Spring is here so let’s get outdoors!

I missed this weekend’s outings but here’s a list for the rest of April 2017.  These free outings, held in western Pennsylvania, are offered by the Three Rivers Birding Club [3RBC], the Botanical Society of Western PA [BotSocWPA], and others.  Click on the links below for more information. (Scroll the table sideways to see the links!)

Date/Time	Focus	Location	Leader and More Info
April 9, 1p (Sun)	Wild plants and Mushrooms	Crouse Run (aka Grouse Run), Hampton Township, Allegheny County	Adam Haritan [BotSocWPA]
April 12, 7p (Wed)	Birds	Harmar Twp, Allegheny County	Evening Woodcock Walk, Tom Byrnes [3RBC]
April 19, 7p (Wed)	Birds	Harmar Twp, Allegheny County	Evening Woodcock Walk, Tom Byrnes [3RBC]
April 22, 9:30a (Sat)	Birds	Raccoon Creek State Park	Birding + potluck lunch. Ryan Tomazin [3RBC & Brooks Bird Club]
April 23, 1p (Sun)	Wildflowers	Ohiopyle State Park, Great Gorge Trail	Mark Bowers [BotSocWPA]
April 28, 7:30a (Fri)	Birds	Sewickley Heights Park	Bob Van Newkirk [3RBC]
April 29, 8a (Sat)	Birds	Frick Park	Jack & Sue Solomon [3RBC]
April 29, 1p (Sat)	Wildflowers	Erie Bluffs Park	Andrew Sipple [BotSocWPA]
April 30, 8a (Sun)	Birds and more	Schenley Park	Kate St. John in conjunction with [3RBC]
April 30, 8a (Sun)	Birds	Riding Meadow Park, Fox Chapel	Cecelia Hard [3RBC]
April 30, all day, Walks start 8am & 10am (Sun)	Birds and Wildflowers	Enlow Fork Natural Area	[Wheeling Creek Watershed] [3RBC] [BotSocWPA]

And here are four indoor meetings where you can learn about birds, flowers and magical monarch butterflies:
April 5, 7:30pm (Wed) Three Rivers Birding Club meeting: Galapagos Adventure by Jeffrey Hall
April 6, 7:30pm (Thurs) Wissahickon Nature Club meeting: Getting Started Early in the Garden by Doug Oster
April 10, 7:15pm (Mon), Botanical Society of Western PA: Wildcrafting and Growing Medicinal Herbs in Pennsylvania’s Appalachia by Michelle Soto
April 20, 7:30pm (Thurs) Wissahickon Nature Club meeting: Magical Monarchs by June Bernard

 

(photo from Wikimedia Commons; click on the image to see the original)

p.s. If you see a typo in the list, please let me know!

p.s. Click here for a list of events at Raccoon Creek State Park, organized by park staff.

 

March 30, 2017:

Warbler season is coming fast.  Are you ready to identify them?  Cornell Bird Academy can help.

I’ve learned a lot from Cornell’s online resources so when I saw they’re offering a brand new live online course in Warbler Identification — including song ID! — I thought I’d pass it along.

The class will be presented by one of my favorite bird experts, Kevin McGowan.  Here’s Cornell’s description:

Starting April 6, 2017 and running through May 18, this new series is composed of seven hour-long webinars held on Thursday evenings. The first three lessons cover the diversity of warblers and the best strategies to identify them.

This is the first group we’ve covered where song is really important, and we will spend almost an entire session on using your ears to identify warblers.

Then we will examine every one of the 50 common warblers found in the United States and Canada, species by species, over the next four weeks.

Each lesson will be presented twice, once at 7:00 p.m. EDT (New York time), then again at 9:00 p.m. EDT. You can attend either session without having to choose ahead of time. And, if you miss a live talk, no problem. We will make the recording of each week’s lesson available to watch at your leisure.

We are offering all seven lessons for one low price of $69.

If you’re interested, click here to read more and sign up.

 

p.s. In March 2017, every eligible ebird checklist you submit gives you a chance to win free access to this class. Only 2 days left to win!

(Cornell Bird Academy, Be a Better Birder: Warbler ID class, April 6 – May 18, 2017)

Seven of us braved the chilly gray weather at Duck Hollow this morning.

We saw 23 species including two female common mergansers on the river as we were leaving.

Best Birds were three belted kingfishers — one female plus two (presumably) males who chased each other every time they got near her.

Mike Cornell kept a checklist and so did I, though we didn’t count the mallards and ring-billed gulls.

Here’s my checklist: http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S35284767

 

(photo by Kate St. John)

Oh my!  I should have posted this last Monday.  (It’s been a busy week.)

Just a reminder that I’ll be leading an outing at Duck Hollow and Lower Frick Park tomorrow. Hope to see you there.

Sunday March 19, 2017 — 8:30am – 10:30am

Duck Hollow and Lower Frick Park Bird and Nature Walk

Meet at Duck Hollow parking lot at the end of Old Browns Hill Road. We hope to see migrating waterfowl on the river and and walk the beginning of nearby lower Nine Mile Run Trail at the south end of Frick Park. Dress for the weather and wear comfortable walking shoes. Bring binoculars, scopes (for river watching), and field guides if you have them.

(photo of a red-breasted merganser at Duck Hollow, March 2017, by Tom Moeller)

 

UPDATE, JAN 17: No More Reservations accepted. The tour is full.

You may have missed my announcement about the National Aviary outing on Sunday January 22 — but don’t miss the event!

It’s a private tour. Only $10!  Openings still available.  Sign-up soon!

Click here for details…

Let’s Go To The Aviary, January 22

 

 

(photo from Wikimedia Commons. Click on the image to see the original)

UPDATE, JAN 17: No More Reservations accepted. The tour is full.

Let’s go birding indoors!

Join me for a guided tour of the National Aviary with Aviary docent (and Falconuts founder) John English.

When:  Sunday January 22, 10:00am to noon. Stay longer if you wish and browse on your own.

Where: The National Aviary
700 Arch Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15212
**  Meet at the Concierge Desk inside the East Entrance on Arch Street.  **

Who:  This outing is limited to 25 people, first come first served.  You must register by leaving a comment on this blog post by Jan 16 5pm. Include your name + email address and the names of everyone coming with you. (Note: Your information will not appear on the website. The comment will come to me alone.)

Cost: $10.00, cash or check only. (Check made out to the National Aviary.)
* For this special event, admission is free to all who’ve pre-registered.
* Add-ons: Bird shows and feedings will cost the normal rate.

Hope you can make it!  I’m looking forward to seeing you.

For directions and information about the National Aviary, see their website at www.aviary.org

Remember, reservations are required so post a comment to reserve your space today!

UPDATE, JAN 17: The tour is full!

(photo of Hyacinth Macaw at the National Aviary by Christopher Rice at Wikimedia Commons. Click on the image to see the original)

 

 

 

Happy Holidays to all!

 

(photo by Kate St. John)

When the holiday rush is over take some time to visit Phipps Conservatory’s Winter Flower Show and Light Garden, open through January 8.

The Light Garden begins to glow at 5:00p and is open until 11:00p. Click on Phipps’ photo above to see a 3D tour of the lights.

The flowers indoors are gorgeous as always, especially the Broderie Room.  This photo from Wikimedia Commons is even better at full size.  Click on the photo to get the full effect.

For more details, visit Phipps’ website for the Winter Flower Show and Light Garden.

 

(photo credits:  Light Garden linked from Phipps Conservatory website.  Broderie Room by Dllu is a Featured Photo at Wikimedia Commons.  Click on each image to see its original.)