1 August 2022

Twelve of us met in Schenley Park yesterday morning and walked East Circuit Road in search of birds. As expected in late July the birds were quiet, though we did manage to see or hear 27 species. Our checklist is here and listed at the end.

Best Bird was a pileated woodpecker hammering on a fallen log in the darkest woods. The photo above is not from our walk. Chad+Chris Saladin had better light for their photo in May 2020.

I forgot to take a picture of the group. 🙁 Here is my one photo from the walk: Yellow hawkweed (Pilosella caespitosa) blooming in the grass.

eBird checklist: Schenley Park, Allegheny, Pennsylvania, Jul 31, 2022 8:30A – 10:30A
Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura) 2
Chimney Swift (Chaetura pelagica) 8
Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) 2
Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus) 4
Downy Woodpecker (Dryobates pubescens) 1
Hairy Woodpecker (Dryobates villosus) 2
Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus) 1
Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus) 5
Eastern Wood-Pewee (Contopus virens) 1 Heard
Red-eyed Vireo (Vireo olivaceus) 1
Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata) 4
American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos) 7
Carolina Chickadee (Poecile carolinensis) 6
Tufted Titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor) 1
White-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis) 1
House Wren (Troglodytes aedon) 3 Young with obvious gape-beak
Carolina Wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus) 1
European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) 2
Gray Catbird (Dumetella carolinensis) 1
Wood Thrush (Hylocichla mustelina) 1 Heard one making agitated call
American Robin (Turdus migratorius) 15
House Finch (Haemorhous mexicanus) 2
American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis) 3
Chipping Sparrow (Spizella passerina) 1
Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia) 2
Common Grackle (Quiscalus quiscula) 1
Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) 5

(pileated woodpecker photo by Chad+Chris Saladin; hawkweed photo by Kate St. John)

16 May 2022

Join me on Sunday 22 May, 8:30am to 10:30am, for a bird and nature walk in Schenley Park.

UPDATE Sunday 22 May 2022 at 6am: Perfect weather this morning! See you soon.

Meet at the Schenley Park Visitors Center where Panther Hollow Road meets Schenley Drive (40.4383304,-79.9464765). We’ll see flowers, late migrants, and nesting birds.

Dress for the weather and wear comfortable walking shoes. Bring water, a hat, binoculars — and field guides if you have them.

We’re sure to see purple deadnettle (Lamium purpureum) at top, and golden alexanders (Zizia aurea), below, in bloom.

Hope to see you there.

p.s. If the birding is good I’ll give an option to continue until 11:00a.

(photo by Kate St. John)

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.

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.

The red-tailed hawk family on the bridge appears to have babies in the nest, though we could not see them.

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.

See our entire checklist at https://ebird.org/checklist/S107910492 and listed below.

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.)

18 April 2022

It’s time to get outdoors!

Join me at the Schenley Park Visitors Center for a bird & nature walk on Sunday 24 April, 8:30a – 10:30a.

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)