Red-tailed hawk family in Schenley Park, 14 May 2018 (photo by Gregory M. Diskin)
This spring (2018) I’ve seen two red-tailed hawk nests in Schenley Park and there’s probably a third. Gregory Diskin is documenting one of them with his camera.
Above, the mother hawk watches her two chicks on May 14. Below, the chicks gaze out from their bridge nest on May 17.
Two red-tailed hawk chicks look out from their bridge nest, 17 May 2018 (photo by Gregory M. Diskin)
On May 18 a chick tests his wings.
Red-tailed hawk chick tests his wings in Schenley Park, 18 May 2018 (photo by Gregory M. Diskin)
On May 21 a chick displays his new, reddish chest feathers.
Red-tailed hawk chick, Schenley Park, 21 May 2018 (photo by Gregory M. Diskin)
These two will fly in the next few weeks. They’re much further along than the tree nest overlooking the Parkway where the mother is still incubating or brooding. She’s hard to see now among the leaves.
If you watch red-tailed hawks in your area you might find a nest. When you see one carrying prey in its talons, it’s taking food to the chicks. Follow the bird and you’ll find the red-tailed hawks at home.
Schenley Park, Flagstaff Hill in summer (photo from Wikimedia Commons)
If you’re in town for Memorial Day weekend — and if it isn’t thundering — join me for one or both of these events in Schenley Park on Sunday, May 27, 2018:
11:00am: Pitt Peregrine Fledge Watch. Meet at the Schenley Plaza tent.
Parking is FREE on Sundays.
Note! The 10-day weather forecast calls for thunderstorms on May 27 but that could change. If it’s storming these outings will be canceled. I don’t do lightning.
Schenley Park Bird and Nature Walk, May 27, 8:30a – 10:30a.
Rose-breasted grosbeak (photo by Cris Hamilton)
Join me for a bird & nature walk in Schenley Park on Sunday, May 27, 8:30a – 10:30a.
We’ll meet me at the Schenley Park Cafe and Visitor Center to see what’s popping in the park since our birdless walk in April. Dress for the weather and wear comfortable walking shoes. Bring binoculars and field guides if you have them.
Rose-breasted grosbeaks nest in Schenley Park. Will we see one? I hope so!
Click here for more information and in case of cancellation.
… and then …
As soon as the bird walk is over, I’ll adjourn to Schenley Plaza to look for peregrines. (I will start the watch immediately when I get there. The 11a start time insures that peregrine fans will find me even if our bird walk runs late.)
Pitt Peregrine Fledge Watch, May 27, 11a – 1p.
Pitt Peregrine Fledge Watch, 2017 (photo by John English)
When will the Pitt peregrine chicks fly from the Cathedral of Learning? I don’t know but I’m sure they’ll be fun to watch on Memorial Day weekend.
Join me at the Schenley Plaza tent on Sunday May 27 11a – 1p for a Pitt Peregrine Fledge Watch. We’ll swap peregrine stories and get close-up looks at the peregrines through my scope.
Schenley Plaza tent
Click here for a Google map of Schenley Plaza. Don’t forget to check the Events page for last minute updates before you come. Fledge Watch will be canceled if it’s raining or thundering.
p.s. A complete Pitt Peregrine Fledge Watch schedule will be posted later this week. This year it’s harder than usual to predict when these birds will fly!
(photo of a rose-breasted grosbeak by Cris Hamilton, photo of Pitt Peregrine Fledge Watch 2017 by John English, photo of the Schenley Plaza tent photo by Kate St. John)
Fire pink, Harrison Hills Park, 12 May 2018 (photo by Kate St. John)
April showers bring May flowers. Here’s a taste of what’s blooming now in southwestern Pennsylvania.
Fire pink (Silene virginica) was blooming in Harrison Hills Park on May 12, above. When I went back to take its picture someone had picked most of it. 🙁
Jack in the pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum) is blooming in Schenley Park. At first you’ll notice it’s large three-part leaves, then you’ll see the pulpit where Jack lives. Some of the pulpits have stripes inside, some do not. Lift the lid to see.
Jack in the Pulpit, Schenley Park, 18 May 2018 (photo by Kate St. John)
Squawroot (Conopholis americana) isn’t green because it has no chlorophyll. Instead it coexists with oak trees, taking nourishment from their roots. Though it’s parasitic it rarely hurts the trees. This month squawroot’s “bear corn” flowers are everywhere in Schenley Park.
Squawroot, Schenley Park, 18 May 2018 (photo by Kate St. John)
As soon as the buds burst, the insects responded. Most are too small to notice but the tentworms stand out. When I see these tents I know there are lots of bugs in the trees.
Tentworms on a small cherry tree, Schenley Park, 3 May 2018 (photo by Kate St. John)
And with the bugs came migrating birds. Here are the new arrivals in Schenley Park, Wednesday May 2 to Friday May 4:
Spotted Sandpiper
Ruby-throated hummingbird
Yellow-throated vireo
House wren
Eastern bluebird (bluebirds don’t overwinter in Schenley)
Swainson’s thrush
Wood thrush
Gray catbird (I hoped for him last Sunday; he arrived on Friday)
Ovenbird
Black-and-white warbler
Tennessee warbler
Nashville warbler
Hooded warbler
Chestnut-sided warbler
Palm warbler
Scarlet tanager
Rose-breasted grosbeak
Baltimore oriole
UPDATE: additional species on Saturday May 5:
Golden-winged warbler (!)
American redstart
Northern parula
Magnolia warbler
Black-throated blue warbler
Black-throated green warbler
Orchard oriole
I can hardly wait for an indigo bunting. I’ll be out there again today.
It was cold! Schenley Park outing, 29 April 2018 (photo by Kate St. John)
Yesterday’s outing in Schenley Park was cold, gray and windy — only 34 degrees! — but 20 people came out anyway. Unfortunately, the weather made it the most “bird-less” walk I’ve ever led in April.
We saw about 16 species, all of them residents even though migrating birds have been in Schenley Park for weeks.
Our Best Bird was a peregrine falcon perched on the Cathedral of Learning, so far away it looked like a dot through our binoculars.
We were cold but we have hope. Hot weather is coming on Wednesday — 80 degrees!
Saucer magnolia in bloom, Schenley park, 23 April 2018 (photo by Kate St. John)
Spring has finally sprung! Here are just a few of the new flowers and leaves in western Pennsylvania.
The week began with spectacular saucer magnolia trees, above. Relentless cold temperatures had kept all the buds closed until they simultaneously burst into an aromatic pink display. Today the petals coat our sidewalks.
Twinleaf (Jeffersonia diphylla) is an early native wildflower that fades so quickly you have to be on the spot to see it bloom. Thursday morning at Enlow Fork we found the twin leaves open and the buds closed.
Twinleaf in the morning, Enlow Fork, 26 April 2018 (photo by Kate St. John)Twinleaf flowers, closed in the morning, Enlow Fork, 26 April 2018 (photo by Kate St. John)
By early afternoon the flowers had been open for several hours. How soon they will fade!
Twinleaf in the afternoon, Enlow Fork, 26 April 2018 (photo by Kate St. John)
Blue-eyed Mary (Collinsia verna) is a later flower with a longer life on the stem. It’s just started blooming at Enlow Fork.
Blue-eyed Mary, Enlow Fork, 26 Apr 2018 (photo by Kate St. John)
The trees are blooming, too. On Monday redbud (Cercis canadensis) flowers began to appear at Schenley Park …
Redbud in the bud, Schenley Park, 23 April 2018 (photo by Kate St. John)
New birds come to town every day in late April so there will be plenty to see. Have you seen your first-of-year gray catbird yet? I expect to find one on this outing. (Catbirds, don’t let me down!)
Dress for the weather and wear comfortable walking shoes. Don’t forget your binoculars!
Click here for more information and in case of cancellation.
Last weekend’s warm weather and south winds brought migrating birds to western Pennsylvania.
Here are some of the new arrivals, illustrated in photos by Tony Bruno, Steve Gosser and Don Weiss. My descriptions include the locations where I saw the birds last weekend in case you’d like to look for them.
Louisiana waterthrush (Parkesia motacilla) at top: Found along clean, rushing streams. This bird bobs his tail even when standing still. Walks the water’s edge. Perches just above eye level when he sings. At Cedar Creek Park and Walker Park.
Pine warbler (Setophaga pinus) below: Slow-moving warbler who favors pines but can be found in any tree on migration. Walks on the trunk and large branches. At Snead’s.
Pine warbler (photo by Anthony Bruno)
Yellow-rumped warbler (Setophaga coronata) below: An active warbler with a tiny dark vest and yellow rump. Flits among smaller branches. Seen at Walker Park, but found nearly everywhere during migration. This bright-colored bird is male. The females are brown where this one is black.
Yellow-rumped warbler (photo by Steve Gosser)
Ruby-crowned kinglet (Regulus calendula) below: Not a warbler but can be confused due to its similar size. Very hyperactive. Flits and hovers among small branches. You’ll find this bird nearly everywhere on migration. By the way, ruby-crowned kinglets stay all winter in eastern Pennsylvania.
Ruby-crowned kinglet (photo by Steve Gosser)
Swallows and chimney swifts: If you’re desperate to see swallows and swifts in the spring, stop by a sewage treatment plant. The nutrient rich outflow spawns flying insects that these birds eat on the wing. I saw my first tree swallows (Tachycineta bicolor) along Route 65 near the McKees Rocks Bridge, just downstream from Alcosan.
Tree swallow (photo by Don Weiss)
Winter wren (Troglodytes hiemalis) below: “Winter” is passing through. Petite with striped flanks and a tiny cocked tail. Look for him poking for insects among fallen logs and rocky outcrops. Nests north of Pittsburgh and in the Laurel Highlands. Seen at Schenley Park, Raccoon Wildflower Reserve and Walker Park.
Winter wren (photo by Steve Gosser)
If it hadn’t turned cold, it would be a good week to get outdoors.
Last week heavy rain swelled this waterfall in Schenley Park. Again!
I filmed this video after heavy rainfall in February but the waterfall looked the same this week after record snow on April 2 (2.8″) and heavy downpours on April 4 and 5.
So far we’ve had more than 16 inches of precipitation in 2018. That’s almost 7.5 inches above normal in only 14 weeks.
Lots of water!
p.s. We have a dusting of snow this morning in Pittsburgh. Will it ever end?!?
Cornelian cherry blooming in Schenley Park, 26 March 2018 (photo by Kate St. John)
Some yellow flowers bloomed this week.
Above, Cornelian cherry (Cornus mas) opened its buds in Schenley Park and other cultivated locations. Introduced from southern Europe, this small tree is in the dogwood family.
Another Eurasian plant, coltsfoot (Tussilago farfara), started blooming along roadsides in mid March but was suppressed by the 8-10 inches of snow on March 22. It came back quickly last week.
Coltsfoot in bloom, 26 March 2018 (photo by Kate St.John)
Meanwhile, there’s frost this morning in my backyard. My daffodils are still waiting for better weather.
Daffodils in the bud. Frost on the leaves, 31 March 2018 (photo by Kate St. John)
p.s. The air smells bad today in Pittsburgh because industrial pollution is trapped by an inversion. (Rotten egg smell!) Check the Smell Report for March 31 on the map here.
