Juvenile bald eagle near the Harmar Twp nest, 1 July 2018 (photo by Annette Devinney)
In Pittsburgh we’re lucky to have three bald eagle nests in Allegheny County: Hays on the Monongahela River, Harmar on the Allegheny River, and Crescent Township on the Ohio River.
Last weekend the two youngsters at the Harmar nest made their first flight. Annette and Gerry Devinney were on hand to record their progress on 1 July 2018. Here are some of Annette’s photos and Gerry’s video.
Below, the two young eagles fly near each other. They’re looking good.
Juvenile bald eagles in flight near their Harmar Twp nest, 1 July 2018 (photo by Annette Devinney)
Woo hoo! They’re playing in the sky.
Two juvenile bald eagles play in the sky, Harmar Twp, PA, 1 July 2018 (photo by Annette Devinney)
Gerry captured their soaring and antics in this video.
Schenley Park outing, 24 June 2018 (photo by Kate St. John)
Eight of us went birding in Schenley Park today and saw lots of cool bird behavior.
In the first fifteen minutes we saw an unusual scarlet tanager — bright orange like an oriole instead of scarlet like a tanager. We also had good looks at our Best Bird of the day: a beautiful male rose-breasted grosbeak.
Down the trail we found a tiny sentinel. A male ruby-throated hummingbird perched high on a dead snag watching his domain. We also found an Acadian flycatcher on her nest and an American robin feeding nestlings.
After so much rain the creek and first waterfall were running fast. Last Wednesday’s downpour washed a culvert into the gravel trail that reached right down to the bedrock — a layer of blue-green slate.
In all we saw / heard 29 species. The complete checklist is here.
p.s. I promised daisy fleabane and we did see it. Whew!
Fleabane blooming in Schenley Park, 10 June 2016 (photo by Kate St. John)
Summer arrived before the solstice. It’s time to get outdoors!
Join me for a bird & nature walk in Schenley Park on Sunday, June 24, 8:30a – 10:30a.
Meet at Bartlett Shelter on Bartlett Street near Panther Hollow Road. We’ll look in the meadow for birds and flowers, then explore the woodland trails. I’m sure we’ll see daisy fleabane. It’s blooming now.
Dress for the weather and wear comfortable walking shoes. Bring binoculars and field guides if you have them.
Before you come, visit the Events page in case there are changes or cancellations. The outing will be canceled if there’s lightning.
Next week the last survey window opens for counting nightjars by the light of the moon. It’s a fun way to go birding on a moonlit night — June 20 to July 6, 2018.
Nightjars are a worldwide family of nocturnal/crepuscular birds that eat flying insects on the wing. They have long wings, short legs, short bills and very wide mouths. Two of these cryptically-colored species are found in Pennsylvania:
Common nighthawk (Chordeiles minor), in flight above, breeds in cities and open habitat, grasslands, dunes.
Eastern whip-poor-will (Antrostomus vociferus), roosting below, breeds in forests near open areas.
Whip-poor-will, 2014 (photo by Cris Hamilton)
Both populations are in steep decline and so are other nightjars in North America. Scientists don’t know why and they need more data. That’s where we come in.
Nightjar surveys are easy to perform and will not take more than two hours to complete. Volunteers conduct roadside counts at night, on scheduled bright moonlit nights, by driving and stopping at 10 points along a predetermined 9-mile route. At each point, the observer counts all Nightjars seen or heard during a 6-minute period.
Damage from 2 June 1998 tornado on Mt. Washington, Pittsburgh, PA (photos from National Weather Service)
1 June 2018
Saturday is the 20th anniversary of the 2 June 1998 tornado that hit the City of Pittsburgh. Before that event many of us thought it was impossible for a tornado to touch down in the city limits. Hah!
Everyone who saw it has a story.
That day I was still at my desk around 6pm, gazing out the window as I talked on the phone with someone in Indianapolis. Though my office was more than three miles from the tornado I could see the storm’s approach as the sky got dark and the wind increased. I saw a crow fly into the wind but as hard as he flapped he went backwards. Uh oh!
I told the person on the phone, “I think a tornado is coming.” He said, “Don’t tell me about it. We have too many of those,” and he kept talking. Since the City of Pittsburgh had never had a tornado I figured it was OK to stay in my office but I dragged myself and the phone under my desk to continue the conversation away from the window.
Meanwhile, bad things were happening on Mt. Washington as Chuck and Joan Tague drove home across the Liberty Bridge. The worst of the storm missed their Chatham Village neighborhood but the roads were so blocked with fallen trees that they parked far away and walked home. The power was out for a very long time.
Chuck’s story is impressive! Click here or his photo below to read it.
Damage from 2 June 1998 tornado at Chatham Village on Mt. Washington, Pittsburgh, PA (photo by Chuck Tague)
We think of it as “the Mt. Washington tornado” but it also touched down in Carnegie and Hazelwood and traveled 32 miles before it dissipated. It was one of nine(*) tornadoes that hit our region that evening.
Damage from 2 June 1998 tornado on Mt. Washington, Pittsburgh, PA (photos from National Weather Service)
Read more about the Tornado Outbreak of June 2, 1998 here on the National Weather Service website, and in the Post-Gazette When Tornadoes Tormented the Pittsburgh Region. (* NWS confirmed 9 tornadoes; the P-G says there were 14!)
Do you have a memory from that day? Leave a comment with your story.
(small photos from the National Weather Service report on the June 2, 1998 tornado outbreak. Photo of tornado-downed tree in Chatham Village by Chuck Tague)
Hope flies by her fledgling: “I’m looking at you” 29 May 2018 (photo by Peter Bell)
News from Tuesday May 29, 2018:
When I arrived at Fledge Watch I saw a peregrine on the parents’ favorite perch — a stone peak at 38SE on the Cathedral of Learning — but it wasn’t one of the parents. Through my scope I saw a dark brown juvenile. He’d made his first flight when we weren’t watching. Of course.
Juvenile peregrine on 38SE stone peak at the Cathedral of Learning (photo by Peter Bell)
He was the only one visible for about an hour. Then his brother appeared on the wall above the nest (on the “railing”).
Pitt peregrines: two juveniles near the nest — one flown, one to go (photo by Peter Bell)
Meanwhile their parents, Hope and Terzo, put on a flight show, swooping together, circling the building, climbing and diving. “Here’s how to fly!”
They flew close to their youngsters, “Come on out here!” In Peter Bell’s photo at top, Hope looks at the fledgling as she flies by. Below, he shouts and flaps like crazy when she approaches, but he stays put.
Young fledgling flaps his wings as his mother flies by (photo by Peter Bell)
When we left at 1:30p, all four birds were still in their places: the parents in flight and the two youngsters as circled in John English’s photo below.
Two juvenile peregrines, one flew and one to go (photo by John English)
Michelle Kienholz stopped by after work and the birds’ positions hadn’t changed.
Perhaps the second juvenile will fly today. Stop by Schenley Plaza for Pitt Peregrine Fledge Watch today — May 30, 2018, 11:30a to 1:30p — weather permitting. We won’t be there if it’s raining.
UPDATE, May 30, 2018, 2pm: As of 2pm the youngster who fledged yesterday was flying well and perching in many places at the top of the building. His brother was still on the railing and hadn’t flown despite great encouragement from his parents. In the photo below: #1 Fledgling lounges in the gutter of the Babcock Room roof, #2 is still on the railing and Hope flies overhead dangling food at them. No one budged.
Two juveniles and one parent peregrine at Pitt, 30 May 2018 (photo by Peter Bell)
UPDATE, May 30, 2018, 5pm: At 4:30pm one of the youngsters was so tired he took a nap on top of the nestbox.
Pooped out young peregrine takes a nap on top of the nestbox, 30 May 2018, 4:30pm (photo from the National Aviary falconcam at Univ of Pittsburgh)
Information about the stone peaks. They are actually called merlons. 38SE is shorthand for 38th floor, southeast corner — which is a gross approximation since the corner points south.
Schenley Park outing, 27 May 2018 (photo by Kate St. John)
No it didn’t rain! Though the clouds lingered we had a great time in Schenley Park on Sunday morning.
The leaves obscured some of the birds but they were very active after Saturday night’s storms. We chased scarlet tanager songs without seeing them, found one of the many wood thrushes we heard in the park and had good looks at these Best Birds:
A pair of eastern phoebes guarded their nest site at the Visitors’ Center. This one watched us walk into the park.
Eastern phoebe, Schenley Park, 27 May 2018 (photo by Peter Bell)
We saw a pair of cedar waxwings beak-touching and courting.
Cedar waxwing pair touching beaks, Schenley Park, 27 May 2018 (photo by Peter Bell)
And a male pileated woodpecker attracted our attention by constantly hammering on an enormous hollow tree. Peter Bell found him high up the slope. Best Bird for the outing and Life Bird for Peter!
Pileated woodpecker in Schenley Park, 27 May 2018 (photo by Peter Bell)
Pitt Peregrine Fledge Watch, 2013 (photo by John English)
It’s been hard to schedule this year’s Pitt Peregrine Fledge Watch because I can’t guess when the chicks will fledge. Their first flight depends on their sex — males fledge earlier than females — and now I’ve learned that this year’s chicks are male.
Here’s the Pitt Fledge Watch schedule, then I’ll tell you about the male/female thing.
Pitt Peregrine Fledge Watch Schedule, 2018
When: Friday, May 25 through Wednesday May 30, 11:30a – 1:30p. (Sun. May 27 is 11a-1p) Click here for the calendar. Where: At the Schenley Plaza tent. Click here for a Google map. Parking is free on Sundays. Who: Join me and/or John English of Pittsburgh Falconuts to watch peregrines and swap stories. Except … We will not be there in rain or thunder. Also, Fledge Watch will end when they’re flying and hard to track. (Example: If they fly on Tuesday we won’t be there on Wednesday.)
! Check the Events page for updates before you come to Schenley Plaza !
Why the two “female” chicks are male:
Pitt peregrine chick on Banding Day, 11 May 2018 (photo by John English)
Are they male? Yes. Here’s why.
Among peregrine falcons, females are always larger than males. At banding age the weight of peregrine chicks indicates their sex. The rough rule of thumb is: Under 700 grams is male, greater or equal to 700 grams is female.
On Banding Day May 11 at the Cathedral of Learning, the Pitt chicks’ weights were borderline. In that case, chicks are given the larger (“female”) bands so that the rings won’t bind if they turn out to be female.
As time passed and we saw them mature on camera Dan Brauning and Art McMorris emailed me with a revision. Both chicks are male.
It doesn’t matter that they have larger “female” bands. These chicks are listed as male in PA Game Commission records.
