29 September 2025
Yesterday morning it was very foggy when three of us began birding at the Bartlett end of Schenley Park. I thought the birds would be sleeping but newly arrived warblers and a hummingbird chased flying insects and each other. They also gleaned tiny bugs from wet leaves.
The birds were so awesome that we stood still for half an hour while they flew around us. Jeff Cieslak took many photos that were essential for identifying the birds we could barely see. Here are just a few of those he posted at his Facebook group: Our Daily Bird.
Despite the challenges we identified 10 warbler species and a mystery “new world warbler sp.” The birds were in fog and low light levels …
with muted colors that matched the scenery …
… and hiding in the leaves.
There was harsh light and shadow when the sun broke through.
And some of the warblers were incredibly active. This one was Best Bird because he zigzagged past us repeatedly while chasing a bid and then landed on a twig in a dark thicket. The photo shows he’s a blackpoll warbler.
At 10:30am the fog lifted and we saw one more flurry of warblers. Then the day heated up, Jeff took this photo and the birds retreated to the interior forest.
Here’s our checklist.
Schenley Park — Bartlett (40.434, -79.936), Allegheny, Pennsylvania, US
Sep 28, 2025 8:30 AM – 10:50 AM
Protocol: Traveling, 1.0 mile(s), 28 species (+2 other taxa)
Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura) 3
Chimney Swift (Chaetura pelagica) 2
Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris) 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus) 3
Downy Woodpecker (Dryobates pubescens) 3
Hairy Woodpecker (Dryobates villosus) 1
Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus) 3
Eastern Wood-Pewee (Contopus virens) 1
Least Flycatcher (Empidonax minimus) 1
Empidonax sp. (Empidonax sp.) 2
Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe) 1
Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata) 3
American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos) 3
Carolina Chickadee (Poecile carolinensis) 4
White-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis) 5
Carolina Wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus) 1
American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis) 2
Ovenbird (Seiurus aurocapilla) 1
Tennessee Warbler (Leiothlypis peregrina) 3
Nashville Warbler (Leiothlypis ruficapilla) 2
American Redstart (Setophaga ruticilla) 3
Northern Parula (Setophaga americana) 3
Magnolia Warbler (Setophaga magnolia) 6
Chestnut-sided Warbler (Setophaga pensylvanica) 1
Blackpoll Warbler (Setophaga striata) 2
Palm Warbler (Setophaga palmarum) 2
Black-throated Green Warbler (Setophaga virens) 5
new world warbler sp. (Parulidae sp.) 2 <— Mystery warblers
Scarlet Tanager (Piranga olivacea) 2
Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) 4
View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S276110409