Because of this month’s super-hot weather most trees will be in Full Leaf and the early flowers will have gone to seed but there’s still more to see. The second wave of migrating birds will be coming through and the wood thrushes (Hylocichla mustelina) will have come home.
We’ll peek through the leaves to look for birds. Will we see tuliptree flowers?
Will the mayapples be blooming? Or forming fruit?
Meet me at the Visitors Center at 8:30am. Dress for the weather and wear comfortable walking shoes. Don’t forget your binoculars!
I’ll be there rain or shine, but not in downpours or thunder. Check the Events page before you come in case of a cancellation.
Hope to see you there.
p.s. If the birding is good I’ll give an option to continue until 11a.
(photo by Donna Foyle on taken at Schenley Park on 24 April 2020!)
This morning it was brilliantly sunny and becoming warmer as 15 of us walked at Duck Hollow.
Because of recent rain, especially in West Virginia, the river was running high though not quite as high as I found it during yesterday’s gloomy, rainy, windy weather (below).
High water cut down on the number of waterfowl so we were happy to find a common merganser and pied-billed grebe. Best Mammal was a muskrat swimming up Nine Mile Run.
Duck Hollow, Allegheny, Pennsylvania, US Mar 26, 2023 8:30 AM – 10:00 AM Protocol: Traveling, 1.4 mile(s) Checklist Comments: Also 1 muskrat, 1 rabbit, 1 squirrel 23 species
Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) 2 Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) 6 Common Merganser (Mergus merganser) 1 Female Pied-billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps) 1 Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura) 2 Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis) 2 Herring Gull (Larus argentatus) 1 Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) 1 Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura) 5 Cooper’s Hawk (Accipiter cooperii) 1 Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) 4 One pair courting. One pair with occupied nest under the bridge. Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus) 1 Downy Woodpecker (Dryobates pubescens) 2 Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata) 4 Carolina Chickadee (Poecile carolinensis) 3 Carolina Wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus) 4 Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos) 1 American Robin (Turdus migratorius) 30 House Finch (Haemorhous mexicanus) 8 White-throated Sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis) 6 Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia) 6 Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) 2 Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) 10
My next outing will be in Schenley Park on Sunday 30 April at 8:30am. Stay tuned.
Tomorrow the Spring Equinox will occur at 5:24pm EDT. Some will mark the day by visiting a celestial calendar, a structure where sunrise lines up with particular stones. At Angor Wat, below, the sun rises behind the middle tower.
Tonight the Hike Inn is probably full to capacity with all 20 bunkrooms in use. Tomorrow everyone will be up and out before dawn to watch the sun rise.
Newcomers usually visit the Star Base beforehand so they know what to expect.
The next morning they watch from the cave.
The most famous aspect of the Hike Inn is not the Star Base but the fact that you have to hike 5 miles to get to it. No vehicle access. Check-in at the Amicalola Falls State Park Visitors Center, park your car at the trailhead and start your hike. The Appalachian Trail’s southern terminus at Springer Mountain is (relatively) nearby.
Upon arrival put your phone in airplane mode. The Hike Inn is intentionally unplugged, though they do have electricity (mostly solar). No TV, no radio, no phone … just enjoy the quiet time.
Because the equinox is late in the day on 20 March there may be two sunrises, March 20 & 21, that come close to perfect.
For more information about lodging, check out the Hike Inn website.
We’ll check the river for ducks and walk nearby trails to see a red-tailed hawks’ nest. Migrating ducks will have left by then but I hope for killdeer, kingfishers, and cardinals.
We’ll also see new flowers and leaves. Will we find a four-leaf clover?
Dress for the weather and wear comfortable walking shoes. Bring binoculars, field guides and a scope for river-watching if you have them.
Check the Events Page before you come in case of bad weather.
Hope to see you there!
(duck photo by Steve Gosser; remaining photos from Wikimedia Commons; click on the captions to see the originals)
Now that Groundhog Day has passed and we are well on our way to the Spring Equinox, our resident birds are ramping up the breeding season.
Male northern cardinals (Cardinalis cardinalis) perched peacefully together in mid-winter.
But now they chase each and pursue the females.
Males who’ve established a pair bond with a female, collect seeds and feed their mates.
You might even see a courtship display called the “lopsided pose,” shown in detail and big picture below.
The male or female cardinal tilts one side of its body up, raises its wing and exposes its belly. This “come hither” signal happens quickly. You’ll be lucky to see it.
Have you ever wondered how many wild birds live on Earth? Scientists came up with a very good estimate in 2021 by using data algorithms on the sightings logged in Cornell Lab’s eBird database. The answer two years ago was 50 billion — six birds for every human — but the numbers change so they plan to rerun the analysis every couple of years. And that’s where we come in. They need our help by counting birds.
Every sighting logged in eBird contributes to the global knowledge of birds. Like an individual raindrop each sighting is added to the river of data that tells the story. Three times a year we create a momentary global deluge during the Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) in February, Migratory Bird Count Day in May and the Christmas Bird Counts at year end.
So here comes our opportunity. Join people around the world for the Great Backyard Bird Count, Friday to Monday, 17-20 February 2023.
The Great Backyard Bird Count is more than just backyard birding. You can count birds anywhere — from your window, while on a trail, on the beach, or parked to count from your car.
“Participating is easy, fun to do alone or with others, and can be done anywhere you find birds.
Step 1: Decide where you will watch birds.
Step 2: Watch birds for 15 minutes or more, at least once over the four days, 17-20 February 2023.
Step 3: Identify all the birds you see or hear within your planned time/location and use the best tool for sharing your bird sightings:
If you are a beginning bird admirer and new to bird identification, try using the Merlin Bird ID app to tell us what birds you are seeing or hearing.
If you have participated in the count before and want to record numbers of birds, use the eBird Mobile app or enter your bird list on the eBird website (desktop/laptop).
If you already contribute to eBird or Merlin, continue what you are doing! All entries over the 4-days count towards the GBBC.”
Happy New Year! Claire Staples and I counted 20,000 crows for the Pittsburgh Christmas Bird Count yesterday.
Three days ago it looked like we were headed for a washout. Rain was in the forecast and on 29 December I found only 15 crows while driving 16 miles to scout recent locations — from Parkway Center Mall to Woodville Ave, Uptown, the Hill District, Polish Hill, the Strip District and the River Trail at Heinz Lofts. Fifteen!?!
Fortunately, thanks to hot tips from readers, we counted 20,000 crows last evening from our vantage point near Rooney Stadium at Duquesne University. Big Thank Yous go to:
Elizabeth Norman, who emailed at dusk on 30 December that crows were flying west to east over Allentown/Mt. Oliver. I saw them simultaneously from my building rooftop.
Lori Maggio, who emailed on 30 December that thousands of crows were swirling above the Blvd of the Allies at Mercy Hospital and Duquesne University in near darkness. (my Aha! moment)
Norman Wise, who confirmed on 31 Dec that there’s a large roost in the wooded area farthest northeast between Mount Washington and the South Side Slopes.
I triangulated those reports and looked for a high vantage point that could see all of them. Claire and I counted crows from the Bluff at Duquesne University and had the best crow count ever. Close in the air and countable.
Thank you, dear readers, for all your help. Your enthusiasm for my blog inspires me to keep writing every day.
Happy New Year to all!
p.s. The caption on the first photo is a quote from my favorite poem about crows. Highly recommended! See the poem here. By Doug Anderson.
(photos by Jeff Cieslak on 27 December 2022 at Riveriew Park)