Three Rivers Birding Club

Three Rivers Birding Club Outings

Throughout the year, we have many outings to locations in Western Pennsylvania and beyond. For a more comprehensive calendar of birding and other Western Pennsylvania natural history outings and outdoor activities of other groups, see the links at the bottom of this page under the heading of "Events Calendars".

If you are birding one of the areas listed below, download a PDF copy of the birding checklist provided and take it with you:

Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania — Beechwood Farms Bird Checklist
Cook Forest — Cook Forest Bird Checklist
Erie County, Pennsylvania — Erie County PA Bird Checklist
Frick Park — Checklist of Birds in Frick Park
Harrison Hills Park — Harrison Hills Park Bird Checklist
Oil Creek State Park — Oil Creek State Park Bird Checklist
Shenango Reservoir — Shenango Bird Checklist
Westmoreland County — Westmoreland County Bird Checklist
Yellow Creek State Park — Yellow Creek State Park Bird Checklist

Outings are free and open to the public. In the event of inclement weather, contact the leader in advance to confirm whether the outing is on or canceled. Also, contact the leader with any questions about weather, driving directions, or trail conditions.

Below is a general statement that will be followed for all our outings. Also, the leader may have specific requirements that are stated in the outing description:

"It is our intention to follow the CDC and local county guidelines. We request that social distancing still be observed and encourage people not to share equipment. The leader may have other restrictions in place and can end a walk if an uncomfortable situation arises."

In the event of a late cancellation of or a change to any of our outings, please check the Three Rivers Birding Club Facebook page or the "Items of Interest" section of the Home page of this website for the latest information on outings, cancellations, and other events that could not make our newsletter's deadline.

3RBC Current Outings --- May 2024

Friday, May 3, 2024 — Sewickley Heights Borough Park

Meet Sheree Daugherty (shereedaugherty@gmail.com) for our second spring bird walk at Sewickley starting at 8:00 AM in the upper parking lot. Be prepared for muddy trails.

3RBC website

Friday, May 10, 2024 — North Park

We will meet our leader Adrian Fenton (AFe9963285@aol.com) at the Gold Star Pavilion in North Park on Lake Shore Drive at 7:30 AM. GPS coordinates: 40.593884, -80.003844.

We will bird Gold Star wetlands area, Marshall Lake, and, if time permits, part of Latodomi Nature Center.

Adrian would like participants to email him at AFe9963285@aol.com to let him know you plan to attend.

Saturday, May 11, 2024 — Deer Lakes County Park

Meet Oliver Lindhiem (ojlindiem@gmail.com) and John Vassallo ((johnnvassallo@yahoo.com) at 7:30 AM at the park. Although the trails are pretty well maintained, please dress for possible wet grass, mud and rainfall.

Our meeting place will be at the parking lot in Deer Lakes Park at these GPS coordinates: 40.618722, -79.815371. From Creighton-Russellton Road, enter the park (Kurn Road), drive by two ponds on the right, then make a right turn and proceed to the last parking lot.

Saturday, May 18, 2024 — Linda's Farm

Linda Croskey has invited us to visit her farm for this bird walk. We will meet at 8:00 AM at 882 Deer Creek Road, Gibsonia, PA 15044 (GPS coordinates: 40.665712 -79.8923529). Location is northern Allegheny County in West Deer Township. There will be a sign at the end of the driveway. Across the road is Harvest Valley Farm.

Linda's farm is comprised of a variety of natural habitats; several acres of goldenrod fields, farm fields with brushy edges, mature deciduous trees, plus several wildflower and milkweed meadows. This attracts grassland birds, warblers, and many spring migrants. Dress for ticks and bring water and snacks. Walking is mostly level along paths with a few hills over uneven terrain.

For additional directions call Linda at 724-612-9963 or email her at lcroskey@consolidated.net

Sunday, May 19, 2024 — Harrison Hills Park

Meet leader Dave Brooke (724-487-3586) at 8:00 AM at this county park off Freeport Road between Natrona Heights and Freeport. Previous spring outings have produced a nice variety of migrants, including warblers and vireos.

We will be meeting and starting our walk at the Rachel Carson parking lot near the pond. As you enter the park, bear right and proceed to the parking lot at the end of the road. Dress for wet grass and mud.

3RBC Current Outings --- June 2024

Saturday, June 8, 2024 — Picnic at Harrison Hills Park

We will hold our 3RCB picnic this year at Harrison Hills Park on Saturday, June 8th. This will be a bring your own lunch picnic starting at 12:00 PM at the Yakaon pavilion. The pavilion is located across from the Environmental Center. As you enter the park stay left, and then turn left at the first intersection, and go up the hill to the large parking lot.

Prior to the picnic we will be having a bird walk starting at 9:00 AM. The walk will start at the Rachel Carson parking lot near the pond. As you enter the park, bear right and proceed to the parking lot at the end of the road.

Saturday June 22, 2024 — Hunters Lane, Forbes State Forest

Our leader will be Mike Fialkovich (412-303-0010 cell), who will be taking us on his annual summer outing to the Laurel Highlands.

For this outing, we will be returning to this productive trail in Forbes State Forest. This trail goes through various habitats including forest, brush, and a scrub wetland. Alder and Willow Flycatchers breed here along with various warblers, including Chestnut-sided, Blue-winged, Black-throated Green, and possibly Golden-winged. Other forest birds such as Scarlet Tanagers, Wood Thrush, and various vireos should be in the area. This will be a good opportunity for us to contribute data to the Pennsylvania Bird Atlas 3.

The trail is level throughout, so it is easy walking. We saw a Black Bear on a previous outing to this site, so you never know what to expect! We will meet at the Sheetz off the Donegal Exit of the Pennsylvania Turnpike at 7 AM. The trail is a five-minute drive from the Sheetz. Feel free to bring something to eat if you like for after the walk, and it is always a good idea to bring water. Note: there are no restroom facilities at the trailhead.