25 March 2024
Yesterday at Duck Hollow it was brilliantly sunny and *cold.* Though the temperature was 27°F the light wind made it feel like 17°F. Brrrr!
Charity Kheshgi and I scouted on Thursday and found a pied-billed grebe near shore who was still present in the same zone on Sunday. Alas, the seven horned grebes we saw on Thursday were long gone.
Despite the cold and (shall I say “stabbing”?) sunlight we had a good time and saw 32 species. Our checklist is here https://ebird.org/checklist/S165818025 and printed below.
My next outing will be sooner than usual, just three weeks from now in Schenley Park on Sunday 14 April at 8:30am. Stay tuned.
Duck Hollow, Allegheny, Pennsylvania, US
Mar 24, 2024 8:30 AM – 10:00 AM
Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) 11
Wood Duck (Aix sponsa) 1 bird. Only one person saw it.
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) 4
Hooded Merganser (Lophodytes cucullatus) 2 A very distant pair. The male’s crest was raised and he was flinging back his head in courtship display
Common Merganser (Mergus merganser) 1
Pied-billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps) 1
Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura) 4
Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus) 1
Herring Gull (Larus argentatus) 2
Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) 1
Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura) 8
Cooper’s Hawk (Accipiter cooperii) 1
Belted Kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon) 1
Downy Woodpecker (Dryobates pubescens) 2
Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus) 2
Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe) 1
Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata) 2
Carolina Chickadee (Poecile carolinensis) 3
Tufted Titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor) 2
Golden-crowned Kinglet (Regulus satrapa) 2
Carolina Wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus) 5
Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos) 2
American Robin (Turdus migratorius) 7
House Finch (Haemorhous mexicanus) 4
American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis) 7
Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis) 1
White-throated Sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis) 1
Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia) 7
Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) 17
Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater) 3
Common Grackle (Quiscalus quiscula) 1
Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) 16
(photos by Charity Kheshgi and Kate St. John)
Thanks, Kate for the update on your Spring outing despite the wintry temps. You had a lengthy list of sightings. Guess the birds don’t mind the cold. Just curious as to where the bald eagles in Hays went? I know the single egg cracked so what happened to them? Is there no other window of opportunity for them to mate again? Sorry if I missed your report on this. Thanks.
Michael, Yes the Hays eagle egg cracked and the nest has failed. I know it is too late in the season for her to lay another clutch. Other than that I don’t know much but I will find out more in the weeks ahead & will report back.