
25 May 2025
On 18 May Chris Lituma reported a Connecticut warbler (Oporornis agilis) at Bellevue Memorial Park. By the end of the week Steve Gosser and I were two of about 100 people who looked for the bird. Many of us went twice. I did.
So a Connecticut Warbler has been hanging at Bellevue Park for nearly a week now. Not only are these warblers not common but they are true skulkers that usually stay hidden. I went over a few nights ago and got to hear him sing but no luck with photos. This evening I went back over and I finally got him after waiting nearly 2 hours for him to pop up. Looking back at my archives, the last one I saw and got pics was back in Sept 2016, nearly 9 years ago! Yes this is a very special bird and so thrilled I got some photos.
— Steve Gosser on Facebook, 24 May 2025
A hundred Pittsburgh birders showed up for this warbler because he is rare and very hard to find. Crowd sizes varied. This is the midday crowd on Friday.

Why so many people and why did we come more than once?
Connecticut warblers are skulkers that slowly poke around out of sight in the underbrush and thickets. The male’s song is quite loud and he throws his head back when he sings so the sound bounces off the low canopy.
He’s impossible to find if he’s not singing so if you showed up at 1:00pm on Wednesday, as I did, and the bird is silent and you only have half an hour to wait for him to sing. … Well you’ll have to come back later.
When I returned on Thursday he was singing but it still took an hour to see him. First looks are usually poor but rewarding. Charity Kheshgi visited several times to get a good photograph. Notice how the views improved.
My best view was this one, captured by Ryder Shelley who was standing next to me on Thursday.
And this view is why everyone comes back, over and over again. It takes a lot of luck to see a Connecticut warbler this well. Phillip Rogers was very, very lucky.
As of 7:50am today (25 May) the warbler is still in Bellevue Memorial Park. Someone heard him this morning and is hoping to see him.
Sooner or later the bird will leave for his breeding grounds up north but we won’t know he’s gone until people try for at least a day with no luck.
UPDATE on Tuesday 27 May 2025: The Connecticut warbler is gone. No one has reported it since the afternoon / evening of Sunday 25 May.