Peregrine pair at Ben Avon, perched in hillside trees, 22 April 2024 (photo by Jeff Cieslak) 24 April 2024 While we watch the Pitt peregrine family on the National Aviary falconcam at the Cathedral of Learning, there are other nests to watch in person. Spruce Run Bridge, Ohio River: After Jeff Cieslak discovered an immature male peregrine in Ben Avon on 5 April he’s returned often to the Spruce Run Bridge to check on the bird’s status. On 22 April Jeff was surprised to find the male had attracted a mate! The pair courted at the bridge, flew around, and posed in hillside trees (photo at top). H ..read more

First sight of the hatched peregrine chick and half eggshell, 22 Apr 2024, 11:02am (snapshot from the National Aviary falconcam at Univ of Pittsburgh) 22 April 2024 This morning at 11:02am the first of Carla and Ecco’s four eggs hatched at the Cathedral of Learning peregrine nest. Our glimpse was fleeting because Carla kept her back to the camera (above). Later in the hour she turned and we got a better view. This slideshow from the streaming falconcam contains the best snapshots from the 11:00am hour with one chick, one pipped egg, and an empty eggshell. Carla ate the eggshell to regain the c ..read more

Carla hunches over the eggs and seems to speak to them, 21 April 2024, 9:21am () 21 April 2024 This morning Carla periodically hunches over the eggs, rocks her body and appears to vocalize to the eggs. This is typical mother peregrine behavior when she hears a chick hammering on its shell. While hatching is underway the parent birds can hear the chick peeping inside the egg and can hear it the hammering on the shell. Hatching itself takes many hours but the first step we’ll see is a pip, an air hole that the chick punches to begin the process. Richmond Falconcam FAQ explains how long it takes ..read more

Louisiana waterthrush (photo by Steve Gosser in 2018) 21 April 2024 Black Swamp Bird Observatory (BSBO) at Magee Marsh Wildlife Area in Ohio has been banding birds for more than three decades. When they analyzed their warbler data since 1992, the arrivals and departures fell into three distinct waves with the same species in those waves year after year. This led to their Spring Migration Wave Theory, illustrated on BSBO’s website. I have embedded their graphic and made it tiny on purpose so that you will click on the image to see all the details in the original. Spring Migration Wave Theory (g ..read more

Wild blue phlox, Cedar Creek Park, 15 April 2024 (photo by Kate St. John) 20 April 2024 Do you ever feel frantic in the Spring? This week in Pittsburgh the highs were always above 60°F and three days were in the low 80s. Migratory birds came in a rush midweek while early-blooming flowers went to seed. Spring came so quickly that I couldn’t keep up. It’s enough to make you frantic. On Monday we went to Cedar Creek Park in Westmoreland County where we found many of the flowers I’d seen at Barking Slopes. Wild blue phlox (Phlox divaricata) was in full bloom. Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis), th ..read more

screenshot of banner: Gwyllt Hollow – Sitting Room Nuthatches 19 Friday 2024 Last Friday we watched a Eurasian nuthatch (Sitta europaea) vigorously remove a decoration from his beautifully furnished nestbox in South Wales. Apparently the Tenant Didn’t Like the Decorations (blue box). Nuthatch removes a decoration from the nestbox (screenshot from @katemacrae WildlifeKate on X) Since then the pair has been remodeling the apartment to their liking. They’ve added plenty of leaves and are now applying plaster (mud!) to the interior. Are they covering the decorations they don’t like? Or just fillin ..read more

Northern flicker, male (photo from Wikimedia Commons) 18 April 2024 In case you haven’t noticed, northern flickers (Colaptes auratus) are loud right now. The Northern Flicker is very vocal in spring during which its long call (kick, kick, kick, kick, kick…) and drumming may be heard from more than a kilometer away [0.62 mile]. Homeowners sometimes express annoyance at individuals who take to hammering on metal chimneys and gates early in the morning, but fortunately this territorial advertisement only lasts for a few weeks in spring.  — Birds of the World, Northern Flicker vocalizations ..read more

Blue-gray gnatcatcher (photo by Steve Gosser) 17 April 2024 The winds over Pittsburgh were favorable last night and the birds were anxious to head north. There was high migration over southwestern PA and BirdCast tells the tale on their new Migration Dashboard. Since 2017 we’ve been checking BirdCast for live migration maps and forecasts. This year they’ve supplemented the maps with a Migration Dashboard that provides a wealth of county-by-county information including expected species each night. Let’s take a look at this morning’s dashboard for Allegheny County, PA. BirdCast Migration Dashboa ..read more

Coltsfoot gone to seed, Frick Park, 9 April 2024 (photo by Kate St. John) 16 April 2024 Last week was so full of news, from peregrines to floods, that I had to skip my usual “Seen This Week” report. Meanwhile Spring isn’t holding still. Wildflowers are blooming and the early ones have already gone to seed. Here’s a selection of my best photos from last week, April 8-11. Above and below, three photos from Frick Park. All of these are alien and some are invasive but they are pretty. Coltsfoot (Tussilago farfara), at top, is found in disturbed soil. Speedwell’s (Veronica persica) tiny flowers bl ..read more

Yellow-bellied sapsucker, Schenley Park, 14 April 2024 (photo by Charity Kheshgi) 15 April 2024 Twelve of us gathered in yesterday’s perfect weather for an outing in Schenley Park. Schenley Park outing, 14 April 2024 (photo by Kate St. John) When I announced the outing, I said we had a good chance of seeing yellow-bellied sapsuckers and indeed we did — at least four plus an interesting interaction between a male and female. Was this pair migrating together? Birds of the World says Not likely. Male yellow-bellied sapsuckers migrate first, the females follow later. When the males reach the breed ..read more