Category Archives: Books & Events

Starting Tomorrow: The Biggest Week for Birds

Books & Events, Migration
American restart singing (photo from Wikimedia Commons)

2 May 2024

Last weekend the headline in the Toledo Blade read:   Biggest Week  80,000 Birders Return on Friday. The Biggest Week in American Birding begins tomorrow at Maumee Bay Lodge in northwestern Ohio, drawing birders from around the world to see millions of migrating birds, especially warblers.

Normally I would be one of those 80,000 people but this year I didn’t have time for a trip next week so I’m here at Magee Marsh right now, 30 April to 3 May. As your advance scout I can tell you that the situation is different in the week before the Biggest one.

  • There were surprisingly few people here. Few on the boardwalk, even fewer at Maumee Bay Lodge.
  • Vendors for the festival started arriving yesterday.
  • Other than yellow-rumped and palm, there aren’t many warblers. Though the weather has been quite warm, overnight winds have been from the north, blowing off the lake. I’ve seen a small variety of warblers but only single birds and it takes effort to find them.
  • I miss the benefits of birding in a crowd. To find really good birds, I look for a crowd with their binoculars up and they help find the bird.
  • With so few birds (relative to the Biggest Week), a ruby-crowned kinglet drew a lot of attention.
  • This year: Only a short loop of the Maumee Bay Lodge Nature Center boardwalk is open. The majority is closed due to storm damage in June 2023 (shown here).

So the best time to see warblers in northwestern Ohio really is during the Biggest Week.

Biggest Week in American Birding logo, 2024

Meanwhile, in Pittsburgh migration is ahead of schedule and has been quite good. I haven’t seen any of the birds shown in the logo above in Ohio this week, but I’ve already seen the orange ones in southwestern PA — an American redstart and a Blackburnian warbler.

If I want to see the other two species — the Kirtland’s and mourning warblers — the best place will be northwestern Ohio during the Biggest Week.

(credits are in the captions)

Birding with Heather and Boaz, Talk Pittsbugh

Books & Events
Screenshot from CBS’s Talk Pittsburgh video published 29 April 2024

30 April 2024

On TV!

In mid-April I had the opportunity to guide KDKA’s Talk Pittsburgh hosts Heather Abraham and Boaz Frankel on a birding trip to Frick Park. We had a great time watching birds and talking about their behavior.

Our adventure aired yesterday afternoon. See it here on the Talk Pittsburgh website or embedded below.

video embedded from CBS Pittsburgh on YouTube

It’s time for Spray Your Clothes Day

Books & Events, Insects
It’s Spray Your Clothes Day (photo by Kate St. John)

11 April 2024

There’s a danger outdoors in Pennsylvania’s suburbs, parks and woods. The first step to protect yourself is to spray your clothes in early spring.

The Danger:

When a black-legged tick (Ixodes scapularis) sucks your blood it can transmit a parasite that causes Lyme disease, an illness that can ruin your life for a very long time. Black-legged ticks are especially dangerous in May and June when the tiny nymphs, only as big as a poppy seed, are questing for a blood meal.

Nymph highlighted on Chart of black-legged tick life stages (image from cdc.gov via Wikimedia Commons)

If you don’t think you’ll see a tick in Pittsburgh’s suburbs, city parks and your own garden, think again. Deer don’t carry Lyme disease but they do carry ticks — a lot of ticks — and deer are everywhere.

Deer on Forbes Ave, Squirrel Hill, 7 Nov 2023 (photo courtesy Mardi Isler)

Are there deer in your backyard? There are also ticks.

The Prevention:

By spraying your clothes with permethrin you repel ticks and lower your likelihood of a tick bite. Spray your clothes outdoors in early April on a dry windless day so the spray doesn’t touch your skin. (Read the directions on the bottle.)

Here’s all you need to know about Spray Your Clothes Day activities and how to prevent Lyme disease.

Spray Your Clothes, Field Check For Ticks

Schenley Park Outing on April 14, 8:30am

Books & Events, Schenley Park
Yellow-bellied sapsucker, Frick Park, 6 April 2024 (photo by Charity Kheshgi)

8 April 2024

Surprise! Instead of an outing on the last Sunday of the month, let’s go birding next weekend. Join me at the Schenley Park Visitors Center for a bird & nature walk on Sunday 14 April, 8:30a – 10:30a.

Yellow-bellied sapsuckers migrate through Allegheny County in April so mid-month is the best time to find one in Schenley. Charity Kheshgi and I saw this one at Frick.

We’ll also see trees in bud, in bloom, and with tiny leaves. Ten years ago the redbuds had not opened yet. Will they be blooming next Sunday?

Redbuds in bud, Schenley Park, 18 April 2014 (photo by Kate St. John)

April showers won’t stop us. This event will be held rain or shine, but not in downpours or thunder. Check the Events page before you come in case of cancellation.

Dress for the weather and wear comfortable walking shoes. Don’t forget your binoculars.

Hope to see you there.

p.s. If the birding is good I’ll give an option to continue until 11:00am.

p.p.s. Don’t expect a big show of spring wildflowers like we used to see several years ago. Pittsburgh’s overabundant deer have eaten everything except the toxic flowers.

(credits are in the captions)

Duck Hollow Outing, 24 March 8:30a

Books & Events
Belted kingfisher, Feb 2022 (photo by Mick Thompson via Flickr Creative Commons license)

18 March 2024

Birdblog outings resume this month with my first outing next Sunday at Duck Hollow.

Sunday 24 March 2024 — 8:30am – 10:30am

Duck Hollow and Lower Frick Park

Meet at Duck Hollow parking lot at the end of Old Browns Hill Road. We’ll check the river for migrating waterfowl and walk the beginning of lower Nine Mile Run Trail watching for birds and the many signs of Spring.

Duck Hollow can be excellent or just ho-hum. In early November we saw purple finches and a red-shouldered hawk. Yesterday in a five minute stop at 8am I found a large flock of gadwall and six lesser scaup.

What will it be next Sunday? I’m counting on a kingfisher.

Dress for the weather and wear comfortable walking shoes. Bring binoculars, birding scopes and field guides if you have them.

Hope to see you there!

Sunday’s weather looks good so far but always check the Events Page before you come in case of cancellation.

(photo by Mick Thompson via Flickr Creative Commons license)

Seed Swap! March 2

Books & Events, Plants & Fungi
Common milkweed seeds tumbling out of the pod, Oct 2020 (photo by Kate St. John)

22 February 2024

March is right around the corner and gardening season is almost here. Are you itching to get started? Do you want to try new seeds in your garden? Do you have seeds to share with others? Then you won’t want to miss the 12th Annual Seed Swap at Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh on Saturday 2 March, 10am – 2pm.

What: 12th Annual Seed Swap: A Celebration of Seeds
Where: Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, Main, at 4400 Forbes Ave in Oakland.
When: Saturday, March 2 | 10:00 am – 2:00 pm
Event Partners: Phipps Conservatory, Grow Pittsburgh and Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh

Virgin’s bower a.k.a. Old man’s beard. Gone to seed (photo by Kate St. John)

Now in its 12th year, the Seed Swap is an annual collaboration between Phipps Conservatory, Grow Pittsburgh and Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh. Phipps Conservatory’s website describes the event:

Bring your untreated, non-GMO seeds to share or just pick up seeds donated by local gardeners, farmers and seed companies! Any guest bringing seeds will be eligible to enter a raffle of fun gifts from Phipps and Grow Pittsburgh.

Event Features:

  • Free seeds
    • A new batch of seeds will be released every hour, on the hour!
  • “Ask a master gardener” table
  • Workshops on seed starting, seed saving, and organic gardening 
  • Creative activities for children and teens
  • Historic items on display and conversation with Rare Books Specialist
  • Raffle eligibility for attendees who bring seeds to swap

Show up any time but keep in mind that new seeds will be released every hour on the hour!

The Seed Swap is free. Registration is encouraged but not required. Click here to Register.

photo embedded from Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh’s Seed Swap registration page

p.s. Here’s another helpful tip from Phipps’ website: “Interested in purchasing seed? We’ve compiled a list of seed vendors for your reference. Check out Phipps’ Smart Seed Shopping web resource for more information!“

(photos of seeds by Kate St. John, 2018 photo of Seed Swap by Nick Shapiro courtesy Grow Pittsburgh)

Count Birds Next Weekend, 16-19 Feb

Books & Events
White-breasted nuthatch at the feeder (photo by Cris Hamilton)

12 February 2024

Winter is back again so we need a good excuse to get outdoors. That excuse has arrived just in time. Join the annual Great Backyard Bird Count this coming weekend, Friday to Monday, 16-19 February.

Count birds at your feeders. Count birds at a park or hotspot. Count alone or with friends. You don’t even have to sign up.

Enter your sightings in eBird or use Merlin Bird ID. All the birds you record next weekend will automatically be included in the Great Backyard Bird Count.

Warm up with an online Merlin Bird ID Trivia Event this coming Thursday, 15 February 8-9pm Eastern time. Learn more and register at the Great Backyard Bird Count page.

Merlin Bird ID Trivia advert from the Great Backyard Bird Count 2024

Don’t despair that it’s still winter. Your bird feeders will be busy this weekend. It’s time to count birds!

(credits are in the captions)

We’ll Have an Early Spring

Books & Events, Mammals
Groundhog (photo from Wikimedia Commons)

3 February 2024

Yesterday I was in an airplane flying home from Southern Africa when a North American marmot (Marmota monax) predicted how long winter will last. The groundhog said we’ll have an early spring.

Punxsutawney Phil predicted an early spring Friday in Gobbler’s Knob, Pennsylvania, the scene of the country’s largest and best known Groundhog Day celebration in the United States.

The annual event is a tongue-in-cheek ritual in which Phil’s handlers, members of a club with roots in the late 19th century, reveal whether the groundhog has seen his shadow.

Just after sunrise Friday, the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club announced Phil did not see his shadow, which will usher in early springlike weather. The groundhog seeing his shadow presages six more weeks of winter, according to the group.

— WESA FM: Punxsutawney Phil predicts an early spring at Groundhog Day festivities

Sunshine is so rare during western Pennsylvania winters that we celebrate whenever we see shadows. However there is one day per year — 2 February — when we’re happy to have clouds.

Yesterday at sunrise in Punxsutawney the clouds were thickly overcast at 900 feet so there was no way Phil could see his shadow. An early spring! The crowd went wild.

Now that we’re over that hurdle, I’m looking forward to sunshine for the next five days.

Read more about Groundhog Day at WESA: Punxsutawney Phil predicts an early spring at Groundhog Day festivities.

(photo from Wikimedia Commons)

Celebrating My Favorite Bird on National Bird Day

Books & Events, Peregrines
Dorothy at the Cathedral of Learning on Banding Day, 17 May 2013 (photo by Peter Bell)

5 January 2024

My Audubon calendar had a surprise for me this morning. Today is National Bird Day, a little-known celebration established in 2002 by BornFreeUSA in coordination with the Avian Welfare Coalition. Since both organizations focus primarily on the well being of captive animals and birds, the celebration has not gained much notice in the birding community. However it’s a great excuse to celebrate my own favorite bird.

The peregrine falcon pictured above is the only wild bird I’ve ever been able to recognize and learn as an individual. Dorothy arrived at the University of Pittsburgh’s Cathedral of Learning in 2001 at age 2 and had her first successful nest in 2002, the year that National Bird Day was established.

As I got to know Dorothy I learned about her species and became addicted to peregrines. She also taught me a lot about herself and in retrospect the unique characteristics of her generation, the peregrines that repopulated eastern North America.

Dorothy died eight years ago and still is in my heart, especially as nesting season approaches. Here’s a look back at what a great bird she was. Never captive. Always wild.

A Tribute To Dorothy