Yesterday at Duck Hollow: A Powdered Dancer

Insects, Songbirds
Powdered dancer damselfly, Duck Hollow, 7 July 2024 (photo by Charity Kheshgi)

8 July 2024

Eight of us gathered yesterday morning, 7 July, to look for birds at Duck Hollow. Alas, I forgot to take a group photo.

It was hot.

We stuck to the shade and saw two fly-by ospreys and a host of juvenile songbirds. We also saw a Best Insect — the powdered dancer (Argia moesta) damselfly pictured above — and a Best Mammal sighting of two juvenile muskrats (Ondatra zibethicus) swimming in Nine Mile Run creek.

We learned about the immature plumage of northern rough-winged swallows (Stelgidopteryx serripennis) when several perched on a wire and one turned its back. Through binoculars you can identify immature birds by their reddish-brown wing bars. Click here to see.

Juvenile northern rough-winged swallow, Duck Hollow, 7 July 2024 (photo by Charity Kheshgi)

We also saw two juvenile northern mockingbirds (Mimus polyglottos) — a first for me.

Juvenile northern mockingbird, Duck Hollow, 7 July 2024 (photo by Charity Kheshgi)

In 90 minutes we tallied 23 species. It was hot and getting hotter so we went home.

Duck Hollow, Allegheny, Pennsylvania, US
Jul 7, 2024 8:30 AM – 10:00 AM
23 species

Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) 30 — Youngsters w adults. Adults flightless.
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) 6
Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura) 1
Chimney Swift (Chaetura pelagica) 15
Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris) 1
Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus) 1
Herring Gull (Larus argentatus) 1
Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) 1
Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura) 1
Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) 2
Cooper’s Hawk (Accipiter cooperii) 1
Belted Kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon) 1
Downy Woodpecker (Dryobates pubescens) 3
Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata) 6
Northern Rough-winged Swallow (Stelgidopteryx serripennis) 14 — At least 3 immatures
Carolina Wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus) 3
Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos) 4 — Two juvenile birds
American Robin (Turdus migratorius) 12
American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis) 6
Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia) 3
Orchard Oriole (Icterus spurius) 1
Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) 5
Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) 4

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S185899887

Thanks to Charity Kheshgi for the photos.

Unusual Visitor at Harrison Hills Park

Migration, Water and Shore

7 July 2024

Yesterday morning Mike Fialkovich found a juvenile yellow-crowned night heron at Harrison Hills County Park. The bird was easy to find in a shallow creek by the Creekside Trail head at Overlook parking lot. By the end of the day 11 eBirders had stopped by to see this unusual visitor. Here’s the bird at dusk.

Yellow-crowned night herons (Nyctanassa violacea) specialize in eating crabs and crayfish, especially at night. They are usually found in salt marshes, forested wetlands, swamps and on coastal islands but they’re not worried about people and will show up on lawns in Florida.

As you can see from their range map, their stronghold is in Central and South America where they live year round. From there this southern visitor is expanding north.

Yellow-crowned night heron range map embedded from All About Birds

Adults explore out of range in the spring.

Yellow-crowned night heron, Cuba (photo from Wikimedia Commons)

Juveniles wander widely, especially in August and September. It seems too early for a youngster to wander up the Mississippi and Ohio Valleys as far as Harrison Hills but yellow-crowned night herons retain juvenile plumage for three years so this bird might not be as young as we think.

And he’s not the first unusual visitor. This yellow-crowned visited in Duquesne in August 2019 and stayed for a week. Maybe this year’s bird will stick around for a while.

Yellow-crowned night heron in Duquesne, PA, 18 Aug 2019 (photo by Amy Henrici)

Seen This Week: Flowers and a Bad-Wing Moth

Bird Behavior, Insects, Plants & Fungi
Germander in bloom, Duck Hollow, 4 July 2024 (photo by Kate St. John)

6 July 2024

Flowers, insects and birds were active this week though the end of the week was so humid that it felt like the tropics. Here’s a trail of photos from Duck Hollow, Aspinwall Riverfront Park, Schenley Park and my own neighborhood.

Don’t forget to check out the two photos at the end: A mystery match-the-leaves moth or butterfly and some amazing bird behavior.

Deptford pink, Duck Hollow, 4 July 2024 (photo by Kate St. John)
Chickory in bloom, Aspinwall Riverfront Park, 2 July 2024 (photo by Kate St. John)

With false sunflowers (Heliopsis helianthoides) at their peak in Schenley Park, the red aphids are out in full force.

Aphids on false sunflower, Schenley Park, 5 July 2024 (photo by Kate St. John)

Wineberry is already forming fruits.

Wineberry, fruit forming, Schenley Park, 5 July 2024 (photo by Kate St. John)

I found a moth or butterfly that I could not identify at Duck Hollow. It was impossible to get close for a photo so this is the best I could do. Perched on Japanese knotweed. Can you tell me what it is?

What species is this insect? Duck Hollow, 4 July 2024 (photo by Kate St. John)

And here’s some bird behavior I’ve never seen before: Two red-tailed hawks are perched on the hoist rope of this enormous crane on O’Hara Street near Thackeray on 29 June. This crane spends five days a week moving back and forth. I’m amazed that they decided to test it on a Saturday. Can you see them? If not, click here for a marked-up photo.

p.s. The dewpoint was 70°F yesterday. This link explains why that feels so hot.

p.p.s. See Karen’s comment below in which she identifies it as a Bad-wing moth (Dyspteris abortivaria). So my next question is, Why is it called a bad wing? –> And see J’s comment with the answer!

Juvie Peregrine Stops By for a Visit

Peregrines
  • "Yellow" juvie peregrine stops by for a visit, 2 July 2024

5 July 2024

At the Cathedral of Learning the adult peregrines, Ecco and Carla, are staying close to home as they molt in the summer heat. Their two youngsters have been flying now for almost five weeks and are hunting on their own, widening their range until they disperse to peregrinate for two years.

Nowadays I rarely see the Pitt juvies so I was happy to discover that “Yellow” stopped by briefly on Tuesday 2 July as seen in the slideshow above. It’s been more than a month since our youngsters walked off camera. No one on the falconcam. So here’s a little video delight.

C&C Saladin recorded these youngsters at the Terminal Tower in Cleveland on 25 June. Almost a month younger than the Pitt juvies, these two had not fledged yet. C&C Saladin describe that they’re doing.

These two male juvenile peregrines, here at 36 days old, demonstrate their curiosity and their instinctive ability to track moving objects as they watch two barn swallows that were flying around and catching bugs near the nest ledge. They also demonstrate their distractibility, as each takes a moment to stretch. The slightly more developed (less downy) juvie stretches after the juvie on the left, also showing their imitative behavior.

— description from C&C Saladin on YouTube
embedded video by C&C Saladin on YouTube

On The 4th: What Do Birds Think of Fireworks?

Bird Behavior
Fireworks in Rostov on Don (photo from Wikimedia Commons)

4 July 2024

Happy Fourth of July!

If the storms hold off tonight in Pittsburgh there will be splendid municipal fireworks and a host of homegrown displays thanks to Pennsylvania’s liberal law on consumer fireworks sales.

We know how to deal with our frightened pets. What does wildlife do while we are celebrating? Check out this 2013 vintage article.

What Do Birds Think Of Fireworks?

What Happens When A Dam Is Removed?

Water and Shore
Elizabeth Lock and Dam on Monongahela River, July 2023 (photo by USACE)

3 July 2024

What happens when a dam is removed from a river? We’re about to find out on the Monongahela River at Elizabeth, PA. On 10 July, weather and river permitting, the US Army Corp of Engineers (USACE) will begin removing Locks and Dam 3, also known as the Elizabeth Locks and Dam. Built in 1907 is one of the oldest such structures in the U.S.

This animation from USACE shows how it will be done.

Ideally the removal of a dam would restore the river to a more natural state but Pittsburgh’s three rivers are a series of pools — like lakes — created for navigation by numerous locks and dams.

schematic map of Locks and Dams on the Allegheny, Monongahela and Ohio Rivers near Pittsburgh, PA (original map from PA Fish & Boat Commission, markup by Kate St. John)

The dam at Elizabeth is 12.6 miles upstream from Locks and Dam 2 at Braddock and 23.8 miles downstream from Locks and Dam 4 at Charleroi. When the first gap is made in the Elizabeth dam it will take 3 days for the water level to stabilize into a pool 36.4 miles long stretching from Braddock to Charleroi. No, the Monongahela River will not revert to a natural state but there will be other effects.

As demolition continues on the rest of the dam, its removal will release sediments such as silt, clay, sand and gravel that have built up behind the dam for more than 100 years. Considering Pittsburgh’s industrial past, the sediments may contain toxins such as heavy metals and PCBs. My guess is that this will mostly affect the pool down to Braddock.

Eventually the turbidity will settle down and the Monongahela River will reach a new normal.

How much will the dam removal affect the Mon at Duck Hollow? We’ll have to watch and see.

The location of Locks and Dam 3 is on the Google map below. Read more about the project at The Waterways Journal.

Last Days Before the Invasion Begins

Insects, Spotted Lanternflies
Last instar of the spotted lanternfly, Pittsburgh 14 July 2023 (photo by Kate St. John)

2 July 2024

In late June friends of mine wondered why they hadn’t seen any spotted lanternflies this year. Are the invasive bugs gone? Not at all! The nymphs are present but they can’t fly yet. Last weekend I saw the first warning that we’re in the last days — a week, maybe two — before the spotted lanternfly invasion begins. I saw a red nymph.

Spotted lanternfly red nymph, Schenley Park, 30 June 2024 (photo by Kate St. John)

Spotted lanternflies overwinter as egg masses that began hatching in Pittsburgh this year in early June. The first nymphs appeared around 3 June but were hard to notice because they’re so tiny and dark. From first instar to winged adult takes about 6-8 weeks. (This statistic is my best guess. It’s hard to find the data online though I’m sure scientists have timed it.)

Spotted lanternfly life cycle (image from Wikimedia Commons)

The first three instars are black while the fourth and final one is red, an early warning of things to come. Here’s a red nymph morphing into a winged adult.

embedded video by @GooglaNYC on YouTube

Expect to see the first flying adult by mid-July. Let me know when you see your first one.

The invasion will ramp up slowly, explode in September, and then we’ll have to wait for winter to kill them.

p.s. It’s been 10 years since spotted lanternflies were first recorded in PA. Now the bugs are in every county in southern PA and all of the eastern border counties. Greene County, the last holdout in southwestern PA, crossed the threshold this year. Read more about their 10-year siege in this article from WESA.

Spotted lanternfly quarantine counties in Pennsylvania as of 2 July 2024 (map from PA Dept of Agriculture via Penn State Extension)

Fireflies and Cicadas

Insects
Eastern firefly glowing (photo from Wikimedia Commons)

1 July 2024

By all accounts this has been an extraordinary firefly season in Pittsburgh. Since we don’t have a backyard my husband and I went to Schenley Park last night to see them. Beautiful and peaceful.

This video by Radim Schreiber, FireflyExperience.org gives you a taste of what it’s like to watch eastern fireflies (Photinus pyralis).

embedded video by Radim Schreiber on YouTube

Firefly season will end in mid-July as scissor grinder cicadas (Neotibicen pruinosus) take over.

Scissor-grinder cicada, Schenley Park, July 2020 (photo by Kate St. John)

Cicadas live most of their lives as nymphs in the soil under trees. When they’re ready to become adults they crawl out of the soil, climb up a tree, hang on and emerge from their exoskeletons.

embedded video by Peter Chen 2.0 on YouTube

And then, mostly at dusk, they begin to “sing” a repetitive WEEE ah, WEEE ah, WEEE ah, WEEE ah that tapers at end. Click here to hear Scissor grinder cicada at songsofinsects.com

Though I haven’t heard cicadas here yet, Mike Fialkovich says they’ve been in his Penn Hills neighborhood for more than a week.

Think Like A Bird, What Do You See?

Bird Behavior, Musings & News
Continuation of sky, trees, buildings: Effron Music Building, Princeton University, 24 May 2024 (photo by Kate St. John)

30 June 2024

In May I encountered a building that showed me how to think like a bird. Here is the building. What do you see?

Sky. Trees. Four buildings. Railings. Stairs.

At street level we see stairs, railings, trees, white buildings but not the building we are close enough to touch. The Effron Music Building at Princeton University virtually disappears in its reflections.

Continuation of sky, trees, buildings: Glass exterior of the Effron Music Building, Princeton University, 24 May 2024 (photo by Kate St. John)

Facing the glass you can see through it to suspended wooden practice rooms, yet the surface of the Effron Music Building still reflects its surroundings.

Effron Music Building showing interior as well as reflection, Princeton University (photo from Wikimedia Commons)

Now, imagine you are the size of a songbird.

What do you see instead of the window glass? Leaves. Branches.

Window reflecting trees (photo from Dustin Window World DC via Flickr Creative Commons license)

What do you see instead of the glass? Sky. Trees.

Patio Door, pre-install (photo by Jeremy Oliver via Flickr Creative Commons license)

What do you see here? Lots and lots of trees and an inviting backyard to fly into.

Reflection on patio door during installation (photo from Dustin Window World DC via Flickr Creative Commons license)

These optical illusions are why glass kills one billion birds every year in the U.S.  That’s 2.7 million birds per day.

Towering skyscrapers might seem like the most obvious culprits [of bird deaths], yet Loss’s team found that 56 percent of the mortality occurs at low-rises (4-11 stories tall); 44 percent at residences (1-3 stories tall), and less than 1 percent at high-rises (12 stories and up).

— National Audubon: Hundreds of Millions of Birds Are Killed Annually from Building Collisions

56% of the deaths are at 4-11 story buildings: offices, apartments and academic buildings such as 5-story Craig Hall at Pitt where a juvie peregrine died in 2012.

Juvenile peregrine’s death left a mark on Craig Hall, 28 June 2012 (photo by Kate St. John)

Low-rise buildings are more likely to cause bird deaths when they reflect trees in the glass. I noticed that the Effron Music Building does not have greenery anywhere near the reflective surface so it probably doesn’t cause many bird deaths.

Our homes, however, reflect our backyards. 44% of bird deaths are at 1-3 story residences.

Do birds hit your windows at home? Take a look at your windows and think like a bird.

PREVENT BIRDS FROM HITTING YOUR WINDOWS AT HOME: Reflective glass must be treated on the outside to alter the entire look of the windows. The treatment must make the birds see a wall or a mesh too small to fly through. Here are tips from Fatal Light Awareness Program in Toronto and the American Bird Conservancy

Seen This Week: A Visit to the Woods

Musings & News, Trees
Beaver Meadows Recreation Area, 24 June 2024 (photo by Kate St. John)

29 June 2024

Early this week a group of us drove north to go birding at Heart’s Content, Beaver Meadows and Piney Tract in Warren, Forest and Clarion counties. For two days the weather was pleasantly cool and the sky was gorgeous. Here are a few things we saw this week.

  • Beaver Meadows Recreation Area near Marienville, PA
  • Allegheny River as seen from Rt 62 south of East Hickory
  • Old growth hemlocks at Heart’s Content
  • A fallen tree completely covered by moss. It was cut because it blocked the path when it fell long ago.
  • Looking through the trees at Heart’s Content
  • A view of Piney Tract, SGL 330
  • The Wall of Rocks at the Microtel parking lot in Clarion
Allegheny River south of East Hickory, PA, 24 June 2024 (photo by Kate St. John)
Old growth hemlock at Heart’s Content, 24 June 2024 (photo by Kate St. John)
Fallen tree coated in moss, Heart’s Content, 24 June 2024 (photo by Kate St. John)
Heart’s Content forest, 24 June 2024 (photo by Kate St. John)

The next day we visited a very different habitat: the grasslands at Piney Tract, SGL 330. This scene is close to where we saw the clay-colored sparrow I wrote about on 25 June.

Piney Tract, SGL 300, 25 June 2024 (photo by Kate St. John)

The Wall of Rocks:

We stayed at the Microtel in Clarion (nice and new) where I was fascinated by the Wall of Rocks that formed one side of the parking lot. It looked impressive at dusk, lit by streetlamps.

Wall of Rocks closeup at Microtel parking lot, Clarion, 24 June 2024 (photo by Kate St. John)

The next morning it was not so fascinating. It looks this way because the excavated hillside is too steep to mow. It is landscaped with large stones.

Rocky hillside at Microtel parking lot, Clarion, 25 June 2024 (photo by Kate St. John)