Some Rules of Thumb for Nature are timed “by the 4th of July.” Here are three. Can you think of more?
Corn is knee high by the 4th of July. Or at least it should be. This year in Minnesota there was worry that it might not come true. KARE 11 in Minneapolis reports:
Rhododendron blooming, Fern Cliff, Ohiopyle, 1 July 2015 (photo by Kate St. John)
Most songbirds stop singing around the 4th of July. Others will follow this month.
Baltimore oriole (photo by Steve Gosser)
Birds sing to attract mates and maintain their nesting territories. Those that migrate to Central and South America are on such a tight schedule that they finish nesting and stop singing by early to mid July. Song sparrows, robins, and cardinals are still singing because they have new nests this month.
When is the last time you heard a Baltimore oriole sing? For that matter, when did you last see one? He won’t leave until September but he is far more discreet than he was in May.
(photos from Wikimedia Commons, Kate St. John and Steve Gosser)
We gather before the hike at Frick Park, Commercial Street, 26 June 2022 (photo by Charity Kheshgi)
26 June 2022
Thirteen of us gathered in humid cloudy conditions to walk the Frick Park boardwalk at Commercial Street. While we were in the trail parking lot we saw and heard an indigo bunting and a scarlet tanager. The day was getting off to a good start.
The mystery flower that I posted on Thursday/Friday turned to be a false sunflower. I had to pluck and examine a petal to be sure.
False sunflower at Frick (photo by Kate St. John)
I hoped for orchard orioles and they didn’t disappoint. We saw six of them, certainly two families and one feeding young.
Our fleeting glimpses of two yellow-billed cuckoos were close to “Best Bird” but Charity Kheshgi did not see them well so she and Connie went back to the area for a better look. They found a black-billed cuckoo that hung around for an hour!
Black-billed cuckoo at Frick Park at Nine Mile Run, 26 June 2022 (photo by Charity Kheshgi)
We had a great time on a cloudy and not-too-hot day.
Yellow-billed Cuckoo (Coccyzus americanus) 2 Fleeting glimpses on branch & each in flight, one after the other. Clear look at cinnamon highlights on one of them.
As we walked the trail we encountered cow parsnip whose identity I had forgotten yet again. When Dianne Machesney reminded me of its name I remembered blogging about it after another Wissahickon picnic. When was that? 2013!
In the two photos above I am standing next to cow parsnip at Mingo Creek on 1 June 2013 (left) and 18 June 2022 (right).
I have aged in nine years but some things are the same. I’m still using the same binoculars and walking stick and I’m wearing the same pants and shirt, unseen under the jackets. (My hiking clothes are rugged.)
This year’s cow parsnip is shorter than the one we found nine years ago and it has gone to seed, perhaps because we came 2.5 weeks later or because climate change has advanced it.
By the time you read this, the summer solstice in the northern hemisphere will have passed today at 5:13am(ET). We call it the beginning of summer but in northern Europe it’s “Midsummer,” celebrated in Midsummer Festivals this coming weekend.
This Friday in Latvia they might wear traditional garb with a wool shawl but they aren’t rigorous about staying in character. (If your mobile rings, answer it.) In Finland they wear jackets around the bonfire.
Something like a sunflower with insect on leaf, Nine Mile Run Trail in Frick Park, 23 June 2021 (photo by Kate St. John)
20 June 2022
Hot weather returns tomorrow so next Sunday’s outing is aimed for the shade along Nine Mile Run. We’ll finish on time or earlier, before it gets too hot.
Join me for a bird & nature walk in Frick Park starting at Commercial Street on Sunday, June 26, 8:30a – 10:30a.
We’ll identify this “something like a sunflower” (photo at top) and we’ll see baby birds. I’m hoping for an orchard oriole (Icterus spurius).
Dress for hot weather with a sun hat and comfortable walking shoes. Bring water(*) and binoculars.
Before you come, visit my Events page in case of changes or cancellations. The outing will be canceled if there’s lightning or heavy rain.
Hope to see you there.
(*) Tip on bringing water: When I know it’ll be hot I freeze a not-quite-full water bottle overnight. The ice melts as I’m walking and the water is always cold. The only downside is that condensation makes the bottle wet my backpack.
UPDATE! JUNE 7 FLEDGE WATCH IS CANCELED DUE TO RAIN
The first week of June is jam-packed with outdoor opportunities. Join me at Schenley Plaza or Schenley Park for these fun activities:
Pitt Peregrine Fledge Watch, Schenley Plaza, June 4, 5 and 7
Phipps Bio-Blitz, Schenley Park, June 5
Pitt Peregrine Fledge Watch, Schenley Plaza, June 4, 5
Pitt Peregrine Fledge Watch is a drop-in event to swap peregrine stories and watch the young birds learn to fly from the Cathedral of Learning. I’ll have my scope on hand for a zoomed in view of the youngsters exercising their wings. Bring binoculars or camera. Check the Events page before you come in case of weather cancellation.
Where:Schenley Plaza near the tent, shown above. When: Fledge Watch is weather dependent and will be canceled for rain or thunder. Check here before you come.
Saturday June 4, 11:30 to 1:00pm
Sunday June 5, 11:00 – 12:30pm, starts earlier after my BioBlitz walk (see below)
CANCELED DUE TO RAINTuesday June 7, 11:30 – 1:00pm
Who: I’ll be there with John English of Pittsburgh Falconuts Facebook group and lots of peregrine fans. (On June 7 John English will start the watch at 11:30a; I’ll arrive at noon.) Parking: On-street parking is free on Sundays. Otherwise you must use the pay stations on the sidewalks. Garage parking is available at Soldiers and Sailors Hall, just over a block away on Bigelow Boulevard.
Phipps BioBlitz Bird Walk in Schenley Park, Sun June 5, 8:30a – 10:30a
On Sunday June 5, Phipps BioBlitz will bring together families, students, local scientists, naturalists, and teachers for a biological survey of the plants and animals in Schenley Park. See and learn about birds, plants, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, mollusks and more. As part of the BioBlitz I will lead a bird walk 8:30am-10:30am. The event is free. No registration required. Read all about Phipps BioBlitz Day here.
Where: Starting from Phipps front lawn. You’ll see a sign for my walk. When: Sunday June 5, 8:30a-10:30a Parking: Free on Sundays! Note: As soon as the bird walk is over, I’ll adjourn to Schenley Plaza for Pitt Peregrine Fledge Watch.
(photo credits: Schenley Plaza tent by Kate St. John, Phipps Conservatory from Wikimedia Commons)
Pitt’s peregrine family is in for some excitement this morning when the chicks are banded around 10am. During the banding the National Aviary’s streaming falconcam will be off.
Peregrine banding is unusual now that the species has been removed from Pennsylvania’s Endangered/Threatened Species list in 2021. Fortunately the Cathedral of Learning is one of three sites that continue as part of the PA Game Commission’s Peregrine Falcon Management Plan.
Visits to the three high-profile building nests, University of Pittsburgh Cathedral of Learning in Pittsburgh, Rachel Carson State Office Building in Harrisburg, and City Hall in Philadelphia, will continue after delisting to evaluate nestling health and verify nesting results and band young. These sites already foster high public interest and provide an excellent opportunity to continue engaging the public. They learn about the challenges and successes when recovering an endangered species. As well as the decision needed to make a difference and the importance of their stewardship in conservation.
When the streaming falconcam restarts after the banding, the chicks will be back in the nest with identification “bracelets” on their legs. Thanks to their bands we will have the opportunity to follow these chicks as adults.
Tomorrow, 14 May 2022, we’ll celebrate World Migratory Bird Day by counting birds on one of the biggest migration days of the year.
Like the Christmas Bird Count, Global Big Day is an opportunity to go birding and share the birds you find with eBird. Unlike the Christmas Count it happens on a single day each year, and it can be hectic because birds are on the move and there are so many of them!
Participating is easy—you can even be part of Global Big Day from home. If you can spare 5 or 10 minutes, report your bird observations to eBird online or with our free eBird Mobile app. If you have more time, submit several checklists of birds throughout the day. Your observations help us better understand global bird populations through products like these animated abundance maps brought to you by eBird Science.
Schenley Park outing, 24 April 2022 (photo by Charity Kheshgi)
24 April 2022
Thirteen of us came out for a walk in Schenley Park on Sunday morning and were thrilled to hear a wood thrush singing near the Visitors Center. The bird was hard to spot in the treetops but CJ Showers got a photo of him from below.
Wood thrush, Schenley Park, 24 April 2022 (photo by CJ Showers)
Two First of Year species had just returned: yellow warbler and gray catbird. Male red-winged blackbirds claimed territory and chased females at Panther Hollow Lake, while two spotted sandpipers sidestepped bullfrogs among the reeds.
Red-winged blackbird, 24 April 2022 (photo by CJ Showers)
The red-tailed hawk family on the bridge appears to have babies in the nest, though we could not see them.
Red-tailed hawk at nest, Schenley park, 24 April 2022 (photo by CJ Showers)
And a surprise awaited us around the bend.
Sara Showers saw the profile of this fledgling eastern screech owl perched at eye level on a hackberry branch. Though he wasn’t hidden he was doing his best to look like part of the tree until we gawked at him. That made him raise his ear tufts and look at us through slit eyes.
Fledgling eastern screech-owl, Schenley park, 24 April 2022 (photo by CJ Showers)
Schenley Park, Pittsburgh, PA, Apr 24, 2022 8:30 AM – 10:30 AM. 30 species Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura) 4 Chimney Swift (Chaetura pelagica) 2 Spotted Sandpiper (Actitis macularius) 2 Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) 1 — Flyover Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) 2 Eastern Screech-Owl (Megascops asio) 1 — fledgling! Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus) 1 Downy Woodpecker (Dryobates pubescens) 1 Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus) 1 Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus) 4 Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe) 1 Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata) 7 American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos) 3 Carolina Chickadee (Poecile carolinensis) 1 Northern Rough-winged Swallow (Stelgidopteryx serripennis) 1 Ruby-crowned Kinglet (Corthylio calendula) 10 Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (Polioptila caerulea) 1 Carolina Wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus) 2 Gray Catbird (Dumetella carolinensis) 1 First of year Wood Thrush (Hylocichla mustelina) 2 American Robin (Turdus migratorius) 20 House Finch (Haemorhous mexicanus) 4 American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis) 2 Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia) 9 Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) 8 Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater) 3 Common Grackle (Quiscalus quiscula) 2 Yellow Warbler (Setophaga petechia) 1 First of year Yellow-rumped Warbler (Setophaga coronata) 8 Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) 6
If you attended the outing and would like me to share the list to you, please leave a comment to tell me so.
(photos by Charity Kheshgi and CJ Showers)
UPDATE 25 APRIL 2022: On Monday morning I took the same walk as on Sunday and found that bird activity was more subdued. Many of the birds we saw on Sunday must have left on Sunday night’s strong south wind, including all but one of the ruby-crowned kinglets. However, I found an eastern screech-owl nest near where we saw the fledgling on Sunday. His sibling was looking out of the hole! (It’s a lousy cellphone photo but you get the idea.)
Eastern screech-owl youngster poised at nest hole, Schenley Park, 25 April 2022 (photo by Kate St. John)
