Aurora Magic in Lapland

Aurora in Lapland, 1 Feb 2017 (photo by James Sensor via Flickr Creative Commons license)

10 January 2025

Last Sunday Jari Romppainen posted a short video of the aurora over Lapland on 5 January. On that day, full daylight in Ranua, Finland lasted only 3 hours and 36 minutes though there were more than 7 hours of twilight. That night the sky would have been dark for nearly 13 hours but the aurora and a waxing crescent moon made it bright.

Two years ago on 14 January 2023, Romppainen captured more than five minutes of aurora magic. Sometimes the lights resemble a waterfall cascading into Earth’s atmosphere.

video embedded from Jarcce on YouTube

Here’s where the videos were filmed. Do you understand Finnish? You can tell me what they’re saying.

Rare and Wonderful White Hawk

Leucistic red-tailed hawk in Northampton County, PA, 4 Jan 2025 (photo by Brenda Lindsey)

9 January 2025

There were several hours of excitement on New Years Day when a snowy owl showed up at Pymatuning. That same day in Northampton County, PA Steve Magditch thought he too may have found a snowy owl but his camera lens revealed a common bird in uncommon plumage, a leucistic red-tailed hawk (Buteo jamaicensis).

Brenda Lindsey was excited to capture these photos on 4 January.

Leucistic Red-tailed Hawk! I set out this morning to (maybe) see it. (I can’t believe I found it!) Thank you Steve Magditch and Kathleen Itterly Dimmich for your prior postings of this unique Bird of Prey!

Brenda Lindsey post on Facebook, 4 January 2025

This white hawk is called leucistic, not albino, because it has normal-colored eyes and at least one normally colored feather. See the red feather(s) in its tail.

Leucistic red-tailed hawk in Northampton County, PA, 4 Jan 2025 (photo by Brenda Lindsey)
Leucistic red-tailed hawk in Northampton County, PA, 4 Jan 2025 (photo by Brenda Lindsey)

Though rare, leucistic red-tailed hawks occur throughout their range in North America with a lot of variation in their plumage. Some are spotted, some are blotchy.

See additional photos of white red-tails and learn about leucism in this vintage article.

Thousands of Swallows Swirl Into the Roost

Tree swallows (photo from Wikimedia Commons)

8 January 2025

Where have the swallows gone while it’s snowy and cold in Pennsylvania?

In January all the tree swallows (Tachycineta bicolor) in North America are on their wintering grounds from coastal North Carolina to Texas, the Caribbean, and Central America. Most of them are in Florida, as you can see on eBird’s abundance map for the week of 4 January.

Tree Swallow Weekly Abundance throughout its range (screenshot from eBird)

How many tree swallows are there?

In January 2012 Mark H. Vance filmed 3 million(!) of them swirling into their roost near Sarasota, Florida. His video lasts almost 9 minutes.

embedded video by Mark Vance on YouTube

They’ve Changed Because of Us

African elephants with and without tusks (photos from Wikimedia Commons)

7 January 2025

We’ve often heard and seen how species change their behavior because of humans. Birds now spend the winter near us because of our bird feeders. Mammals originally fled cities, then moved back into them (deer and raccoons). But an article in the Guardian caught my attention when it described physical changes in animals’ bodies wrought by human pressure. Here are two examples.

African elephants without tusks

During the Mozambican civil war, heavy poaching by fighters meant that African savannah elephant numbers plunged by more than 90% in Gorongosa national park. With populations now in recovery and representing one of the most important examples of global restoration, many of the female elephants have no tusks – a consequence of tuskless elephants being less likely to be targeted by poachers, say researchers. The same change has also been recorded in Tanzania.

The Guardian: Shrinking trees and tuskless elephants: the strange ways species are adapting to humans

The map shows where this has happened: Tanzania (north) and Mozambique (southern half of red area).

Map of Mozambique and Tanzania in Africa (merg of two maps from Wikimedia Commons)
Shrinking mahogany trees

Mahogany trees, native to Central and South America, have disappeared from large parts of their historic range. Two of the three species are listed as Endangered yet some individuals survive by adapting. Because the largest trees are always cut down, only the shrubby ones survive and they’re the ones that reproduce. As a result, mahogany trees have shrunk in the wild.

Mahogany trees have become shrubby in the wild (photos from Wikimedia Commons)

Here’s how human pressure changed the range of Endangered big-leaf mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla) in South America: Historic range at top, 2008 range at bottom.

Historic and 2008 range of big-leaf mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla) in South America (maps from Wikimedia Commons)

Elephants and mahogany are just two of six examples described in the article. Read about more species that evolved under human pressure including cliff swallows in Nebraska that have shorter wings at Shrinking trees and tuskless elephants: the strange ways species are adapting to humans.

So many things have changed because of us.

Red-headed Woodpeckers Less Rare Than We Think

Red-headed woodpecker pair at Sheldon Marsh Nature Preserve, Huron, Ohio (photo from Wikimedia Commons)

6 January 2025

If you live in southwestern Pennsylvania you probably think red-headed woodpeckers (Melanerpes erythrocephalus) are rare birds as did I until I recorded one yesterday at North Park and eBird did not flag it. Yesterday’s red-headed woodpecker was the second I’ve seen in a week. The first was in Schenley Park during the Pittsburgh Christmas Bird Count on 28 December.

The North Park bird is an all-winter visitor, hanging out with one or two others at the Elwood Shelter (40.5876006, -79.9854305) since early November 2024. It posed for Justin Kolakowski in late December.

The Schenley Park woodpecker was a One Day Wonder found by Mark VanderVen. I tracked it down when I heard his rattle call, similar to this recording of two birds interacting.

Red-headed woodpeckers are still unusual enough in Pennsylvania to attract a small crowd, particularly after they were labeled “in decline” during Pennsylvania’s Second Breeding Bird Atlas (2004-2009) because their block coverage dropped 46% since the First Atlas (1983-1989).

But you don’t have to go far to see one during the breeding season. Just cross the Ohio border and keep heading west. The pair shown at top was photographed at Sheldon Marsh in Huron County, Ohio.

Red-headed woodpecker weekly abundance in North America (video from eBird Science)

Red-headed woodpeckers are in fact increasing as their breeding population moves west. Their stronghold now is in the Great Plains. They are far less rare than we think.

Red-headed woodpecker breeding season trends, 2012-2022 (map from eBird Science)

As Winter Returns, Remembering Peregrines on Ice

Pair of peregrines on ice floes in the Allegheny River, 12 Jan 2018 (photo by Dave Brooke)
Pair of peregrines on ice floes in the Allegheny River, 12 Jan 2018 (photo by Dave Brooke)

5 January 2025

Harsh winter returns to a large swath of the U.S. today through Tuesday, 5-7 January. From Kansas to Delaware, encompassing the Ohio River end to end, 14 states have Winter Storm Warnings including the southern tier of Pennsylvania.

U.S. forecast map 1/5/2025, 10:52UTC (5:52am EST) from weather.gov

For Pittsburgh it means snow, maybe 3.9 inches. According to NWS Pittsburgh’s Snow and Ice Potential Forecasts this morning — graphic updated on Mon 6 January at 5:01am:

Expected snowfall in NWS PIttsburgh forecast area, Sun 5 Jan 7PM through Tues 7 Jan 7AM (map from weather.gov Pittsburgh)

After it snows low temperatures here will drop into the teens and single digits, 18°F to 9°F on Tuesday through Friday. This will be low enough to form ice on the Allegheny River as it did seven years ago when ice floes lured the Tarentum peregrines to land on the river. For a trip down memory lane see this vintage article.

Meanwhile if you’re going to spend time outdoors, today is the day to do it. Expect the grocery store to run out of bread, milk and toilet paper.

Seen This Week: Sky Magic

Spectacular sunrise in Pittsburgh, 1 January 2025 (photo by Kate St. John)

4 January 2025

In addition to two merlins in Schenley Park …

Merlin at Schenley Park, 30 Dec 2024, 5:17pm (photo by Kate St. John)

… and a brant this week …

… the sky put on a good show.

On Sunday 29 December the high was 65°F (jacket weather!) but day by day it moved toward freezing. Rain on New Years Eve 31 December brought colder temperatures and a rainbow.

Rainbow on the last day of 2024 (photo by Kate St. John)

Sunrise the next morning was bright red with a sun pillar (at top) to usher in the New Year. The red held for many minutes after the sun peeked above the horizon. “Red sky at morn” presaged more rain.

More of the sunrise on New Years Day 2025 (photo by Kate St. John)

Yesterday it was snowing steadily as I walked to Schenley Park. Flocks of Canada geese passed overhead, checking for exposed grass on Flagstaff Hill but it was snow covered so they turned in the sky and headed for the river.

Canada geese fly past Flagstaff Hill in snow, 3 Jan 2025 (photo by Kate St. John)

Later a snow squall reduced visibility to only a few hundred feet. This was the only view that shows how hard it was snowing.

Snow squall in Pittsburgh, 3 Jan 2025, 3:54pm (video by Kate St. John)

This coming week the temperature will continue to drop day after day. By early Thursday morning 9 January it will be 14°F in town.

Wild Bird Flu Outbreak in PA & Delaware

Snow geese landing in a field in Central PA, Jan 2023 (photo by fishhawk via Flickr Creative Commons license)

3 January 2025

On New Year’s Day Paul Nale reported hundreds of dead and dying snow geese in Northampton County on the PA Birders Facebook group.

screenshot of PA Birders Facebook post by Paul Nale on 1 Jan 2025

There were over 100 dead and dying snow geese at the limestone quarry in Nazareth PA [Northampton County] this afternoon. We have a possible avian influenza outbreak on our hands. I have contacted the PA Game Commission.

PA Birders Facebook Post, 1 January 2025 by Paul Nale

Yesterday the PA Game Commission said there were also dead snow geese at Upper Macungie Township in Lehigh County, both with a “strong suspicion of avian influenza.”

UPDATE as of 8:50 AM 1/2/25: The PA Game Commission has had specialists in the quarry at Nazareth to collect the dead snow geese. There are reportedly hundreds now. There are too many to even try to collect them all. The birds are reportedly on their way to or at the lab for autopsy. In my post last evening, I used the word POSSIBLE … This morning the staffer calling me used the words “strong suspicion of avian influenza.” Tests will confirm or reject that hypothesis.

PA Birders Facebook Post, 2 January 2025 by Paul Nale

The Pennsylvania outbreak follows quickly on the heels of a similar outbreak in Delaware just five days earlier.

On 27 December dead and dying snow geese were discovered at Prime Hook and other sites in Surrey County, DE. On 28 December the State of Delaware confirmed avian influenza and warned poultry farmers and the public to take precautions.

It is not surprising that bird flu is spreading in the wild from state to state. Birds fly and Prime Hook, Delaware is only 130 miles from Nazareth, PA, well within the snow goose range of up to a thousand miles per day in migration.

Meanwhile, the state of Pennsylvania urges everyone to take these precautions:

from PA Press Release, 2 Jan 2025, INFLUENZA SUSPECTED IN SNOW GOOSE MORTALITIES

  • Those encountering sick or dead wild birds can report them to the Pennsylvania Game Commission by calling 1-833-PGC-WILD (1-833-742-9453), by emailing pgc-wildlifehealth@pa.gov or by using the online Wildlife Health Survey tool.
  • Any sick or dead domestic birds should be reported to Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture at 717-772-2852. If you have had contact with sick or dead birds and are not feeling well, contact your primary care physician or the Pennsylvania Department of Health at 877-724-3258.
  • Always observe wildlife from a safe distance. Avoid contacting surfaces that may be contaminated with feces from wild or domestic birds. Do not handle wildlife unless you are hunting, trapping, or otherwise authorized to do so.
  • Waterfowl hunters are encouraged to continue participating in the remaining season, but should take precautions while handling and dressing birds. These include wearing nitrile gloves, protective eye wear, and a mask. Following any hunt make a point to practice good hygiene, including washing hands and any clothing used in the process of dressing game that may contain blood or feces. Finally, never handle wildlife that is sick or displaying signs of sickness. Instead, report it to the Game Commission.

At this moment bird flu can only be caught by human contact with infected birds or animals but we should take care not catch it. Why? Because the more people who catch it, the more likely it will mutate within humans to something we can spread directly to each other. When that happens, all bets are off. Read more about bird flu transmission and humans at the BBC.

p.s. This map of recent HPAI (highly pathogenic avian influenza) outbreaks in the wild is current to 18 Dec 2024. It is maintained by USDA but does not yet include this week’s news from PA and Delaware which I’ve added in pink. Watch here for a USDA update this month!

States detecting HPAI (bird flu) in wild birds in last 30 days as of 18 Dec 2024 (map from USDA) — updated in pink with PA & DE outbreaks 27 Dec to 1 Jan 2025

Starting Off The New Year Right with Peregrines

Ecco watches the airspace around the Cathedral of Learning, New Year’s Day 2025 (photo from the National Aviary snapshot camera at Univ of Pittsburgh)

2 January 2025

Though my Last Bird of 2024 and my First Bird of 2025 were the same species — a flock of crows flying to/ from the Oakland roost — my Favorite Bird started off the new year right.

Pitt peregrines Ecco and Carla visited the ledge yesterday to bow and strengthen their pair bond. Their visit was captured by the National Aviary snapshot camera at the Univ. of Pittsburgh.

As the breeding season heats up in January and February, Ecco and Carla will become more visible even though it’s cold. Watch for them in the sky around the Cathedral of Learning this month and on camera beginning in February.

Meanwhile, click here to see the current snapshots from the nest.

I’m looking forward to a good peregrine year.

Happy Merlin New Year!

Merlin. Incoming. (photo by Eric Ellingson via Flickr Creative Commons license)

1 January 2025

Merlin! When I found this exuberant photo by Eric Ellingson I had to find a merlin.

Two days ago, just before sunset, I went looking for them at Schenley Park golf course where they usually hang out in winter. I spent 40 minutes waiting and watching from the highest lookout and walking past all their favorite haunts.

Nothing.

So I went back to my car and there was a merlin perched high in the tree above it. I told the bird “Don’t go anywhere!” as I ran to get my scope.

Merlin at Schenley Park, 30 Dec 2024 (photo by Kate St. John)

Soon a second merlin came in with an evening snack. Slight tussle between them and the newcomer claimed the perch and ate its meal.

Merlin eating its evening meal at Schenley Park, 30 Dec 2024 (photo by Kate St. John)

Then it turned to watch the waning light and left in a streak, flying low over the golf course to its roost.

Happy New Year, Merlin!