15 April 2024
Twelve folks collected in the previous day’s best possible climate for an time out in Schenley Park.
Once I introduced the time out, I stated we had a superb opportunity of seeing yellow-bellied sapsuckers and certainly we did — a minimum of 4 plus a fascinating interplay between a female and male.
Used to be this pair migrating in combination? Birds of the International says Not really. Male yellow-bellied sapsuckers migrate first, the women apply later. When the men succeed in the breeding grounds they drum and squeal to ascertain territory and draw in a mate. There was once no drumming and squealing in Schenley (they don’t breed right here) however the two birds adopted every different from tree to tree. One in every of them gave the impression frustrated. Used to be the opposite “stealing” sap from his/her holes?
There have been a number of holes to make a choice from. The sapsuckers redrilled outdated rings on shagbark hickories and made new rings on tuliptrees.
We additionally noticed nest construction amongst blue jays (a couple) and red-winged blackbirds (simply the feminine) …
… and a couple of red-tailed hawks incubating eggs in final yr’s a hit nest underneath the bridge.
There aren’t many wildflowers in Schenley Park on account of considerable hungry deer however we noticed a couple of foamflowers (Tiarella sp) in an inaccessible spot.
Are you able to see the flying honeybees and honeycombs on this photograph? The hive is so top up (20-30 toes) that we wouldn’t have observed it if we hadn’t been on the lookout for birds.
In all, we noticed 33 species and numerous breeding conduct. Our final sighting was once a wonder: two bald eagles, an grownup and an immature, circling northward in Junction Hole. I puzzled if one of the crucial Hays eagles was once escorting an immature intruder clear of the Hays nest.
See our tick list underneath and on-line at https://ebird.org/tick list/S168641182
Schenley Park, Allegheny, Pennsylvania, US
Apr 14, 2024, 8:30 AM – 10:45 AM, 33 species
Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) 4
Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura) 2
Cooper’s Hawk (Accipiter cooperii) 1 Immature
Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) 2 One grownup & one immature flying/hovering up Junction Hole.
Wide-winged Hawk (Buteo platypterus) 1
Crimson-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) 2
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus varius) 4 Drilling and sipping sap, particularly on timber with neatly established sapsucker rings on bark.
Crimson-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus) 2
Downy Woodpecker (Dryobates pubescens) 4
Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus) 6
Jap Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe) 2
Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata) 7 Two jays sporting nesting subject matter to identical nest house.
Fish Crow (Corvus ossifragus) 1 Heard
Carolina Chickadee (Poecile carolinensis) 5
Tufted Titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor) 4
Northern Tough-winged Swallow (Stelgidopteryx serripennis) 4
Ruby-crowned Kinglet (Corthylio calendula) 2
Golden-crowned Kinglet (Regulus satrapa) 2
White-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis) 2
Brown Creeper (Certhia americana) 2
Carolina Wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus) 4
Ecu Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) 5
American Robin (Turdus migratorius) 6
Area Finch (Haemorhous mexicanus) 5
American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis) 3
Chipping Sparrow (Spizella passerina) 1
Darkish-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis) 4
White-throated Sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis) X Heard
Tune Sparrow (Melospiza melodia) 5
Crimson-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) 9 Feminine construction a nest.
Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater) 3
Not unusual Grackle (Quiscalus quiscula) 3
Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) 6
(all footage by means of Charity Kheshgi except for for the people-photo by means of Kate St. John)