Squill showing frost damage, 30 March 2022 (photo by Kate St. John)
3 April 2022
As I mentioned last weekend, the weather was lovely on 24 March with a high of 60oF but things went sharply downhill from there. For three and a half days Pittsburgh was below freezing and the weather deteriorated from windy snow on 27 March to lows of 14-19oF and blizzard conditions on 28 March.
Heavy snow & low visibility, 29 March 2022, 12:35pm (photo by Kate St. John)Heavy snow became blizzard conditions, 29 March 2022, 12:35pm (photo by Kate St. John)
Finally the temperature rose rise above freezing at midday 29 March but it was too late for the early-returning tree swallows who had no insects to eat right when they needed lots of food to stay alive. Julie found three dead in the bluebird boxes she tends at Moraine State Park. Fortunately purple martin landlords kept their early birds alive with supplemental feedings.
Flowers took a beating, too. The squill pictured at top bloomed after the frost passed but its tips were damaged. You can see the same effects on northern magnolia bud and flower below.
Frost damage on northern magnolia bud, Schenley Park, 30 March 2022 (photo by Kate St. John)Frost damage on northern magnolia flower, Schenley Park, 30 March 2022 (photo by Kate St. John)
Forsythia wilted.
Wilted forsythia flowers after the frost, 28 March 2022 (photo by Kate St. John)
Meanwhile some alien plants came through without a scratch. Coltsfoot sent up cheerful flowers in the sunshine on 30 March.
Coltsfoot blooming on Eckert Street, 30 March 2022 (photo by Kate St. John)
And lesser celandine bloomed at Frick Park on 31 March.
Lesser Celandine, Frick Park, 31 March 2022 (photo by Kate St. John)
Though tonight’s low will be 31oF the rest of the week will be above freezing, though wet. I hold out hope that April won’t see a long hard frost.
Flowering cherry in Pittsburgh, 24 March 2022 (photo by Kate St. John)
26 March 2022
This week the elms, maples, ornamental cherries and northern magnolias began to bloom in Pittsburgh. Their flowers have not yet reached their peak and that’s a good thing. Tomorrow night the low will be 19 degrees F and will devastate the tender petals.
Above, an ornamental cherry shows off its delicate pink-white blossoms in the sun on Thursday 24 March. Below, a northern magnolia flower peeks out of its winter coat in Schenley Park on Tuesday 22 March.
Northern magnolia flower bud, 22 March 2022 (photo by Kate St. John)
Red maple flowers, 22 March 2022 (photo by Kate St. John)
Cornelian cherry (Cornus mas), one of the earliest shrubs to bloom in western Pennsylvania, is a Eurasian member of the dogwood family. It can also look like an understory tree.
Cornelian cherry (Cornus mas) at Moraine State Park, 24 March 2022 (photo by Kate St. John)
Also blooming in yellow this week, forsythia is putting out tentative flowers.
Forsythia blooming (photo by Kate St. John)
And at Frick Park the hellebore planted near the Environmental Education Center is in full bloom (probably Hellebore odorus). I wonder if these nodding flowers will survive the cold.
Hellebore in bloom in Frick Park, 25 March 2022 (photo by Kate St. John)
Meanwhile I’m not worried about the new leaves on these hardy invasive plants. I doubt they’ll be damaged by the cold.
Bush honeysuckle leaf out in Frick Park, 21 March 2022 (photo by Kate St. John)Privet leaf out in Oakland, 23 March 2022 (photo by Kate St. John)Garlic mustard leaf out in Frick Park, 21 March 2022 (photo by Kate St. John)
Take a look at flowers today. They’ll be gone tomorrow night.
The sun set at 7:27pm, the sky flamed and dimmed. It was barely glowing twenty minutes later when we heard the first “peent.”
On dry Spring nights male American woodcocks (Scolopax minor) gather in shrubby fields to mate with females who intend to nest there. Within the hour after sunset or in the hour before sunrise, they let the ladies know they’re available by stomping around in the dark calling “peent, peent, peent.” After some peenting each male flings himself into the sky climbing hundreds of feet before circling back down. While ascending his wings make a twittering sound, while descending his wings chirp. You can tell what he’s doing by listening in the dark. He lands where he started and does it again.
On Wednesday the moon was almost full and the woodcocks were very active. We heard at least six of them!
Waxing moon over Upper Field, North Park, 16 March 2022, 8:01p (photo by Kate St. John)
The spring peepers at Eagles Nest parking area were active, too.
Spring peeper calling in the Ozarks (photo by Justin Meissen via Wikimedia Commons)Spring peepers at North Park, 16 March 2022 (recorded by Kate St. John)
Woodcocks will continue their sky dance in April and early May but if you want two audio treats at once, go out in March by the light of the moon.
(sunset and moon photos + sound of spring peepers by Kate St. John. Woodcock and peeper photos from Wikimedia Commons. Woodcock audio from Xeno Canto)
After yesterday’s 2.5 to 5 inches of drifting snow, this morning’s temperature is 14oF. Our progress toward Spring has been halted in only a day.
Last week I saw hopeful signs of Spring.
Skunk cabbage was blooming at Jennings Prairie on 5 March.
Skunk cabbage, Jennings Prairie, 5 March 2022 (photo by Kate St. John)
Northern magnolia buds were beginning to open at Schenley Park on 8 March.
Northern magnolia bud, Schenley Park, 8 March 2022 (photo by Kate St. John)
Spring peepers had started to sing at Moraine State Park on 10 March, calling very slowly in the cold. Turn up your speakers to hear 5 creaky peeps in the video.
And The Crocus Report came back positive on 7 March when I found a lawn of purple crocuses blooming on North Neville Street.
Crocuses blooming, North Neville Street, 7 March 2022 (photo by Kate St. John)Lawn of purple crocuses, North Neville Street, 7 March 2022 (photo by Kate St. John)
But yesterday morning brought heavy snow and gusty winds, drifts and bare patches.
(building provides a dark backdrop so you can see the snow.)
The tender plants have died. Those crocuses are gone. Spring has been dealt a setback.
This week in Pittsburgh the weeping willows turned yellow for spring and male red-winged blackbirds came back to the marshes. At Homewood Cemetery the two combined when a red-winged blackbird called from a large willow. He’s the black dot at 9 or 10 o’clock (on the dial) in my photo.
Yellow willow tree + red-winged blackbird, Homewood Cemetery, 2 March 2022 (photo by Kate St. John)
The red-wings didn’t look so spiffy three weeks ago at Frick Park’s feeders, below. Now they are sharply black and red.
Red-winged blackbirds, 9 Feb (photo by Charity Kheshgi)
Over at Schenley Park the moss is greening up on the tufa bridges and purple “weed” leaves are looking hairy.
Tufa bridge has moss and purple basal leaves (photo by Kate St. John)
A closer look reveals the hairs may be tiny rootlets. Last summer I knew the name of this “weed” but I don’t remember it now. (Best guess via Stephen Tirone is hawkweed)
Are these tiny roots growing from the leaves? (photo by Kate St. John)
Northern cardinal at the feeder (photo by Chuck Tague)
22 February 2022
Despite recurring winter weather we are more than halfway to spring and the birds know it. As their bodies prepare for the breeding season they develop brighter feathers, skin and beaks. Here are two backyard birds who make this transformation. One turns redder, the other loses stars.
Northern cardinals (Cardinalis cardinalis) molt from July to October, changing out their old feathers for new. At first the male doesn’t look bright red because the very tips of his new feathers are actually gray. You can see the gray feather tips on his back in the photo below.
By mid-winter the gray tips wear off and the male cardinal becomes brilliant red for the breeding season.
Cardinals get their color from what they eat so diet plays a part and there are regional and habitat differences that affect the color. But no matter where they live, male cardinals turn redder in winter.
European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) have a similar strategy for changing into breeding plumage. When their feathers are new in autumn each one is tipped with white so their bodies appear to be sprinkled with stars — hence the name “starling.” This close up shows that on new feathers the stars are tiny V’s on the feather tips.
Over the winter the white tips wear off, especially on their head and breast feathers. By the time it’s breeding season their faces and chests are shiny, sleek and iridescent. Starlings lose their stars in the spring.
There is one more transformation that starlings make that will tell you which are male and female.
In the winter starlings’ beaks are dark brown but turn bright yellow in spring. You can tell the difference between male and female by looking at the color at the base of their beaks — the part closest to their faces.
Just like the baby colors — girls are pink, boys are blue. You can see it with binoculars.
Here’s a side-by-side comparison. The blue on the male at left is easiest to see. The pink on the female at right is pale and takes more effort to figure out.
The Cathedral of Learning peregrines remain on campus all winter, keeping tabs on their territory making it safe for future nesting.
On Friday I saw an adult red-tailed hawk circling up over the museum and thought for his sake, “You’re asking for it!” Sure enough, both peregrines popped off the Cathedral of Learning and zoomed down to relentlessly dive on the hawk until he flew low between buildings at Carnegie Mellon.
Scaffolding has been rising at Heinz Chapel but I paid no attention until a peregrine found it interesting. On Wednesday 8 December I noticed a dot on the top rung. Through binoculars I identified Morela checking out the new view (circled).
What’s that dot on top of Heinz Chapel scaffolding? A peregrine! 8 Dec 2021 (photos by Kate St. John)
Meanwhile Morela and Ecco are thinking of spring even though the winter solstice is more than a week away. Their abbreviated bonding rituals are becoming more elaborate as they bow they turn their heads, nearly touch beaks. Both have been digging the scrape(*) and Morela sometimes pauses to stand in it.
Here’s a selection of their goings on in early December.
Ecco waits for Morela to arrive
Ecco and Morela bow
Morela digs the scrape where she will lay her eggs in March
Morela standing over the scrape as she will do before laying eggs in March
p.s. The scrape (*) is the depression in the gravel where Morela will lay her eggs.
Winter wren, Frick Park, 9 Dec 2021 (photo by Charity Kheshgi)
11 December 2021
On Thursday 9 December Charity Kheshgi and I took a walk in Frick Park on the third day in a row of cold weather. Light snow dusted the leaves and logs but the temperature promised to push above freezing by noon.
Moss with snow, Frick Park, 9 Dec 2021 (photo by Charity Kheshgi)
Best Bird was a very obliging winter wren who finally posed for his portrait, at top, after showing us his tail. Who knew that a winter wren’s tail is so speckled? It’s worth saving a butt shot to see it.
Winter wren’s tail end, Frick Park, 9 Dec 2021 (photo by Charity Kheshgi)
Yellow-bellied sapsuckers were back in town, perhaps a second wave of migrants after the first set left in early November.
Yellow-bellied sapsucker, Frick Park, 9 Dec 2021 (photo by Charity Kheshgi)
A female red-bellied woodpecker was very vocal as she checked out this potential nest hole.
Red-bellied woodpecker, Frick Park, 9 Dec 2021 (photo by Charity Kheshgi)
And a wave of juncos (30 of them!) munched seeds in the tall grass blending into the background.
Dark-eyed junco in grasses, Frick Park, 9 Dec 2021 (photo by Charity Kheshgi)
We were surprised to see a northern harrier heading south. At first we identified him by shape (below). Charity was able to see his light underside and black wingtips.
Northern harrier flyby, Frick Park, 9 Dec 2021 (photo by Charity Kheshgi)
Perhaps the migrants will stick around for a while. On Saturday morning, though rainy, it is 65 F.
Though most trees are bare, the hilltop oaks still have leaves on 30 Nov 2021 (photo by Kate St. John)
4 December 2021
Last weekend many homeowners in Pennsylvania were annoyed that they had to rake leaves after Thanksgiving. A decade ago this would never have happened because the trees were bare by 5 November. Nowadays the leaves linger. Our warmer climate keeps them on the trees.
The delay in leaf drop has been increasing for at least a decade. In 2008-2012 most of the trees were bare by 2 or 4 November. In 2017-2021 the trees waited until 25-30 November. (*)
Meanwhile the height of fall color is later and lackluster. Twenty years ago we used to go leaf peeping on Columbus Day. This year the height of color in Schenley Park was on 13 November and not particularly breathtaking.
Fall color at Westinghouse Memorial in Schenley Park, 13 Nov 2021 (photo by Kate St. John)
Trees need a particular weather combination to trigger fall colors and leaf drop.
The timing and quality of color changes depend on a combination of temperatures, precipitation and sunlight. The best fall color displays occur after sunshine-filled days and cooler nights, following healthy doses of rain in the summer.
The leaves lingered and finally by 30 November 2021 most of the trees were bare. Note that this date and all dates mentioned above are assessments of this same hillside in Schenley Park.
More than half of the trees are bare, Schenley Park, 25 Nov 2021 (photo by Kate St. John)
Hornbeam seeds with spider/insect cocoons, 21 Nov 2021 (photo by Kate St. John)
27 November 2021
Nature was busy this week. Spiders or insects wove tiny white cocoons inside this hornbeam seed structure. Chickadees look for these cocoons and eat the tasty treats inside.
As predicted, Schenley Park’s ginkgos lost all their leaves in a single day — 20 November.
Ginkgos shed all their leaves on Schenley Drive, 20 Nov 2021 (photo by Kate St. John)
Norway maples were not far behind on the 24th.
Three trees on 24 Nov 2021: (1) bare, (2) maple fallen leaves, (3) red oak leaves waiting (photo by Kate St. John)
I went to Schenley Park golf course to find a merlin just before sunset on 23 November. Instead I found three merlins jostling for the highest perch on the highest hill. The tallest snag in this photo is not the highest perch but the dot on top is merlin #2 of 3 who is watching the airshow as 2,500 crows fly over from the Allegheny Valley to where? Crows were still passing overhead when I left.
After sunset the sky still glowed.
Cathedral of Learning, Heinz Chapel, and WQED’s transmission tower after sunset 23 Nov 2021, Pittsburgh, PA (photo by Kate St. John)
