The Peregrine - Three Rivers Birding Club

The Peregrine
Three Rivers Birding Club Newsletter
http://www.3rbc.org
Vol. 5, No. 1, October 2005
Look Down from a Tropical
Canopy Tower on Nov. 2
Join Tom Pawlesh and Scott Shalaway for a dazzling look at
Panama’s birds from high on a “Canopy Tower” at our meeting on
Wednesday, November 2, at the Phipps Garden Center in Shadyside. Doors will open at 6:30 PM for socializing, and the meeting
will begin at 7:30.
The tower is a unique eco-lodge near Panama City, where
visitors can have leisurely looks at an almost endless array of
tropical birds. Tom and Scott visited it March 14-18, 2005, and
returned with rave reviews of the birding and the beauty of the
lodge’s surroundings. To whet your appetite for this unusual show,
check our club’s website for Tom’s diary-styled article, “Panama
Journal,” and some of his extraordinary photographs.
Tom, a US Airways pilot, has thrilled us previously with
slides of hummingbirds, wintering monarchs, and other marvels
of nature. His photographs have appeared in magazines including
WildBird, National Wildlife, Birds and Blooms, Birder’s World, and
Popular Photography, as well as on calendars for National Audubon Society, The Nature Conservancy, and Hallmark Cards.
Scott is a freelance writer, naturalist, consultant, and speaker.
His weekly newspaper column, familiar to 3RBC members in the
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, appears in more than 20 papers. His
articles have appeared in magazines including Birder’s World,
WildBird, Living Bird, Wonderful West Virginia, and Pennsylvania
Wildlife. On Saturday afternoons from 3 to 4, Scott’s “Birds &
Nature” radio show on 1360 WPTT has attracted a wide audience
interested in birds and virtually every aspect of natural history.
Karena Gregg, a 10th-grader from Beaver County and a remarkable artist, will display her latest illustrations of raptors at the
meeting. See an example on page 4.
The Garden Center is at 1059 Shady Avenue behind the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts, Fifth and Shady Avenues. Parking is 25
cents an hour in a metered lot, and more is available on Shady and
Beechwood Boulevard.
***
LOOKING AHEAD: Our first meeting of 2006 will be held
on Wednesday, January 4. The program will be announced in the
December issue.
SPECTACULAR NEST-BUILDER – This Chestnut-headed
Oropendola is a conspicuous resident of Panama, where
Tom Pawlesh photographed this fine example. Tom and
Scott Shalaway will tell of it and many other colorful birds
of the tropics at our November 2 meeting. Oropendolas are
related to orioles, but they nest in large colonies. They are
famous for their enormous hanging nests up to six feet long,
woven of plant fibers. Males average 14 inches long from
tip of bill to tip of tail, and females are slightly smaller.
Two New Books Feature the Birds of Pennsylvania
Until this year the most recent book covering all of our state’s
bird species was published in 2000: The Birds of Pennsylvania
by Gerald M. McWilliams and Daniel W. Brauning. It is the most
thorough – in fact, indispensable – reference for anyone with
a serious interest in the history, abundance, and distribution of
Pennsylvania’s avifauna.
Now 2005 has brought us two important references of a different kind:
* Birds of Pennsylvania by Franklin Haas and Roger Burrows is a combination identification guide, bird-finding guide, and
general historical reference. Geoff Malosh reviews it on page 10
of this issue.
* Annotated List of the Birds of Pennsylvania (2nd edition) by
Franklin and Barbara Haas is a detailed account using bar graphs
to depict each species’ geographic occurrence and seasonal abundance. Mike Fialkovich reviews it on page 11.
The Peregrine
President’s Message:
The Peregrine
How About an Automated
Phone Tree for Chasers?
Three Rivers Birding Club Newsletter
Published bimonthly:
October, December, February, April, June, August
Send articles and/or illustrations to:
Paul Hess, Editor, phess@salsgiver.com
1412 Hawthorne St., Natrona Heights, PA 15065
By Jack Solomon
Software is a wonderful tool for birders. I’ve spoken before
in this column about how great our website is, and just about all of
us love the PaBirds listserv and other rare bird alerts on the web.
Still, I would like to see many things done on our site in the future.
In this issue, I’ll talk about one special-interest group that might be
assisted and enlarged by some software.
Many of us depend on a telephone call to learn of a rare
“chaseable” bird within range. Those who bird intensively enough
to chase birds are essentially a special-interest group within our
club, offering the rest of us tales of amazing sightings and even
getting a few of us non-chasers to see a rare bird now and then.
What, exactly, is a rare “chaseable” bird? How many
miles constitute “within range”? There is only one answer: It
depends. The bird worth chasing depends on what you would like
to see and how badly you want it. The distance that is reasonable
depends upon the same factors. That’s why Dave Wilton and some
other birders across the state have a telephone tree. When they
learn of a bird they think is worth dropping everything to see, they
call someone on the tree. Each recipient of a call is responsible for
reaching two or more others.
A year or two ago, a friend of a birder on the tree took it upon
herself to call me with the news of a Snowy Plover at Imperial.
That bird is hardly ever found in Pennsylvania. I’m not much of
a chaser, and I’m not on the tree. Still, I had never seen one, and I
got excited, drove right out and got it. That was a thrill. I spent a
few hours with that bird, in the company of Dave, Pat and Sherron
Lynch (Sherron was the person who generously called me), and
other friends. This spring I was lucky enough to have someone,
Dave, I think, call me with the good news of a Prothonotary Warbler upstream of the Bloomfield Bridge, minutes from where I live.
I go to Pymatuning or Presque Isle to see this bird and often miss
it. It’s almost unheard of in Allegheny County. I went. I saw. I
was delighted. Again, it was like a mini 3RBC meeting, this time
on the bank of the Allegheny River. Gee, it’s fun to see a good
bird with good friends.
Even after those great experiences, I wouldn’t want the obligation to call others. (Yes, I’m lazy.) I want a Pine Grosbeak more
than any other bird I know of, but I probably wouldn’t drive much
more than 120 miles to see it – and the distance would be less in
bad weather. Again, I don’t want to be on the telephone tree, even
if it costs me my most wanted bird.
Now that so many of us use computers, maybe there’s a way
that the tree can be automated and operated by our club. Better
yet, I hope it can operate in a way that gives us notice of good
birds without our having to call anyone. Suppose we (and other
bird clubs if they want to participate) buy software to set up an
automated telephone tree on the 3RBC website. The site would
automatically make phone calls to those who wanted them. Using
a password, members would register their telephone numbers, time
frames for being called at each number, birds desired, etc. When
we find or learn of a rarity, we would just enter information on the
site, and an automated system would make the calls.
Send ideas or items for the web site to:
Julia Pahountis-Opacic, Webmaster
webmaster@3rbc.org
Send questions and suggestions to:
Jack Solomon, President,
snaggle719@yahoo.com
2230 Shady Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15217
Suggest or volunteer to lead outings to:
Jim Valimont, Vice President and Outings Chair
valimont@verizon.net
102 Deborah Lynn Court, Cheswick, PA 15024
Report bird sightings to:
Mike Fialkovich, Bird Reports Editor
mpfial@earthlink.net
805 Beulah Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15235
Send other correspondence to:
Sherron and Pat Lynch, Co-Secretaries
pmfohl@zbzoom.net
195 Hill Haven Lane, Wexford, PA 15090-8834
Membership: $5 Student-Youth, $12 Individual,
$15 Family, $50 Contributing, $100 Sustaining
Send check to Three Rivers Birding Club
c/o Bob Machesney, Treasurer
105 Lindley Lane, Pittsburgh, PA 15237
Copyright © Three Rivers Birding Club. All rights reserved.
(Photographers and illustrators retain their copyrights.)
Letter from the Editor
By Paul Hess
Volume 1, No. 1, of The Peregrine in October 2001 was a
whopping four pages long. For all we knew, it would be that size
for years to come. We were happily wrong. As the club grew, the
second issue was eight pages. Soon the standard became 12.
This month is our club’s fourth anniversary, and our newsletter begins its fifth year. The issue in your hands (and soon on our
website) is 16 pages for the second time in 2005. Though this size
cannot be sustained for every issue, it is a sign of increasing interest in contributing articles and illustrations.
Increasing indeed. In this issue are names of 17 authors, 9
photographers, and an artist. Some, such as Sam Sinderson and
Donna Foyle, have waited many months to see their contributions
in print, because even 12 pages has not been enough. In fact, even
with 16 pages this time, several articles are awaiting future issues.
Keep them coming. It is an editor’s dream.
2
The Peregrine
Outings to Come:
Moraine State Park exit. Turn left (north) onto Pleasant Valley
Road and go straight into the park to the first major parking area
on your right, where we will meet. Allow one hour driving from
Pittsburgh. Carpool, if you wish, at 7 AM in the park-and-ride lot
at the intersection of Routes 19 and 228 (across from Denny’s) in
Cranberry Township. Enter the lot from the service road behind,
accessible from the Burger King on Route 19.
Let’s Look for Fall Migrants
and Celebrate at a Picnic
Saturday, October 1 – Buffalo Creek Valley IBA, Butler
County: Explore the Buffalo Creek and Little Buffalo Creek valleys with Brian Shema (412-963-6100) at this location designated
by Pennsylvania Audubon as an Important Bird Area (IBA). Many
migrant landbirds are sure to be found. Meet Brian at 8 AM in the
park-and-ride lot on Route 356 a short distance north of Route 28.
From Pittsburgh take Route 28 north to Exit 17 (Butler/Freeport)
and turn right at the end of the ramp onto Route 356 north. Just
after crossing the Route 28 overpass, look for the park-and-ride lot
on the left. Depending on the number of cars, we will carpool to
the limited parking area on Monroe Road.
Tuesday, October 25 – Allegheny Front Hawk Watch:
Bill Judd (412-571-2057) will lead the season’s third hawk watch
outing at a peak time for seeing Golden Eagles and Northern
Goshawks. Meet at 9:30 AM at the hawk watch site. Take the
Turnpike east to the Somerset exit, then Route 281 north to Stoystown, and Route 30 east to Reels Corners. Go north to Central
City. You will come to a sharp left turn with a sign to go left for
Route 160 north. Go straight here (on Lambert Street) 0.5 mile to
the intersection with Shaffer Mountain Road. Go straight on Shaffer Mountain Road (SR 1018) for 0.9 mile, then right at Lambert
Mountain Road (SR 1035). Go 2.8 miles through State Game
Lands 228 to where Lambert Mountain Road ends, turns sharp left,
and becomes Fliegle Road. Instead of turning left, go straight for
0.5 mile. Turn right at the blue gate and go 0.2 mile to the parking
lot. Allow two hours driving time from Pittsburgh. Bring lunch
and dress for cold weather at the high elevation.
Sunday, October 2 – Lower Buffalo Creek Watershed
(Washington County): Larry Helgerman (412-531-9273) will be
our leader. Meet at 8 AM at the S-bridge. From Pittsburgh, take
I-79 south to I-70, then I-70 west to the Taylorstown exit. At the
stop sign turn left. At the next stop sign, turn right. After about
one mile, go straight through the blinking red light and meet in the
parking area about 200 yards on the left. If you get lost, ask for
directions to the historic S-shaped bridge, a local landmark.
Saturday, October 29 – Pymatuning State Park: Bob
VanNewkirk (412-366-1694) will show us a marvelous array of
waterbirds and other specialties of Pymatuning Lake and nearby
hotspots. Meet at 9 AM at the Wildlife Learning Center (formerly
the Waterfowl Museum) south of Linesville. Bald Eagles abound
there, and the resident albino Red-tailed Hawk may be present.
Take I-79 north to Route 6, and go east to Linesville. Turn left at
the light where the sign points toward the spillway. The sign for
the center’s lot will be on the left, past the fish hatchery and before
the spillway. Bring lunch.
Saturday, October 15 – Presque Isle State Park: MidOctober will bring a different set of migrants than were present at
the September outing, including a good variety of waterfowl and
sparrows. Meet leader Bob VanNewkirk (412-366-1694) at 9 AM
in the first parking lot on the right after you enter the park. The
park is at the north end of Route 832 just west of the city of Erie.
Bring lunch.
Wednesday, October 19 – Allegheny Front Hawk Watch:
Join Jack Solomon (412-521-3365) for a day of hawk watching on
the Somerset/Bedford County border. Meet at 9 AM in the Adele’s
Diner parking lot at the intersection of Routes 30 and 160 at Reels
Corners. Take the Turnpike east to the Somerset exit, Route 281
north to Stoystown, and Route 30 east to Route 160 at Reels Corners. Allow for a two-hour drive from Pittsburgh. We will drive
to the game lands parking lot and car pool to the hawk watch from
there. Bring water and lunch, and be prepared for variable weather
and cold conditions at the 2,900-foot elevation.
Sunday, October 30 – Lower Buffalo Creek Watershed:
Larry Helgerman (412-531-9273) will again lead us. Meet at 8
AM at the S-bridge. See October 2 for directions.
Saturday, November 5 – Yellow Creek State Park: This
will be a joint outing with the Todd Bird Club. Meet Margaret
Higbee (724-354-3493) at the park office at 8 AM. The office is
on Route 259 just off Route 422 east of Indiana. Allow an hour
and 15 minutes to drive from Pittsburgh. The park contains many
different habitats and a large lake that attracts a wide variety of
species. Some of the waterfowl numbers have been spectacular in
the past, and rarities have shown up fairly regularly.
Sunday, October 23 – Lake Arthur – The 3RBC Fourth
Anniversary picnic: Bob Machesney (412-366-7869) will lead a
day of birding, food and fun. Meet at 8 AM in the Moraine State
Park Day Use Area (South Shore) in the first parking lot on the
right. Besides the nice variety of waterfowl expected, species
could include Eastern Bluebird, Northern Mockingbird, Cedar
Waxwing, Common Snipe, American Woodcock, and Ruffed
Grouse. Lake Arthur is a man-made lake that is the heart of
Moraine State Park. Although it is heavily fished, waterfowl are
more comfortable with the fishermen than they are with hunters.
Therefore, the lake gets good (sometimes spectacular) numbers
and variety of waterfowl in migration.
After the morning outing, we will have a picnic lunch at a
park pavilion near McDanel’s boat launch, celebrating the fourth
anniversary of our club’s first outing. Bring a salad, side dish, or
dessert to share with the group. A main course will be provided.
From I-79, take Route 422 east toward Butler and exit at the
Sunday, November 13 – Pymatuning State Park: Join Bob
VanNewkirk (412-366-1694) in another search for waterbirds and
this fine area’s other specialties, which should include arrivals of
some later migrants that were not present for Bob’s outing two
weeks previously. Meet at 9 AM at the Wildlife Center. See October 29 for directions.
Wednesday, November 16 – Lake Arthur: Fred and Carol
McCullough (412-921-6873) will lead us on this traditional waterfowl outing at Moraine State Park. Meet at 8 AM in the Moraine
State Park Day Use Area (South Shore) in the first parking lot on
the right. See October 23 for directions.
continued on page 4
3
The Peregrine
Outings To Come
continued from page 3
Thursday, December 8 – National Aviary: Join Jim Dunster, Curator of Birds, for a behind-the-scenes tour of this worldclass indoor bird park on Pittsburgh’s Northside. The aviary is
home to over 500 birds representing 200 species and is the only
“National” Aviary in the country. Jim will take us on a private
tour, introduce us to the amazing diversity of birds, and speak
about the array of conservation projects being undertaken by the
aviary staff. There is no fee for this outing; however, to provide
the best tour experience, registration is limited to 15 participants.
Contact Brian Shema (412-963-6100) to register. Participants will
meet in the aviary parking lot at 9 AM.
***
Don’t forget to check the 3RBC website for additional outings that may be scheduled.
Thanks from ASWP for
Buffalo Creek Aid
Our club supported member Ross Gallardy’s fund-raising
participation in the World Series of Birding in New Jersey in
May. Ross split the contributions he received for his team’s 212
species half-and-half between two organizations: Audubon Society
of Western Pennsylvania, to aid the Buffalo Creek Valley Important Bird Area in Butler County, and Allegheny Plateau Audubon
Society, to aid the Allegheny Front Hawk Watch on the SomersetBedford County border. The 3RBC pledged $1 per species, so
each society received $106. A number of 3RBC members made
individual contributions as well.
Following is a letter of thanks to our club from Roy E. Lenhardt, ASWP’s Director of Development.
***
Dear Birding Club Members:
Please accept the sincerest thanks from our Trustees, volunteers, and staff at the Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania
(ASWP) for your thoughtful decision to donate $106 in appreciation and recognition of the 2005 World Series of Birding.
As you may be aware, Ross Gallardy and the other members of the “Nikon Space Coast Coastal Cuckoos” won the World
Series of Birding “Hop Swift Youth Division C” title. Their team
recorded a total of 212 species within a 24-hour period in New
Jersey. An amazing feat considering world renowned birder Roger
Tory Peterson led the first winning team in 1984 recording 201
species.
Support for Ross’ team effort will directly support our local
Important Bird Area (IBA) project site # 22. The IBA is located in
the Buffalo Creek Valley that straddles the Butler and Armstrong
County lines. The IBA encompasses 60,000 acres of relatively unfragmented forest ecosystems which line the watershed’s valleys.
The area provides superb breeding habitat for both northerly and
southerly breeding species.
Thank you once again for your pledge. It will be used to help
further our efforts and raise awareness of the IBA’s importance to
western Pennsylvania as well as the diversity of birdlife.
HAWK WATCH FAVORITE – Merlins are always exciting
as they streak past hawk watches, and our club’s outings
on October 19 and 26 at the Allegheny Front will be good
opportunities to see them. This illustration is by young
Karena Gregg, whose drawings will be on display at our
November 2 meeting.
Notes from Members
IMPERIAL GRASSLANDS: Mike Fialkovich, our bird
reports editor and popular outing leader, has an important article
about the Imperial grasslands in the June 2005 issue of Pennsylvania Birds, the Pennsylvania Society for Ornithology magazine.
Mike describes the area in great detail and provides ornithological notes for all bird species that have been recorded there. See
www.pabirds.org to join PSO and get this first-rate publication.
–Paul Hess
RAVE FOR A CD: I bought the CD titled Bird Song Ear
Training Guide: Who Cooks for Poor Sam Peabody? at Ottawa
National Wildlife Refuge last year. It’s great. It tells the bird’s
name *after* you hear the song, like a quiz. That way I don’t
fall asleep as I do listening to other birdsong CDs. It keeps my
interest, and I recommend it. It’s available at http://caculo.com/
birdsongs.htm. –Jack Solomon
4
The Peregrine
Bird Watch
No Mud, No Shorebirds
Meant a Spectacular
Monet-scape of Lotus
By Chuck Tague
I slowed my car as I approached the Linesville Spillway. To
my right the propagation lake was calm. The mirror-like greengray surface reflected the scattered misty puffs. I quickly glanced
at the pond and the marsh to my left. It was choked with the large
leaves and flowers of American Lotus. At 35 mph the blur of
bright blossoms and lily pads looked like a Monet painting.
The day before, a welcome cold front broke the summer-long
spell of heat and humidity. I felt comfortable for the first time
in weeks. The clear sky, the refreshing breezes, and scattered
patches of dirty yellow leaves reminded me of autumn. I thought
of shorebirds.
There was a time when I would have rushed north to intercept
the mid-August wave of sandpipers and plovers at Shenango,
Linesville, or Presque Isle. This year I knew better. I went anyway.
Shorebirds exploit food made available by fluctuating water
levels. Along the Atlantic Coast the tides reliably and predictably
move in and out. On the Allegheny Plateau the fluctuations are
seasonal, weather dependent, and chancy. The wetlands of western
Pennsylvania expose their resources only if the weather follows a
precise script: a wet spring, early summer storms then several hot,
dry weeks. The edge of the water then recedes from the shoreline
vegetation and exposes mud and moist silt rich in small aquatic
invertebrates. The receding water also traps small animals in pools
and shallows. This creates a feast for kingfishers, herons, terns,
and migrating shorebirds.
If spring and early summer are too dry, vegetation chokes
out the shallows. If there’s too much summer rain, the shallow
waters don’t recede and margins never develop. Without the moist
margins, the shorebirds fly over without stopping to feed and rest,
or do they know to fly around?
As I suspected, willows and dogwoods hung over the spatterdock and sedges. There was no mud to be seen and no shorebirds
to scope. I had to settle for the spectacular lotus display. The huge
leaves and globular yellow flowers covered the shallows on either
side of the spillway.
Mike Fialkovich first had shown me the lotus around 1990.
Then there were only two or three flowers in a shaded cove. Mike
said Esther Allen showed the lotus to him. I assume Esther long
ago learned about the American Lotus at Pymatuning from the
Botanical Society. An older gentleman I often meet at Pymatuning
told me that when he was a kid, the Botanical Society drove from
Pittsburgh to Linesville each summer to see the lotus.
Linesville is the only place in western Pennsylvania I’ve ever
found American Lotus. According to The Plants of Pennsylvania
(Rhoads & Block, 2000), American Lotus is rare in Pennsylvania,
occurring mostly in the southeast. Otto Jennings mentions the
Linesville lotus in Wildflowers of Western Pennsylvania (1950).
He states that American Lotus “has been introduced to the Pymatuning Reservoir near Linesville.” He very carefully avoids telling
by whom, when or why. He did note that the lotus was spreading.
Sometime between 1950 and 1990 the spread of the lotus
stopped and the population receded. Was it the dry “shorebird
summers” of the 1980s or the cold, icy winters of the 1970s?
AMERICAN LOTUS – The summer of 2005 was a great
season for lotus, photographed by Chuck Tague in Crawford
County.
In 1990, and for several years after, only a few lotus flowers
grew in a shaded cove east of the spillway. For the last four or
five years plentiful rains kept western Pennsylvania’s shorebird
habitat under water. This is the first August I’ve visited Linesville
in several years and the first time I’ve seen the huge patches of
American Lotus in bloom. I remember the pond between the road
that crosses the spillway and the bicycle trail as a bleak, sun-baked
moonscape where the only signs of life were distant flocks of peeps
and yellowlegs. Now it was lush and colorful, a living impressionist painting.
American Lotus is very similar to water lilies, Monet’s
often-used subject. Lotus is an aquatic plant that roots in the soft
substrate of shallow water and has large circular leaves that float
on the surface. This round shape enables the leaves to roll with
choppy water without tearing. Unlike other flowering plants the
pores lotus and water lilies use to exchange gases are located by
necessity on the top of the leaf. In summer stout stalks emerge
from the water. Some stalks hold the round, Frisbee-sized lotus
leaves over the water. The edges bend outward to form a parabola.
The pond resembles a field of light-green satellite dishes. Soft,
yellow flowers larger than softballs form on other stalks.
By fall a floating seed receptacle develops. The receptacle
is pear-shaped and flat on top. A spiral of holes contains nut-like
seeds about the size of a lima bean. You are probably familiar
with these receptacles. People spray them gold and place them in
cheesy flower arrangements.
I pulled into the bicycle trail pond, a birding hotspot during
the shorebird summers. I remember one August the pond was
so dry that the shorebirds were invisible from what is now the
shoreline. Shells of freshwater mussels littered the hard crust and
tiny green plants germinated in the cracks. I crossed the barren,
sun-baked clay, and then slogged through the semi-hard muck to
scope some peeps, unaware that a crowd of amused on-lookers
watched from the bike trail. As I struggled along in muck up to my
shins, a loud voice announced, “ . . . and ventures where no man
has gone before.”
This year there were neither mud nor shorebirds, only the
colorful lotus. I’ve tried to photograph American Lotus many
times. I approached each patch of lemony flowers and lime-green
parabolas as if I were recreating an impressionistic painting. My
imperfect artistic vision and limited photographic skills doomed
me to failure. My best chance at the bike trail pond was to emulate
continued on page 6
5
The Peregrine
Friends of Harrison Hills
Hope to Improve the Park
Bird Watch
continued from page 5
the shorebirds. I put on knee-high muck boots and waded in.
Submerged vine-like plants tangled around my legs with
the strength and tenacity of greenbriar and brambles. I struggled
and slogged to the first lotus blossom where the water was inches
below the top of my boots. Up close I saw the brilliant colors and
the complex structure of the yellow and orange lotus flowers. Yet
there was a subtle simplicity, as penetratingly sensual as a Georgia
O’Keeffe painting.
I switched to my wide-angle lens and stooped down below the
lotus flowers. The pond was cold on my posterior and a stream of
water ran down my leg and filled my boot. In the viewfinder, however, I saw a spectacular scene. Gray and white clouds gathered
on the horizon beyond the twisting willows on the pond’s margin.
The tall lotus stalks held the flower spheres and parabolic leaves
high into the clouds. I imagined the scene in black and white, a
stunning Ansel Adams landscape.
(Editor’s note: Many birders know Harrison Hills Park in
northeastern Allegheny County as a hotspot. The 35-year-old
park, newly added to the Audubon Society’s Buffalo Creek Valley
Important Bird Area, is a victim of county budget cuts. It badly
needs maintenance. A new group, Friends of Harrison Hills, is
seeking improvements while keeping the park’s natural character.
One of the Friends, Patrick Kopnicky of Natrona Heights, tells of
an encounter with 3RBC members that focused on these efforts.)
By Patrick Kopnicky
Late this past spring, as a member of the Council of Friends
of Harrison Hills, I was leading a group of Allegheny County representatives on a walk through the park. The purpose was to show
Andrew Baechle, Director of Allegheny County Parks, the condition of the trails, buildings, and natural treasures. The visit was
prompted by a photo survey prepared by the Friends that clearly
showed a lack of maintenance and the presence of some outright
hazards to park visitors.
As luck would have it, my tour group ran into Jack Solomon,
President of the Three Rivers Birding Club, his wife, Sue, and Paul
Hess. While the group gathered, I quickly and quietly described
these three as some of our area’s foremost authorities on birdlife in
Harrison Hills and beyond.
Andrew asked, “What’s so important about Harrison Hills
that it has recently been designated an Important Bird Area by the
Audubon Society?” Paul described the reasons being the park’s
great variety of habitats for nesting birds and its location on a high
ridge above the Allegheny River, which makes it an attractive
route for spring and fall migrants. However, Paul cautioned that
overdevelopment could change all of this and that without active
protection, the park’s value as an IBA could be lost.
That prompted another question from Andrew: “ How many
species do you see here on a good day during migration?” Paul,
who has birded there for 35 years, answered as many as 80 species;
the visitors were stunned in disbelief.
Mr. Baechle mentioned that the county was going to include
Harrison Hills in this fall’s controlled archery deer hunting in an
effort to reduce the size of the deer population. That met with
encouragement from Paul and the Solomons. Paul pointed out that
the park’s understory of vegetation, which is especially important
to nesting birds and other wildlife, is being destroyed by deer
browsing and replaced by patches of fern that birds do not use for
nesting. Those beautiful patches are a bad sign of what’s to come
in the future if the deer herds grow larger.
Finally, the often-mentioned topic of allowing logging to take
place in the park was raised by Patrick, since it had been suggested earlier by one of the county group’s members. Paul quickly
responded. “That would be a disaster! Birds that nest here now
would leave and likely never return. The large trees that dot the
park are the reason Pileated Woodpeckers are here and why so
many species nest and migrate through the park. I hope that never
happens.” Mr. Baechle assured the group not to worry. He said
that timbering this or any county park was not on the agenda.
Had I arranged this fortunate encounter, the results couldn’t
have been better. What a fateful opportunity, to be showing the
county what’s wrong with our park and then to accidentally run
into three expert individuals who not only use and enjoy the park’s
natural resources but share in the belief that Harrison Hills is a
treasure to be preserved and protected by all.
One of the large lotus petals dropped. It floated whimsically
like a miniature gondola and an inch-long damselfly landed on its
rim, a scene from Disney’s Fantasia.
Muck boots, like the legs of a yellowlegs or dowitchers, are
not adapted to maneuver through the pond.
A dozen Green-winged Teal, some Northern Shovelers and a
line of male Wood Ducks stitched in and out of the lotus stalks. As
the first hint of autumn in August brings a wave of shorebirds, the
gray days of November bring waterfowl and I head to Linesville.
Last November Joan and I scanned the dark forms of dried lotus
below the parking lot at the fish hatchery. The stalks still stood
upright but the leafy parabolas hung down, sad and deflated. Some
seed receptacles hung on, others bobbed in the steel-gray choppy
water on the edge of the lotus. Within the patch the water was
calm.
The Fish Hatchery cove was bleak and colorless. The lotus
stalks looked sinister and menacing. It was a dismal seascape that
depicted the danger and despair of approaching winter. A loud
squeal shattered the image. A pair of Wood Ducks dropped into
the lotus. Three, five, six more ducks splashed down. Even the
November dreariness could not mute the brilliance of the male
Wood Ducks’ fresh plumage.
Although I missed many Augusts, I knew the Linesville lotus
had spread dramatically. For the last three autumns dried stalks
dominated the shallow water near the Fish Hatchery and attracted
flocks of migrating puddle ducks. Wood Ducks can’t resist lotus
seeds. Green-winged Teal gobble down on the leafy submerged
plants like stringy pasta. Shovelers strain the sheltered water and
muck through their over-sized beaks.
The seasons change and the wetlands at Linesville change as
well. The shorebirds’ loss is the waterfowl’s gain.
6
The Peregrine
Outings Revisited:
er watchers also became butterfly watchers. Meadow Fritillary,
Spicebush Swallowtail, Black Swallowtail, Summer Azure, and
Red-spotted Purple were some of the flying jewels we found. Even
a Monarch caterpillar was found on a milkweed.
In the late morning, most of the group headed home except
for three birders. Sometimes the best birding comes at the end
of an outing. Donna Foyle, Melissa Little, and I headed to Black
Cherry Trail. On the edge of the trail, we found a molting male
Scarlet Tanager. Farther down the path, Donna discovered a
female Rose-breasted Grosbeak feeding its fledgling. Moments
later, we flushed an adult Wood Thrush, and on a moss-covered
fallen log right next to the path we discovered a first-year Wood
Thrush preening itself. The youngster seemed oblivious to our
proximity, but the parent was anxiously flying back and forth near
by. Eventually junior flew off, then landed on a shrub that was
also being occupied by a Hooded Warbler. How’s that for birding
luck? But it gets better. When the Hooded flew across the path,
we walked to an opening in the woods to try to get a better look at
it. That’s when Donna saw a Kentucky Warbler chase a robin. Her
Kentucky made 32 species that the group saw or heard. Sewickley
Heights Park is really a great place for anyone who wants to spend
time with nature. –by leader Bob VanNewkirk
Moving into Autumn Meant
Good Birds and Good Fun
Sewickley Heights Park – August 9: Twelve birders
gathered in the parking lot on this sunny Tuesday morning. While
waiting for latecomers, the group practiced its observational skills
by locating a Cedar Waxing, an Eastern Towhee, Song Sparrows,
American Goldfinches, and a Ruby-throated Hummingbird. After
introductions, we headed for the Wildflower Meadow. If anyone
would ever have an inkling to do a “Big Sit” at Sewickley, the
meadow would be the place to do it. Here we found an Indigo
Bunting, American Redstarts, and Ruby-throated Hummingbirds
perched and in flight. Flyovers were made by a Pileated Woodpecker, Chimney Swifts, and Cedar Waxwings. Gray Catbirds,
Eastern Towhees, and a House Wren were singing. Along the path
we observed a hummingbird bathe by collecting dew off the leaves
of shrubs and a small tree. The bird would land on a leaf and flutter its wings, giving itself a misting bath. Then it would fly off and
repeat this pattern many times.
We had a flurry of activity at the intersection of Pine Tree and
Arrow Wood Trails. In a brief time, we identified nine species and
had especially good sightings of Red-eyed Vireos, a Rose-breasted
Grosbeak, and a Baltimore Oriole. A singing Wood Thrush seemed
to be ever so close but never revealed its hiding place. Farther
along the trail we encountered a small flock of Carolina Chickadees. One of them was carrying a piece of bark. When the bird
landed on a branch, it proceeded to put the bark between its feet
and probe inside. We never did get to see what the bird was looking for.
One plus of birding Sewickley Heights Park is that when the
birding slows down, there are other natural wonders to observe. As
we walked the trails and in the meadows, the birdwatchers turned
into wildflower watchers. We identified Indian Pipe, Dolls’ Eyes,
Steeplebush, Butterfly Weed, Cardinal Flower, Blazing Star, JoePye Weed, Ox-eye, Goldenrod, and Ironweed. To really appreciate
these plants, get a copy of Wildflowers of Pennsylvania by Mary
Joy Haywood and Phyllis Testal Monk and look them up. Where
there are flowers, there will be butterflies, so the bird and wildflow-
Pymatuning and Conneaut Harbor, Ohio – August 13:
The Westmoreland Bird and Nature Club and the Three Rivers
Birding Club shorebird field trip was originally scheduled to check
the Miller Ponds, Pymatuning Reservoir, and Shenango Reservoir.
I took a day off work and checked those areas on August 12 to see
what we might encounter, but I found no shorebirds at the scheduled sites. There were no mudflats at Shenango Reservoir and the
Miller Ponds. It was clear to me that it would be a waste of time to
take folks to the reservoir and probably to the ponds (although the
albinistic Red-tailed Hawk was present in the pond area and might
have been of interest to participants). I decided to see what was
present at Conneaut Harbor, Ohio. When I arrived, Walt and Dana
Shaffer were there and indicated many good shorebirds present.
We saw a pair of Stilt Sandpipers in breeding (alternate) plumage.
Unfortunately, I missed the Marbled Godwit and 7 Willets that they
had seen. Nevertheless, it was clear that Conneaut Harbor was a
good place take folks for the field trip.
On Saturday, we met at the rest stop along I-79 at mile marker
134 and headed up to Miller Ponds, where we saw a single Lesser
Yellowlegs among several hundred Canada Geese, about 100 Mallards, 10 Green-winged Teal, and a Great Blue Heron. We also
saw 2 Double-crested Cormorants, a Green Heron, the albinistic
Red-tailed Hawk, a male American Kestrel, a Bank Swallow, a
Cliff Swallow, Bobolinks, Red-winged Blackbirds (one female carrying food), and some American Goldfinches. We made a stop at
the Pymatuning causeway and saw an adult Bald Eagle along with
several hundred Mallards and Ring-billed Gulls.
The rest of the time was spent at Conneaut Harbor, where
there were plenty of shorebirds for close viewing. Besides Canada
Geese and Mallards, 3 Turkey Vultures were walking along the
shore around the marina parking lot. There were 2 Great Blue
Herons in the impoundment along the road to the main shorebird
viewing area on the sand spit. At the spit we saw 2 Green Herons,
3 Soras, a Black-bellied Plover, at least 10 Semipalmated Plovers,
2 Killdeer, 8 American Avocets (photo on page 8), 3 Greater Yellowlegs, 8 Lesser Yellowlegs, a Ruddy Turnstone, 4 Sanderlings,
12 Semipalmated Sandpipers, 10 Least Sandpipers, a Baird’s Sandpiper, 2 Pectoral Sandpipers, 5 Short-billed Dowitchers, approximately 50 Bonaparte’s Gulls, 300 Ring-billed Gulls, 50 Herring
BUTTERFLIES, TOO – Besides birds, wildflowers and
butterflies grabbed participants’ attention at the club’s
outing at Sewickley Heights Park on August 9. Donna
Foyle photographed this cooperative Red-spotted Purple.
continued on page 8
7
The Peregrine
MAGNIFICENT MIGRANTS – Mark McConaughy photographed these American Avocets at our August 13 Conneaut Harbor outing.
Outings Revisited:
meeting area was hopping with birds. It was the time of year when
the summer birds were still active, but the fall migrants were starting to show up too. Warbling Vireos were still singing high in the
trees, and a late Baltimore Oriole was seen. We had great views of
Scarlet Tanagers at eye level and chasing one another. A Blackburnian Warbler in summer plumage popped in and out of the treetops.
Eastern Wood-Pewees seemed to be the abundant migrant of the
morning, flycatching everywhere.
We spent lots of time birding around and on the historic SBridge and had good views of Yellow-billed Cuckoos eating wild
cherries. Our species list was over 30 before we made a move.
We saw American Kestrels and nice close views of an immature Red-tail sitting on a fence post on the way to our next stop,
where we found White-eyed Vireos still singing on territory. The
usual summer birds were there too, and the Barn Swallows were
still hawking the fields.
At the Greencove wetlands a Great Blue joined the many resident Green Herons. Twice an Osprey came swooping down
and nailed a fish from Buffalo Creek. Both times it flew around
with the catch as if to show it off. Walking around a wetland is
always interesting. Birds, plants and insects abound. Probably the
best sighting of the day was a flock of Bobolinks in fall plumage
perching on top of tall weeds in the fields above Greencove. It
was the first time I have seen the males in winter plumage, and it
was really impressive. After lunch we went to the covered bridge,
where a Red-shouldered Hawk flew low overhead, calling to a
second bird.
A walk of a mile or so and nice views of Rose-breasted Grosbeaks completed our outing on this fine afternoon. With 58 species
in total, it was another productive day in Important Bird Area No.
80. –by participant Mary Grey
continued from page 7
Gulls, a Great Black-backed Gull, 4 Caspian Terns, and a Common
Tern. There also was a very large flock of Bank Swallows (about
150) with at least 1 Purple Martin, 1 Cliff Swallow, and a few Barn
Swallows mixed in with them. –by leader Mark McConaughy
Conneaut Harbor, Ohio – August 20: What a glorious day
to be birding! Ten members of 3RBC joined Walt and Dana Shaffer on a quest for shorebirds. We also enjoyed the company of a
birder from California, who was there hoping to find two life birds.
He was 50 percent successful, as we did get great looks at two
White-rumped Sandpipers. His other wish-bird, Hudsonian Godwit, was a no-show, but he enjoyed himself anyway. We had 14
species of shorebirds, including a Stilt Sandpiper in bright juvenile
plumage, a Ruddy Turnstone which came close so we could get
great looks, an American Golden-Plover in stunning adult plumage, and an adult Red Knot in alternate plumage (photo on page
9). There were decent numbers of Short-billed Dowitchers, Least
Sandpipers, Semipalmated Sandpipers, and Semipalmated Plovers.
Two Soras strayed out from the reeds at times. Terns seen
included Caspian, Common, and Forster’s. Bonaparte’s Gulls were
in good numbers. Three juvenile Black-crowned Night-Herons
were in the pond leading to the beach road. I was lucky enough to
see one flying in that area. We also saw three Bald Eagles and two
Ospreys flying in the beautiful blue sky.
Some of the group had an interesting bird encounter when
we walked into the reeds. Upon reaching a dead end, we turned
to leave but were stopped in our tracks by four juvenile Baird’s
Sandpipers and a Sora, which had strayed onto the path. Behind us
was another Sora! Bill and Karen Parker, Pat and Sherron Lynch,
Ursula Kopp, and I really enjoyed our little entrapment because we
all got great looks at these birds.
Walt included a short shorebird lesson for all of us by displaying some of his photographs and pointing out various field marks.
I think we all enjoyed that extra special addition. This was a nice,
relaxing, enjoyable outing to a great location.
Our shorebird list was: 1 American Golden-Plover, 10
Semipalmated Plovers, 10 Killdeer, 3 Lesser Yellowlegs, 1 Ruddy
Turnstone, 1 Red Knot, 2 Sanderlings, 10 Semipalmated Sandpipers, 2 Western Sandpipers, 10 Least Sandpipers, 2 White-rumped
Sandpipers, 4 Baird’s Sandpipers, 1 Stilt Sandpiper, and 10 Shortbilled Dowitchers. –by participant Margie Kern
Presque Isle – September 10: What birder hasn’t gone to
Presque Isle with that wonderful sense of expectation that the park
might hold new discoveries along its trails? The small group of
four birders gathered under a cloudless sky and savored the prospect of finding migratory birds. A quick scan of the bay yielded
Ring-billed and Herring Gulls bobbing in the water while Caspian
Terns made strafing runs near the shoreline. Some Pied-billed
Grebes were fishing near the weed beds.
The group headed for the wooded areas near Beach 1. Our
first songbirds of the day were Red-eyed, Warbling, and Yellowthroated Vireos. The warblers were just as good: a Pine, a Blackand-white, a Black-throated Blue, a couple of Magnolias, and a
Yellow. We were happy also to get a good look at a Swainson’s
Thrush. Little did we realize that these thrushes would be found
on just about every trail we walked.
Lower Buffalo Creek Watershed – September 4: A
small group met leader Larry Helgerman at the S-Bridge on a
beautiful late-summer morning. A plan for a long walk on Buffalo
Camp Road was changed after the group gathered, because our
continued on page 9
8
The Peregrine
Allegheny Front – September 11: Eight members braved
the Hurricane Katrina gasoline prices, the long drive, and an
early start to enjoy a beautiful day at the Allegheny Front on the
Somerset/Bedford County border. While the continuing string of
sunny days and cool/clear nights denied us a large quantity of fall
migrants, some good habitat and an occasional burst of east winds
did give us some quality.
In the morning we walked Game Lands 228, which is a mile
east of the hawk watch. Habitat management includes mowed
paths that separate open fields from brushy areas and forest edges.
Song and Field Sparrows flew in front of us, moving from the
grass to the brush. Eastern Towhees, Gray Catbirds, and Common
Yellowthroats called and chipped from the bushy areas dominated
by berry-laden Autumn Olive. Eastern Phoebes and Empidonax
flycatchers flew out and back from perches in the brush, and Cedar
Waxwings settled in the taller trees at the forest edge. Before
heading into the woods, Janet took the two hawk enthusiasts of the
group to the hawk watch. I took the rest through a wooded section
that included hemlocks and which had a bit of an old-growth feel.
The chickadee feeding flocks yielded a few warblers: Blackthroated Green, Black-throated Blue, Chestnut-sided, and Magnolia. A porcupine meandering up a tree was our best mammal of the
day. Other good birds were Red-breasted Nuthatch, Rose-breasted
Grosbeak, Scarlet Tanager, American Kestrel, and an unidentified
Accipiter that buzzed past.
Little wind and a clear sky made for a slow and challenging day at the hawk watch. Fortunately, when the wind did pick
up, it brought us some great birds. The day would include 6 Bald
Eagles, with the group seeing 4 mature birds at close range. Three
times a flapping Turkey Vulture proved to be an accurate alert for
the eagle that was causing them to get out of harm’s way. One of
those Bald Eagles joining a dozen TVs in a kettle right over the
hawk watch was a special treat. A good Osprey flight also helped
to offset the disappointing lack of Broad-wings. –by co-leader
Tom Kuehl
OUTSTANDING FIND – The season’s second outing at
Conneaut Harbor, Ohio, brought more great shorebird finds
including this Red Knot on August 20. (photograph by coleader Walt Shaffer)
Outings Revisited:
continued from page 8
Our warbler list grew on Pine Tree Trail with Prairie, Blackpoll, and Common Yellowthroat. Northern Flickers were everywhere, while Chipping Sparrows seemed to be leading us along the
trail. What a surprise it was to hear and see White-throated Sparrows. A White-eyed Vireo, a pair of Pileated Woodpeckers, and a
Red-breasted Nuthatch rounded out the other good birds.
Perhaps our best sightings occurred on Long Pond Trail.
Within 20 feet of the trailhead, we spotted a Mourning Warbler. As
we passed a tree, a Philadelphia Vireo popped out into an opening
of a leafy branch giving everyone a “wow” look. Farther along
the trail, we watched a Northern Harrier dive-bomb an immature
Red-tailed Hawk off of its perch in a tree near Long Pond. More
vireos, flickers, and Swainson’s Thrushes were discovered. A Yellow-billed Cuckoo was heard.
After a leisurely lunch on the beach, we trekked to the
Sidewalk/Ridge Trails in search of Red-headed Woodpeckers. We
were able to locate two; one was perched in the open at the top of a
snag. Its beautiful red head glistened in the sunlight.
Fry’s Landing contained another Mourning Warbler, a
Chestnut-sided Warbler, a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, and a Baltimore
Oriole.
After an unproductive check of Thompson Bay, half of the
group headed home. Two diehards decided that no drive to the
park is complete unless it includes a hike to Gull Point. Our efforts were rewarded with sightings of two large Double-crested
Cormorant flyovers and a half-dozen Caspian Terns and Great
Black-backed Gulls resting on the beach. We totaled 64 species
on a bird-filled day, just as we had anticipated. –by leader Bob
VanNewkirk
Todd Sanctuary – September 10: Three observers met for
a walk through the late-summer forest. The weather was clear and
warm, which helped mitigate the difficulty of getting good views
of the birds in the dense forest cover. Determined efforts produced
a final tally of 41 species, although many of these were heard
rather than seen. Hooded Warblers were especially conspicuous.
Our other species included Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Red-breasted
Nuthatch, Tennessee Warbler, Black-throated Blue Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler, and Black-throated Green Warbler. –by
leader George Reese
BEECHWOOD VISITOR – This Solitary Sandpiper
appeared at the newly renovated pond at Beechwood Farms
Nature Reserve in Fox Chapel on July 27, 2005. Brian
Shema, director of sanctuaries for the Audubon Society of
Western Pennsylvania, photographed it. He plans to draw
down the water each year to provide mudflats attractive to
shorebirds.
9
The Peregrine
Book Review: A New Pennsylvania Guide
Fills a Niche Mainly for Beginning Birders
Birds of Pennsylvania
By Franklin Haas and Roger Burrows
Lone Pine Publishing International, 2005
Paperback, 352 pp. $21.95
By Geoff Malosh
often encountered in Pennsylvania, for which the short descriptions
provide little help toward deciphering. The book does not pretend
to be a comprehensive guide to every aspect of bird identification,
but sometimes the authors have simplified too much.
Birds of Pennsylvania is an interesting mix. Part field guide,
part bird-finding guide, part ornithological and historical reference,
it ambitiously tries to be many things at once. It succeeds at touching on almost every aspect of birding in Pennsylvania, but it does
not completely cover any topic. Readers who expect too much will
be missing the point.
If you want a real field guide, look to the Sibley guides. If
you are looking for a detailed account of the state’s birds, try
McWilliams’ and Brauning’s The Birds of Pennsylvania (2002) or
Frank and Barbara Haas’s Annotated List of the Birds of Pennsylvania (2005). If you really want to know about the state’s breeding
avifauna, look at the Atlas of Breeding Birds of Pennsylvania
(1992). Though Haas and Burrows discuss some of state’s important birding hotspots, it is not a true site guide and misses naming
several very important sites in western Pennsylvania.
Despite its limitations, Birds of Pennsylvania succeeds in
accomplishing what perhaps no other publication has done: tie all
of those topics together via coherent and colorful species accounts
alongside a review of geography, geology, habitats, and hotspots.
In this sense, its apparent superficiality is actually an impressive
accomplishment.
It is not a book for experts looking for information on the
molt cycle of the dowitchers wandering the state’s mudflats in
August, nor is it the reference you will need to separate a Blackpoll
Warbler from a Pine Warbler in September. It won’t tell you when
Pennsylvania’s earliest fall record for Red Phalarope was, or how
many times an American Oystercatcher has been detected within
our borders.
What it will do is introduce the beginner to birding in Pennsylvania in a way that is not overbearing. It will give the intermediate birder who has not explored much beyond his or her home
county an appreciation for the diversity of the birds and the places
they inhabit. It will educate even the most seasoned birder in fascinating and little-known facts – things many of us never knew about
familiar birds. Most importantly, it will be a valuable reference for
future generations about the status and distribution of Pennsylvania
birdlife at the dawn of the 21st Century, presented more refreshingly and engagingly than the scholarly texts we normally rely on
for such information. It must therefore be considered a success,
and it belongs on the bookshelf of anyone interested in the birds of
Pennsylvania.
In Birds of Pennsylvania, the authors explain that their aim is
to offer an overview geared toward beginners and not toward experts: “By focusing specifically on the birdlife of Pennsylvania [as
opposed to all of North America], we hope to make your introduction to the world of birding a little less intimidating.”
They touch on field identification, listing, bird feeding, how
to use binoculars, and birding by ear, among other topics. They
describe the state’s physiographic regions and habitats, provide
a short review of 15 of Pennsylvania’s most productive birding
spots, mention a total of 100 spots, and include a keyed map of
their locations.
The 295 species accounts, one to a page, feature color paintings of the species and a summary of facts such as field identification, status in the state, voice, and nesting. Each account includes
a map showing the standard breeding, winter, and year-round
distributions, as well as where a species can be expected only
during migration. This “migration range” is a relatively recent
development in bird guides and is a welcome feature.
The accounts also include two- or three-paragraph discussions of topics relevant to each species, such as its history in the
state, peculiar habits, name origin (common and scientific), tips for
locating it and, occasionally, bizarre and little-known facts.
These free-styled descriptions are the highlight of the book.
They are simple, engaging, and nearly every one has a “hook”
– an interesting fact that is not immediately apparent just by seeing
a picture and reading a snippet about the bird’s preferred habitat. For instance, did you know that the Snow Bunting, a regular
winter resident in Pennsylvania, ventures farthest north of all the
world’s songbirds? In May 1987, one was found just a few miles
from the North Pole! In this way the authors make the world of
birds a little more fascinating for beginners and veterans alike.
The illustrations, while vibrant and artistically exceptional, do
leave one with a mixed impression. Foremost, one immediately
notices two very distinct and almost disjointed painting styles,
often on facing pages. One style is “cleaner” and representative of
the usual field guide fare, while the other can almost be described
as “artistic.” This is not necessarily bad per se, but for a book that
purports to be a field guide of sorts, or at least a reference for a beginner struggling to identify birds, it is a definite distraction. The
illustrations also occasionally miss the mark. For example, the
pictures of Alder and Willow Flycatchers – a frustratingly similar
pair for even a seasoned birder – show these species looking
completely different. Further, simply by the nature of the book,
much has been left undepicted – most obviously juvenal plumages
10
The Peregrine
Book Review: An Essential Reference
Updates the Status of Our State’s Birds
Annotated List of the Birds of Pennsylvania, 2nd Ed.
By Franklin C. Haas and Barbara M. Haas
Pennsylvania Ornithological Technical Committee, 2005
Paperback, 52 pp. $7.00 including postage
By Mike Fialkovich
Warbler in the state including one banded at Powdermill Avian
Research Station in Westmoreland County.
Some Allegheny County records of interest include a Boreal
Owl in Wilkinsburg in 1896 (the specimen is in the Carnegie Museum); this was the only record in the state until a bird was found
at Presque Isle in 2001. A Northern Hawk Owl was present near
Pittsburgh in the winter of 1962-63, a Snowy Plover at Imperial
was only the third state record, a Spotted Towhee was in Wexford
in 2000, a Brambling was at North Park in 1978 (considered wild
because there was an invasion of this Eurasian species in North
America that year), a Bewick’s Wren was near Pittsburgh in the
winter of 1969, Bachman’s Sparrow was a rare breeder in the early
20th century, and the list goes on.
Historical records include Passenger Pigeon (last sighted in
1910), Greater Prairie-Chicken (which bred in the state and was
last seen in 1875), Eskimo Curlew (considered annual at the Lake
Erie shore), and Carolina Parakeet (regular in the southeast in the
1700s).
I did find a location error for the Lesser White-fronted Goose
entry in the supplemental list. The bird (considered an escapee) is
listed at Frick Park, but it was at North Park.
Overall, this is an excellent summary of records for all 399
species on the official state list, and it is an essential reference for
researchers and anyone interested in any species’ occurrence in the
state.
The booklet is available in local bird products stores, or it can
be ordered by going to the Pennsylvania Society for Ornithology
website at www.pabirds.org and clicking on the PSO Sales link.
Frank and Barb Haas are well known to Pennsylvania birders.
They founded, edited, and published the journal Pennsylvania
Birds (a result of their PA Big Year in the 1980s) for over a decade,
greatly facilitating the exchange of information about the state’s
birdlife. Ornithological information summarized in the journal
was undoubtedly used as one of the reference materials for the
original annotated list published in 1992. This update is current to
April 2005.
The format is identical to the first edition, so readers familiar with the original publication will not have to adjust to search
through the updated information. The state has been divided into
seven regions based on physiographic provinces and their associated birdlife. Each region is described in the introduction with
information about landforms, elevation, climate, habitats, and some
of the best locations to find birds.
Bar graphs indicate the probability of finding a species in
each region through the course of a year. Casual, accidental, and
sporadic species are indicated by symbols. An asterisk indicates
breeding species. The graphs show abundance for each region and
for each month of the year. They are quick visual references.
Annotations below the graphs list specific records including
dates, locations, references to published records, and other details.
Not all records are listed for a species if many records exist. In
such cases, a total number of records may be given, or a simple
note such as “resident” may be used.
The list of supplemental species consists of records that have
not been confirmed with documentation, are suspected (or proven)
to be escapees, are extirpated, or are extinct. This section of the
book sheds an interesting historical perspective on the state’s
avifauna.
Aesthetically, the printing is greatly improved with this update. The lettering is much clearer and easier to read compared to
the original booklet. The map of ornithological regions is reversed
from the original, and the new map seems to be a better orientation.
Some of the annotations contain surprising information.
Blue-gray Gnatcatchers were rare in the state before 1925 and
nested only in the southeast and southwest. Now they are common
statewide. A Purple Gallinule reportedly flew through an open
window at a power plant in Lancaster County in 1976; the bird
was released unharmed. A Magnificent Frigatebird was at New
Kensington, Westmoreland County, following Hurricane Flossie
in 1956. North America’s first record of a Spotted Rail (a Central
and South American species) came from Beaver County, where a
bird struck a tower and died. There are 12 records of Kirtland’s
Society Honors
Martin Expert
The Presque Isle Audubon Society has presented Jamie Hill
of Edinboro, executive director emeritus of the Purple Martin Conservation Association, with its annual Environmentalist of the Year
Award. Hill founded the association in 1987 to help protect Purple
Martins on their breeding, wintering, and migratory ranges.
“His tireless contributions to the field of ornithology continue as he plans to be part of another search for the Ivory-billed
Woodpecker at the Cache River Wildlife Refuge in Arkansas this
winter,” the society said. He received the award at a dinner on
September 16 in Erie.
11
The Peregrine
It Was Barnyard vs. Canada
in a Battle Between Geese
By Sam Sinderson
On April 28, 2005, Don Beck and I saw a “fight” between a
white barnyard goose and one of a pair of Canada Geese at Barati’s
ponds in Allegheny County. The Canada Goose attacked was near
an apparent female and five goslings, so I believe this was the pair
that had hatched five young on the upper of the two ponds and then
moved them to the lower and larger pond.
The fighters had each other by the neck several times. They
were in the water near the shore, and I thought they were trying
to drown each other. The white goose seemed to have won the
fight. Then the goslings were herded up the hill away from the
pond, following the female with the white goose close behind. The
white goose seemed to be keeping the male Canada Goose from
following.
Later that day, on a second visit, it seemed clear that the white
goose was the protector of the family. The Canada Goose that
appeared to be the original male was ostracized by the white goose
and other Canada Geese. Both the white goose and the other Canada Geese attacked him if he came too close to them, especially if
he approached his own young. The white goose was staying close
to the female Canada Goose and the goslings, allowing no other
goose to come near. By the way, the ostracized Canada Goose
had a leg band. I could not read the number. Among the 8 or 10
Canada Geese there that day, he was the only one with a leg band.
The next day, the white goose was put in his place. The
banded male was back in his role as protector of the female with
the five young. He attacked the barnyard goose and chased him
off. I thought he might kill him. At one point the Canada Goose
had the barnyard goose totally under water, then grabbed his back
feathers as he attempted to get away. He finally did escape. On
May 1, everything seemed normal. The white goose, though near
the pair of Canada Geese with the five young, was not attacked, but
also clearly was not “in charge.”
I posted a note on Pabirds, the e-mail discussion list, asking if
anyone had observed this behavior. In response, Jeffery Brinker of
Mercer County wrote:
“We had the same thing happen here on our small lake in
Mercer. Someone thought a pair of domestic geese (Greylag variety) would be 'fun' - or else someone got tired of them and dumped
them off. The male domestic asserted its dominance last year, and
actually produced a brood of semi-wild hybrids after driving off
the female Canada’s wild mate.
“In the fall it attracted 300-400 migrant Canadas, but once
breeding started, it drove off the other domestic and bullied the
Canadas incessantly. More seriously, it got extremely aggressive with my family, and we became alarmed that it would come
after our small children. The hybrids are almost as aggressive,
and even more curious, and determined, and brazen, than dear old
dad; we’ve awakened to discover the entire crew at the sunflower
feeders, 15 feet from the front door and 100 yards from the water.
It finally took our loyal but not-too-bright collie’s attentions to
discourage the entire brood.
“I observed the domestic mating with one of its two surviving
offspring this spring, and there are now at least three nests on our
lake. Removal to the local park may become the only option, if
this continues.”
UNUSUAL FAMILY – A white domestic goose was a strange
interloper among breeding Canada Geese at a pond in
Allegheny County this spring. Sam Sinderson, who took
this photo of the bird with a family of Canadas, observed
remarkable behavior between the two species.
Rudy Keller of Berks County responded to the list on May 2:
“One thing I’ve noticed at a pond locally is that broods produced
by different pairs often get concentrated into ‘super-broods’ under
the protection of a single dominant pair, which sometimes end up
being followed around by 15-20 goslings. Some say these are really crèches, but it seems to me that the dominant pair tries to keep
the real parents away. Don’t know what the advantage would be,
as one female couldn’t possibly brood 20 or more young goslings
to keep them warm early in the season. Sometimes the real parents
seem able to lure at least some of their goslings back.” [Editor’s
note: In a crèche, multiple pairs of geese pool their young cooperatively in a sort of day-care group, most likely for better protection. As Rudy indicated, in a crèche, the adults would not normally
try to keep other adults away.]
On May 2 there were two broods of geese at Barati’s ponds.
The one that had four young was down to three. The broods did
not mix, even when close together, and the parents remained in
control. The white goose stayed near the five-young brood that he
briefly took over. In fact, he appeared to act as a second protective
male and on May 2 there was no aggression between the Canada
male and the white goose.
Observation on subsequent days up to May 8 showed that
the white goose still hangs fairly close to the five young, but if he
gets too close, he is chased off by the banded male Canada Goose.
He seems to have no such connection to a second brood of three
goslings.
Have any of our members observed this behavior?
Bluebirds Nested
“Naturally”
We associate Eastern Bluebird nests so closely with boxes
nowadays that we may forget the traditional nests were in natural
tree cavities and old woodpecker holes. At the Audubon Society
of Western Pennsylvania’s Beechwood Farms Nature Reserve this
spring, a pair chose an abandoned woodpecker hole instead of
one of the boxes on the property. Brian Shema, ASWP director of
sanctuaries, reported what he rightly called the “notable find” in
the September/October issue of the ASWP Bulletin.
12
The Peregrine
Birding Away: A Fine Trio
of Trips with Exciting Birds
river, while a Chaffinch sang from a tree. A Rook rookery was
visible from Burford in Oxfordshire, also the location of a church
built in 1175. The Rooks reminded me of cartoon characters with
shaggy black pants as their feathers covered their legs. Despite a
slight drizzle, five Common Swifts flew across the sky.
The gardens outside Blenheim Palace, birthplace of Winston
Churchill, revealed a Gray Wagtail. This bird, with all yellow
underparts, was easily identified by its wagging tail. A Eurasian
Collared-Dove called nearby.
A remarkable area called the London Wetland Centre is accessible by underground to Hammersmith and then a short bus ride.
This 105-acre wetland, operated by the Wildfowl and Wetlands
Trust, opened in May 2000, and contains ponds, mudflats, gravel
areas and reedbeds. The Centre provides six hides (observation
blinds). One of the hides is three stories tall, complete with an
elevator. The first bird I saw there was a House Sparrow, a species
that is declining in the UK. A manmade wall with nest holes was
built for and attracted Sand Martins (which we know as Bank
Swallows). Kingfishers had yet to be attracted to another artificial
nest bank that was recently built. A colorful Great Crested Grebe
preened while sitting on a nest. The bird that caused the most excitement with the local birders was a Ring Ouzel, a black bird with
a white bib that migrates through Britain to Scandinavia.
Other birds that I saw at the wetlands in either March 2004
or April 2005 were Mute Swan, Northern Shoveler, Common
(Green-winged) Teal, Northern Pintail, Common Pochard, Common Goldeneye, Ruddy Duck, Little Grebe, Great Cormorant,
Gray Heron, Northern Lapwing, Little Ringed Plover, Common
Redshank, Black-tailed Godwit, Dunlin, Common Snipe, Roseringed Parakeet, Reed Bunting, Pied Wagtail, Dunnock, European
Robin, Blackcap (female with a brown cap), Chiffchaff, Carrion
Crow, and European Goldfinch.
The hardest part about birding in London is trying to divide
your time between the birds and the historic sites!
London in the Spring
By Donna Foyle
In the UK, birders are called twitchers, subways are undergrounds, elevators are lifts, and twitchers are happy to converse
with a birder from the States. London has become a favorite city
during the short times that I visited in March 2004 and April 2005.
It is easy to traverse by underground with an “all-day pass” so
that you have time to sightsee and go birding in the same day. It’s
an international city where you can eat a variety of ethnic foods,
enjoy listening to many languages but still speak the native tongue.
When visiting a country that I’ve never seen before, even a
trip to a city park can yield exciting life birds. Two royal parks
that I visited, St. James Park and Hyde Park, are located in central
London and have areas of trees, flowering shrubs and ponds amid
manicured grassy areas. In these parks, I found Great Tits, Blue
Tits, and a Long-tailed Tit. Hearing a melodious song, I looked for
a songbird but found that the voice belonged to a Blackbird with a
yellow eye-ring. Expecting a sweet song from a Mistle Thrush, I
was again surprised when I heard a noisy, dry “trrr-rrr-rrr.”
Magpies chased through the parks, and a Winter Wren flitted
in the thick undergrowth. Several Wood Pigeons foraged in the
grass. The ponds contain a mix of “wild” waterbirds such as Common Moorhen, Eurasian Coot, Tufted Duck, and escapees such as
a Common Eider with a leg band. The White Pelicans in St. James
Park are descendants of a gift to King Charles II in 1662.
A bus tour through the English countryside led to the Cotswolds, an area known for its gentle hills (wolds) and small villages. Along the way, the bus traveled on a narrow road originally
built by the Romans. These early roads were designed to be wide
enough to enable six soldiers to draw their weapons while marching down the road side-by-side. Contemplate a large tour bus
traveling on the left side of the road while other vehicles race by in
the opposite direction on a “six soldier wide” road lined with trees.
Bourton-on-the-Water in Gloucestershire is often referred to
as the Venice of the Cotswolds with the River Windrush winding
through the village. Mallards floated in this small, stream-sized
Rarities on Land and Sea
By Paul Hess
Seabirding far off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, is always
a great adventure, but the June 4-5 weekend was even better than
usual for 12 western Pennsylvanians on one of Brian Patteson’s
famous pelagic trips. About 45 miles offshore, we saw two different European Storm-Petrels – part of an influx of five or six
that had been seen on Brian’s trips in that area during the previous
week. Until this group of wanderers was discovered far out of
the usual range, there had been only one accepted record of the
species for North America, on Sable Island, Nova Scotia, in 1970.
Sam Sinderson, Michael Leahy, Jerry Stanley, Kathie Goodblood,
Gary Edwards, Russ States, Gene and Suzanne Butcher, Nancy
Baker, Mark and Sandee Swansiger, and I were on board for the
excitement. These tiny storm-petrels, only the size of a Tree Swallow, were hard to distinguish amid the flocks of similar-looking
Wilson’s Storm-Petrels that they accompanied.
Our Saturday and Sunday at sea produced a terrific variety
of species including Black-capped Petrels, Cory’s Shearwaters,
Greater Shearwaters, a Manx Shearwater, Audubon’s Shearwaters,
Leach’s Storm-Petrels, Band-rumped Storm-Petrels, a Brown Booby far north of its usual range, a Northern Gannet (very uncommon
after May), a Pomarine Jaeger, an Arctic Tern, Bridled Terns, and
a Great Egret far out in the ocean. Some of these were life birds
for many of the people on board. I noticed only one of our western
Pennsylvanians seasick, and he had trouble for only part of the first
FLOATING NEST – This Great Crested Grebe on its
nest left a beautiful memory for Donna Foyle, who
photographed it at a London wetland.
continued on page 14
13
The Peregrine
DYNAMIC DUO – A Manx
Shearwater (at left) and a Cory’s
Shearwater pass close to the boat
off Hatteras, N.C., where Gary
Edwards of Seneca photographed
them. Gary was among 12 birders
from Pennsylvania who enjoyed a
weekend at sea in the Gulf Stream
on June 4-5, 2005. See the trip
report starting on page 13.
Birding Away:
ABA Convention in Tucson
By Pat and Sherron Lynch
continued from page 13
Your day begins with a wake-up call at 2:45 AM. By 3:30
you are loaded on a bus with your binoculars, scope, camera
gear, water, a box breakfast, and 44 other enthusiastic and amazingly wide-awake birders. The temperature is already around 90
degrees. This is how you and about 600 other birders start every
other day at the American Birding Association’s convention in
southwestern Arizona.
After about an hour and a half of riding in the dark, snacking,
and napping, you have reached a birding hotspot, and it is time
to exit the air-conditioned bus. If you are lucky, the line at the
environmentally friendly (or sometimes unfriendly) toilet isn’t too
long. As the sun rises over the arid terrain, guides lead the group
in search of Arizona specialties. Be sure to heed the warnings to
drink plenty of water because the temperature each day reaches
between 100 and 112 degrees. Other warnings include: avoid the
anthills because those are fire ants; wear a hat because the cactus
and scrub don’t provide any shade; and watch your footing because
the loose rocks can be treacherous, especially going downhill.
Several more stops and many birds later, it is time for a box
lunch. Pull up a rock to sit on and compare notes with fellow birders. After lunch and a quick rest stop, the bus moves on to another
stop or two, and then it’s a long ride home to the Doubletree Hotel.
The 12-hour field trip was long, hot, dusty, and marvelous. What
a friendly bunch of people, knowledgeable guides, fantastic
mountains and deserts, and a superb array of birds! After a day at
the hotel with nothing scheduled until 8:30 AM, a luscious buffet
breakfast, lectures, vendors, more networking with other birders,
more meals with linens and china, and an evening speaker, youʼll
be ready for another early morning field trip tomorrow.
With the aid of expert guides and hard work, Sherron added
25 life birds and Pat 24 lifers. Pat missed the Greater Pewee.
Flycatchers were abundant. A pair of Rose-throated Becards busily
built a huge nest conveniently located at the famous Patagonia
Roadside Rest Area. Hummingbirds noisily zipped to and from
the feeders at Paton’s in Patagonia and Beatty’s in Miller Canyon,
delighting eager watchers. We saw 10 species of hummingbirds
including White-eared and Violet-crowned, both lifers for us. On
Mount Lemon, one of Arizona’s “sky islands,” we encountered
Red-faced, Olive, Grace’s, and Virginia’s Warblers. The Fivestriped Sparrow in California Gulch probably rivaled the hummingbirds and becards in rarity, but our favorite bird was the colorful Montezuma Quail. Dave Stejskal, a Field Guides tour leader,
called in the male and it posed on a rock.
day, a tribute to the sea legs of our region’s birders.
Sam, Michael, Gary, and I stayed together in North Carolina
on Monday, birding at Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge and
the Oregon Inlet jetty in the morning, Alligator River NWR in the
afternoon, and the famous Bodie Island lighthouse pond in the
evening. Pea Island highlights were two Black-necked Stilts, three
Marbled Godwits, and a large colony of singing Seaside Sparrows.
At Oregon Inlet, our best birds were three American Oystercatchers, a Red Knot, and a Gull-billed Tern. Alligator River brought
us a bonanza of dozens of singing Prothonotary Warblers, many of
them fluttering close by us, two Swainson’s Warblers, and a Blue
Grosbeak. At Bodie Island we found a Pine Warbler and many
Chuck-will’s-widows but were disappointed to hear no rails.
Sam and I decided to check out the Great Dismal Swamp in
Virginia on Tuesday (after car trouble that cost us half a day). It
was the correct decision. Along a road in vast farmland near the
swamp, we discovered an adult male Scissor-tailed Flycatcher
– a great rarity anywhere in the eastern U.S. I was looking in the
other direction, and I’ll never forget Sam’s outburst of “Scissortailed Flycatcher!”, just about blowing me out of the car, when
he spotted it on a roadside utility wire. For about 15 minutes,
we watched its graceful fly-catching sorties off the wire with its
long forked tail spread wide. Then we took a walk on the nearby
Washington Ditch and boardwalk (not much of great interest
except more Prothonotaries and another Swainson’s Warbler), and
returned to the farm for another look at the Scissor-tail before it
finally flew out of sight. It would not let us get close enough for a
good photograph even with Sam’s 400mm telephoto lens, but his
picture was satisfactory to identify it for our report to the Virginia
Avian Records Committee. I contacted Ned Brinkley, editor of the
journal North American Birds, who posted it on the Virginia bird
listserv. Sam and I also saw two Brown-headed Nuthatches and
heard a Summer Tanager at the refuge headquarters.
While we were relishing our flycatcher, Michael and Gary
returned to Alligator River, where they, too, added Brown-headed
Nuthatch. They also had a good ride along Skyline Drive in the
southern Appalachians, where their species included Blue-headed
Vireo, a high-elevation species in that southerly area of its range.
For all of us, North Carolina and Virginia at sea and on land in
early June, 2005, were wonderful places to be.
continued on page 15
14
The Peregrine
Birding Away:
ing the path of Roger Tory Peterson’s and James Fisher’s 1953
birding journey across America, immortalized in their book Wild
America. A 60 Minutes film crew filmed Scott’s speech and other
events during the convention. They also filmed Ted Floyd leading
an early-morning bird walk. The episode is supposed to air in late
September or early October.
There were some disappointments. A few trip leaders, for
example, could have been better teachers. A fire closed Madera
Canyon, residents had to evacuate, and we missed the opportunity
to see the Flame-colored Tanager (ironic), Elegant Trogon, and
other birds in the canyon. Fortunately, the canyon and its residents
escaped with minor damage and we will have the opportunity to
return some day.
The ABA leaders did an incredible job of organizing the convention in Tucson and especially in getting us on the right buses
early in the morning. We are very happy that we and Paul went to
the convention and believe that many members of 3RBC would
have enjoyed it also. Next year, June 19-26, the convention will
be in Bangor, Maine. We plan to be there and hope to see more
3RBC members at this more convenient location.
continued from page 14
We enjoyed many aspects of the convention: seeing great
birds, of course; having the opportunity to bird with professional
tour leaders, including Victor Emanuel; learning birding hotspots
and visiting some locales such as California Gulch that can be
difficult on one’s own; comparing binoculars of the major optic
companies and being able to field test them; appreciating the finer
points of identifying hummingbirds, sparrows, and flycatchers during excellent workshop presentations; talking with expert professional guides and obtaining birding tour catalogs at their booths;
getting reacquainted with old friends; having Ted Floyd, Debra
Shearwater (the pelagic tour leader), and Brian Small (a prominent
bird photographer) at our dinner table; finding that the “big names”
were very approachable and friendly; and watching Paul Hess, our
esteemed editor, meet many people that he has corresponded with
over the years.
Two items merit special mention. Scott Weidensaul gave a
moving presentation of his 2003-2004 trip of discovery follow-
A Window Watcher Finds Joy in His Winged Visitors
what my egregious behavior had been, but eventually they figured
I had gotten the message and left to get some breakfast. I felt fully
chastised!
A few minutes later a male Cardinal and his lovely mate came
through the tree. He posed on a tomato stake and sang a few bars
before flitting into the raspberry bushes. I was alert enough to get
a fair photograph of the female in the apple tree.
Blue Jays come through, on their way to give singing lessons
to the Carolina Wren. Goldfinches stop by, heading for sunflowers along the back fence. Song Sparrows practice their trade from
my tree’s branches – House Sparrows and House Finches, too.
Chickadees are common winter visitors to the bare branches, and a
few dreaded Starlings. And lots of Robins.
Now I know all this is nothing really unusual, but it is nonetheless delightful, especially since it seems so intimate. I (with
the essential help of Mother Nature, Johnny’s Select Seeds, and
Miller Nurseries) have created this little habitat. It is an indescribable pleasure to see these winged wonders, often called “common
backyard birds,” frequenting it with me.
By Donald L. Gibbon
When we moved into our home on Elysian Street in Pittsburgh in 1992, I immediately noticed that the front of the house
got the best sun. It faced a fairly narrow flat strip, then dropped
off about 10 feet down a steep ivy-covered slope to the sidewalk.
I tore out the yew hedge which took up half the strip, pulled up the
remaining grass, and made that whole space our vegetable garden.
I planted an apple tree in the garden close to the house and
trained and pruned it into a vertical plane edge-on to the west, so
that it throws almost no shadow on the garden. It’s now about 20
feet tall and 18 inches thick. My desk and computer are by the
window overlooking the garden and the apple tree. My ambition
is to pick apples out the window.
In the meantime, the tree and the garden are a delightful
place to be entertained by the local birds. I sit at my computer
and watch the show. This spring the two most delightful bits have
been the two baby Mourning Doves, almost tailless, bobbing and
ducking around between the chard and the tomatoes, cute beyond
measure, a sort of caricature of their parents. I personally believe
that one of the most beautiful things on earth is the spread tail of
a Mourning Dove during those few milliseconds as it rises from
the ground to take flight. It is one of my most cherished ambitions
to get a really good photograph of that spectacle. But these little
guys hadn’t yet developed a reasonable facsimile of the mature
showpiece. No show, just chubby cuteness.
The second event was just the other morning. I happened to
have the lamp on beside my computer where I sat, about a foot and
a half from the window. Suddenly, an equal distance on the other
side, an almost-grown Carolina Wren chick fluttered through the
apple branches, sort of crash-landed in the garden and fluttered
back up to the branch. He was then joined by Momma Wren, and
she was FURIOUS! Both birds, young and old, bounced from
branch to branch, looking directly at me and SHOUTING at me!
The mother sounded like an angry Blue Jay, loud and strident.
They kept this denunciation up for at least three minutes, hopping
back and forth to every available perch near the window, always
facing me, beaks wide open. I reached up and turned off the lamp,
hoping I would be less visible from the outside. I’m not at all sure
WINDOW DRESSING – This American Robin was among
the “winged wonders” Donald L. Gibbon photographed
amid pyracantha berries through his window in Pittsburgh.
Be sure to see it in dazzling color on our website.
15
The Peregrine
Birds in the Three Rivers Area: June – July 2005
By Mike Fialkovich, Bird Reports Editor
7/31 (MV). A Solitary Sandpiper was at the recently repaired
pond at Beechwood Farms Nature Reserve in Fox Chapel 7/27,
where it was attracted to the muddy margins of the partially filled
pond (BSH). A flock of 33 Killdeer flew off the roof of a school in
Churchill 7/27 (MF).
A Whip-poor-will was heard at State Game Lands 203 on 6/7
(MF, BM, PL, SL). A Least Flycatcher was found in West Deer
Township 6/27 (DY), and 2 were found at a nest in SGL 203 in
Marshall Township 7/4 (BVN). The breeding status of this species
in Allegheny County is unclear because it is not reported annually
during the breeding season. An Alder Flycatcher was an interesting find in West Deer Township 6/27 (DY). This species is not
known to breed in the county and is a rare migrant.
Fish Crows returned to North Braddock for the second
year. One was present in May and 4 were seen 6/25 (MF). A late
Black-throated Blue Warbler was singing at Riverview Park in
Pittsburgh 6/8 (FM, CM).
The two Ring-necked Ducks reported in May lingered
through the period: a male on a pond in Findlay Township and a
female at Imperial (MV). Apparently, neither bird moved from its
chosen pond.
A pair of Pied-billed Grebes remained at Imperial through
May, and on 6/17 two chicks were observed with an adult (MV).
This was the first known breeding record in the county since 1893
(noted in Todd’s Birds of Western Pennsylvania). The species has
been seen in recent years into June but never confirmed breeding.
A late Common Loon was at Leetsdale on the Ohio River 6/15
(BS).
Normally reported only during the winter along area rivers
(particularly when lakes are frozen), a Bald Eagle was an unexpected sight flying along the Ohio River near Pittsburgh 6/8 (CT).
A few late northbound shorebirds at Imperial in early June included a Greater Yellowlegs and a Lesser Yellowlegs along with
11 Semipalmated Sandpipers 6/3 (MV). Probably southbound
migrants at Imperial were 2 Least Sandpipers 7/1 and 4 on 7/3-5
along with a Lesser Yellowlegs; 2 Short-billed Dowitchers 7/15
(MV) and 7/23 (GM), and one remaining 7/25 (MV); 2 Pectoral
Sandpipers 7/31 (MV), and single Solitary Sandpipers 7/24 and
Observers: Mike Fialkovich, Carol McCullough, Fred McCullough, Pat Lynch, Sherron Lynch, Bob Machesney, Geoff
Malosh, Brian Shema (BSH), Becky Smith, Chuck Tague, Bob VanNewkirk, Mark Vass, Dan Yagusic.
Ted Floyd Urged Us to Look Ahead to a New Era of Birding
(Editor’s note: The following report is excerpted from the
minutes of our last meeting. Excerpts are now a regular feature
of The Peregrine, and the complete minutes will continue to be
posted on the 3RBC website. If you couldn’t attend, you’ll be able
to see what you missed. )
Sibley does not provide scientific names for subspecies; he wants
people to think about what they are seeing. He believes that
subspecies are tools for specialists to understand variations within
a species but that birders should consider variation in terms of
regional populations.
Ted used Sibley’s concept to examine six taxonomically
diverse examples, unified in that they are not consistent with
Peterson’s categorizations of separate species. These included
Greenish Warbler of Siberia, a Herring Gull/Kelp Gull hybrid
named the Chandeleur Gull on Louisiana islands, Blue-winged
and Golden-winged Warblers, Dark-eyed Junco, Canada Goose,
and Mountain and Black-capped Chickadees. Ted discussed the
confusing patterns of gene flow in geographically diverse populations such as those of the junco. He also emphasized that hybridization can be so dynamic, as among Blue-winged and Goldenwinged Warblers, that it is questionable whether the two should be
considered as separate species. Birders tend to use a “Petersonian
airbrush” to ignore variations, Ted said. He urged birders to look
at birds within a species as individuals and to see how age, molt,
role within a flock, and interactions with the environment are parts
of a “complex continuous function.” To emphasize this new way
of watching birds, he exclaimed, “Vive la révolution!”
Despite this new approach, Ted assured us that he still
enjoys adding birds to his life list. He is a big fan of Peterson and
believes that Peterson will be recognized as a giant in the field of
thought far into the future.
A question-and-answer session followed. Ted reaffirmed
that the concept of the species is valid. He said DNA analysis a
valuable tool in determining species status, but should be used in
conjunction with other methods of genetic analysis, morphological
characters, and behavior to decide whether a population should be
classified as a separate species.
By Pat and Sherron Lynch, Co-secretaries
Seventy-three enthusiastic birders at our meeting on September 19 heard Ted Floyd, editor of the American Birding Association’s Birding magazine, forecast the future of birding.
Mike Fialkovich introduced and warmly welcomed Ted,
noting that in his youth Ted birded with several people who are
now 3RBC members and became one of the best birders from the
Pittsburgh region. Ted, his wife, Kei, and daughter, Hannah (who
also attended the meeting) live in Boulder, Colorado.
Ted’s presentation was a tour de force of wit and birding
knowledge. He asked the audience to imagine what the next four
years of birding might bring. Will birding continue to advance
slowly within the culture, will it go through a period of stagnation,
or will it experience a revolution? Ted noted that 2009 will mark
the publication anniversaries of two immensely influential works
of natural history, the 75th anniversary of Roger Tory Peterson’s
A Field Guide to the Birds and the 150th anniversary of Charles
Darwin’s Origin of Species. These two works are diametrically
opposed in their interpretations of the natural world. Darwin
viewed nature as fuzzy, transitory, and imprecise while Peterson
emphasized species as absolute and clearly defined.
The Peterson view has been dominant among birders. Most
birders are content to identify a bird using a few characteristics,
give the bird a specific name, and check it off their life lists, ignoring variations. In contrast, David Sibley’s field guides illustrate
differences not only between species but also within species.
16