throw Back Thursday here’s a look back at the Good Old Days of 2012 when it was possible to count 20,000 crows.
