26 June 2022

Thirteen of us gathered in humid cloudy conditions to walk the Frick Park boardwalk at Commercial Street. While we were in the trail parking lot we saw and heard an indigo bunting and a scarlet tanager. The day was getting off to a good start.

The mystery flower that I posted on Thursday/Friday turned to be a false sunflower. I had to pluck and examine a petal to be sure.

I hoped for orchard orioles and they didn’t disappoint. We saw six of them, certainly two families and one feeding young.

Our fleeting glimpses of two yellow-billed cuckoos were close to “Best Bird” but Charity Kheshgi did not see them well so she and Connie went back to the area for a better look. They found a black-billed cuckoo that hung around for an hour!

We had a great time on a cloudy and not-too-hot day.

See our checklist at https://ebird.org/checklist/S113823266 and listed below:

• Yellow-billed Cuckoo (Coccyzus americanus)  2    Fleeting glimpses on branch & each in flight, one after the other. Clear look at cinnamon highlights on one of them. 
• Chimney Swift (Chaetura pelagica)  4
• Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris)  2
• Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura)  2
• Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis)  4    2 loudly begging juvies
• Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus)  6
• Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus)  2
• Eastern Wood-Pewee (Contopus virens)  1
• Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe)  2
• Red-eyed Vireo (Vireo olivaceus)  5
• Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata)  4
• Carolina Chickadee (Poecile carolinensis)  9
• Tufted Titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor)  4
• Northern Rough-winged Swallow (Stelgidopteryx serripennis)  6
• White-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis)  1
• Carolina Wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus)  1
• European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris)  2
• Wood Thrush (Hylocichla mustelina)  3
• American Robin (Turdus migratorius)  3
• Cedar Waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum)  6
• American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis)  4
• Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia)  5
• Orchard Oriole (Icterus spurius)  6
• Baltimore Oriole (Icterus galbula)  1    Very wet and ragged looking
• Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus)  5
• Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater)  3
• Common Grackle (Quiscalus quiscula)  6
• Yellow Warbler (Setophaga petechia)  1
• Scarlet Tanager (Piranga olivacea)  1
• Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis)  10    Many pairs. ?Working on 2nd broods?
• Indigo Bunting (Passerina cyanea)  1

(photos by Charity Kheshgi)

21 June 2022

By the time you read this, the summer solstice in the northern hemisphere will have passed today at 5:13am(ET). We call it the beginning of summer but in northern Europe it’s “Midsummer,” celebrated in Midsummer Festivals this coming weekend.

This Friday in Latvia they might wear traditional garb with a wool shawl but they aren’t rigorous about staying in character. (If your mobile rings, answer it.) In Finland they wear jackets around the bonfire.

Originally the bonfires were meant to scare away evil spirits but now they’re as integral to the celebration as fireworks on the 4th of July.

“Midsummer” is a celebration of light and warmth.

Happy Solstice!

(photos from Wikimedia Commons; click on the captions to see the originals)

20 June 2022

Hot weather returns tomorrow so next Sunday’s outing is aimed for the shade along Nine Mile Run. We’ll finish on time or earlier, before it gets too hot.

Join me for a bird & nature walk in Frick Park starting at Commercial Street on Sunday, June 26, 8:30a – 10:30a.

Meet at the Nine Mile Run Trail Parking lot (40.42427, -79.90482) to walk Frick Park’s boardwalk and Nine Mile Run Trail.

We’ll identify this “something like a sunflower” (photo at top) and we’ll see baby birds. I’m hoping for an orchard oriole (Icterus spurius).

Dress for hot weather with a sun hat and comfortable walking shoes. Bring water(*) and binoculars.

Before you come, visit my Events page in case of changes or cancellations. The outing will be canceled if there’s lightning or heavy rain.

Hope to see you there.

(*) Tip on bringing water: When I know it’ll be hot I freeze a not-quite-full water bottle overnight. The ice melts as I’m walking and the water is always cold. The only downside is that condensation makes the bottle wet my backpack.

(photo by Kate St. John)

Tomorrow, 14 May 2022, we’ll celebrate World Migratory Bird Day by counting birds on one of the biggest migration days of the year.

Like the Christmas Bird Count, Global Big Day is an opportunity to go birding and share the birds you find with eBird. Unlike the Christmas Count it happens on a single day each year, and it can be hectic because birds are on the move and there are so many of them!

Participating is easy—you can even be part of Global Big Day from home. If you can spare 5 or 10 minutes, report your bird observations to eBird online or with our free eBird Mobile app. If you have more time, submit several checklists of birds throughout the day. Your observations help us better understand global bird populations through products like these animated abundance maps brought to you by eBird Science.

— Cornell Lab of Ornithology: Global Big Day 2022

To join the fun, watch birds anywhere on 14 May and record your sightings in eBird.

Or join me and Charity Kheshgi at 7:00am at Frick Park as we co-lead a walk on behalf of Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy. Sign up here.

Don’t miss Global Big Day tomorrow. It’s time to get outdoors.

(screenshot from eBird.org, indigo bunting photo by Charity Kheshgi)