Three Rivers Birding Club Southwestern Pennsylvania

Bimonthly Membership Meeting
Wednesday, June 5, 2024
7:30 PM -- 9:30 PM
Hybrid Meeting Originating from Beechwood Farms in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Fifty-seven individuals were present in-person at 3RBC's June meeting, which was held at the Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania's Beechwood Farms auditorium. Thirty-two computers also logged on to the meeting via Zoom (with several of those shared by more than one person). In total, more than one hundred individuals viewed the meeting (either remotely or in-person), which featured a talk by club member Kate St. John, who spoke about the history of our local Peregrine Falcons.

3RBC President Mike Fialkovich called the meeting to order at approximately 7:30 pm. He and other club officers and members made the following announcements and reports:

• President Fialkovich told us that the Pennsylvania Society for Ornithology (PSO) held its annual meeting in nearby Washington County this year on May 31 through June 2. The meeting went very well, with a slate of well-received speakers and many field trips and Breeding Bird Atlas projects in the Washington County area. He thanked the several 3RBC members who worked hard to make the PSO meeting a success. Mike also modestly related that the PSO honored him by presenting him with the 2024 Earl Poole Award. The award honors Mike's significant contributions to Pennsylvania ornithology through his work with the Pennsylvania Ornithological Records Committee, the Pennsylvania Birds journal, the Breeding Bird Atlas, and so many other projects.


• Mike also informed the club that former 3RBC president, Sheree Daugherty, was elected to the PSO's Board of Directors. The next annual meeting of the PSO will take place in September 2025 in Lehigh County.


• Sheree Daugherty next announced that she had formed a birding team to compete in the PSO's Breeding Blitz for Conservation (B4C). Each year the PSO stages the B4C to raise money for three worthy conservation organizations. She asked that 3RBC members consider making a donation to support this worthy cause. Information is available on the club's website.


• Peregrine editor, Bob Mulvihill, offered the members a short preview of the upcoming Peregrine. He noted that the issue's cover will feature a photo of Becca Ralston, a master's degree student in the School of Environment and Natural Resources at Ohio State University. She will tell us about her research on Prothonotary Warbler migration in a talk entitled, "Migratory Timing and Environmental Conditions: When do Prothonotary Warblers Arrive in the Spring?" Tom Moeller's "Observations" column will give us some fascinating insight into Red-winged Blackbirds, with a photo gallery as well. This issue will also list a number of upcoming outings, including one just for beginners!


• Treasurer Tom Moeller told us that membership numbers have gone up again, with the club's roll currently standing at an all-time record high, 334 memberships, which translates into over 450 individual members! He reminded us that, though most members are from southwestern Pennsylvania, the club boasts members from many other states as well, including Ohio, West Virginia, New York, Massachusetts, Kentucky, Virginia, North Carolina and even Colorado! As is his custom, Tom extended many thanks to the new members who have chosen to join us, and to everyone for their continued support and generosity.


• Webmaster Tom Moeller noted that there was information on the website about a program about Purple Martins, to be held at 1:30 PM, after the club's annual picnic in Harrison Hills Park. Tom also noted that info about the B4C that Sheree mentioned is also on the website.


• Outings Director Steve Thomas reported that, after the summer lull, outings will resume in late August. He announced the following upcoming outings, especially noting the outing for beginning and inexperienced birders on September 14.
  
  
  • Saturday, June 8, 2024 – 3RBC Annual Picnic at Harrison Hills Park
  • Friday, August 23 – Sewickley Heights Borough Park
  • Friday, September 6 – Sewickley Heights Borough Park
  • Saturday, September 7 – Deer Lakes Park
  • Sunday, September 8 – Harrison Hills Park
  • Friday, September 13 – North Park
  • Saturday, September 14 – Beginning Birding at Sewickley Heights Borough Park
  • Saturday, September 21 – Frick Park
  
  Participants must follow club guidelines. When appropriate, social distancing is recommended; equipment sharing is discouraged; wear a mask when appropriate. Each outing leader may set additional restrictions and requirements: some leaders require pre-registration, and numbers of participants may be limited. Finally, each leader may discontinue the outing at any time if conditions warrant such an action. Please see the full outing listing on the website for all restrictions and requirements that may apply! As always, check the club's web site and Facebook page for details, directions, and possible last minute changes or cancellations.


• Mike next began his recap highlights of recent bird sightings: Greater Scaup at Imperial; Red-breasted Mergansers at Dashields Dam; American Coot at North Park; Semipalmated Sandpipers at Imperial; Short-billed Dowitcher at Imperial; Wilson's Snipe at Imperial; Philadelphia Vireo at Sewickley Heights and Frick Park; Winter Wren at South Park Township; American Pipits at Duck Hollow; Yellow Variant Purple Finch at Harmar Township; Vesper Sparrows in West Deer Township; Dark-eyed Junco in South Park and Deer Lakes; Golden-winged Warbler at Sewickley Heights Park; Black-and-White Warbler at Pleasant Hills; Nashville Warbler at Pleasant Hills; Chestnut-sided Warbler at Wingfield Pines; "Yellow" Palm Warbler (eastern subspecies) at Wingfield Pines; Black-throated Green Warbler at Deer Lakes Park; 40 Gadwall at Duck Hollow and some lingering birds at Imperial; Surf Scoter at Duck Hollow; Bobwhite in Mt. Lebanon and Robinson Township (introduced); Merlin in Squirrel Hill and Shadyside; Black Vultures at Cheswick, O'Hara Township, Oakland, Beechwood Farms, Six Mile Island, and Indiana Township; Semipalmated Plovers at Imperial; Willets at Sharpsburg; Dunlin at Imperial; Great Egret at Findlay Township, Highland Park Bridge, Blawnox and Wingfield Pines; Black-crowned Night Heron in the South Side and Lawrenceville; American Bittern at Wingfield Pines; 3 Sandhill Cranes flew over West Deer Township; Sora at North Park; Virginia Rail at Peter's Creek and Jefferson Borough; Caspian Tern at Washington's Landing; Forster's Terns at East Liberty, North Park, Dashields Dam, Six Mile Island, Sewickley and the Highland Park Bridge; Yellow-bellied Flycatchers in Hays, Beechwood Farms and Frick Park; Eastern Whip-poor-will in Gibsonia; Marsh Wren in South Park Township; Pine Siskin in North Park, Fox Chapel, Gibsonia, Natrona Heights and South Park; Rusty Blackbirds at Boyce Mayview Park and Fox Chapel; Orange-crowned Warbler in Frick Park; Golden-winged Warbler or Blue-winged Warbler (or hybrid) heard at Frick Park; Summer Tanager in Hays and Ohio Township; and, Blue Grosbeak at Imperial.


• Program Director Carol McCullough told the members that the club's next program on August 7th will feature Becca Ralston, who will present a program about her ongoing research into the arrival timing of Prothonotary Warblers on their breeding grounds. The research was done as part of her master's degree work with the School of Environment and Natural Resources at Ohio State University. Becca has long had a fascination for migration ecology, and a strong interest in using new methods and technologies to study and understand birds' movements.

Next Carol introduced Kate St. John, whose program, "Peregrine Falcons: An Environmental Success Story." told us about the history of our local Peregrine Falcons. Fascinated by birds, curious about nature, and addicted to Peregrine Falcons, Kate St. John is a birder, blogger, and Pittsburgh's lead Peregrine Falcon monitor. She writes about birds and nature every day at her blog, Outside My Window, ( www.birdsoutsidemywindow.org). Kate has more than two decades of experience observing these charismatic birds. She described their breeding strategy, the history of their crash and recovery, and notable breeding sites and Peregrine dynasties in western Pennsylvania. Her engaging account of their lives and histories gave us a new appreciation for these fierce yet beautiful raptors.


Kate St. John
in a lighter moment

Kate began by telling us that she had been studying and watching Peregrines since 2001, twenty-two years. The environmental news these days seems to be very bad; species are in decline everywhere, and insects are declining to the point of an insect apocalypse. Kate began by telling us of her experience with the Common Nighthawk, her spark bird, which is now in decline in many areas. She asked the rhetorical question: can we make a difference with endangered species? If we take the case of the Peregrine Falcon as an example, the answer is yes. From their extinction in eastern North America in the 1960s to their removal from the Endangered Species list, Peregrine Falcons have proven that recovery of a species is possible.

A familiar story, the plight of the Peregrine falcon is associated with the appearance of the chemical DDT, which became commonly used in the years following the beginning WWII. This pesticide was used everywhere with little or no regard for its harmful effects. As it turned out, DDT causes cancer in humans. The effect on the bird population was equally devastating, causing birds to lay eggs with shells so thin that they couldn't survive incubation.

Before 1940 and the common use of DDT, there were 44 Peregrine nests in Pennsylvania, located mostly in the southeastern part of the state. By 1959, there were no Peregrine nests at all in Pennsylvania. That didn't change for almost 30 years.

Then, a number of things began to happen that made it possible for the Peregrine to make its reappearance. First, Rachel Carson published her book, Silent Spring in 1962. This immensely popular work raised the public awareness of the dangers of DDT. But, even given this, Peregrines became extinct east of the Rocky Mountains by 1964. In 1972, ten years after publication of Silent Spring, DDT was banned in the United States, and, in 1973, the Endangered Species Act (ESA) was passed by the US Congress.

Before this in 1965, thanks to studies done at Cornell University, it became known that the culprit was the pesticide. With the passage of the ESA, things were in place for the Canadian Peregrine Foundation to begin its captive breeding program. This recovery program came to Pennsylvania in 1974, in the Susquehanna River Valley. Since young Peregrines are hunted by Great Horned Owls, releasing them in wild places was not the best idea, especially for parentless captive bred chicks. The solution was to put hack boxes on buildings in downtown urban areas, where there would be no owls.

In 1991, the first successful breeding of Peregrines in the Pittsburgh area took place. Two birds from other introduction programs – one from Shenandoah and one from the Smoky Mountains – flew into Pittsburgh. Western Pennsylvania Conservancy conservationist Charles Bier erected two nest boxes on the Gulf Tower in Pittsburgh's Golden Triangle, and the two new Peregrines made themselves at home. The tall buildings resembled the cliffs on which Peregrines like to build nests, and there was plenty of food in the form of pigeons in the downtown area.

Even so, by the year 2000, after twenty-six years, there were still only eight Peregrine nests in all of Pennsylvania. It seems that the parallel Eagle recovery project took place much quicker. This has to do with the nature of where the two birds will roost, and what food that they like to eat. Eagles like fish, and there are many rivers and streams and waterways in Pennsylvania. Eagles also roost in trees, and, of course, there are many, many trees Pennsylvania. Peregrines, on the other hand, like cliffs. As for eating, Peregrines catch what they eat – other birds – in mid-air. So there is a far greater opportunity for Eagles to thrive than there is for Peregrines.

Kate took a minute to explain that when a Peregrine dives on a prey bird, it folds its wings completely and drops like a stone, reaching speeds of 200 mph. The birds shape and anatomy are perfectly designed for this high-speed flight and capture, and their nests atop high cliffs give them a good, high location to drop from.

Kate went on to explain that, as with a number of raptors, the Peregrine male is smaller than the female. Also, Peregrines are not particularly social; they only associate with their mates. So, if as birders we see a pair of Peregrine Falcons, it's probably safe to assume that this is a breeding pair. What's more, Peregrines defend their territory and do so very loudly: if a pair is in the vicinity, you will probably hear them. The males supply all the food until the chicks are hatched. After that, the female will join in the hunt. Eggs are usually laid in March, and chicks fledge 38 to 45 days after hatching.

Kate concluded her presentation by showing the attendees a series of images of many of the individual Peregrines who nested and/or fledged here in Pittsburgh, calling most of them by name. She explained that the name protocol became necessary once there were multiple nests in the area: it is much easier, when writing about it, to call a bird by name than to say, for example, "resident male at Gulf Tower nest."

Her talk reminded us that conservation of rare and endangered species like the Peregrine Falcon is possible, but that it takes a major commitment and a very large amount of patience! The next time you're lucky enough to get a glimpse of these amazing birds, remember what it took to save them!

After her entertaining presentation, Kate took several questions and comments. Mike subsequently thanked the members and then adjourned the meeting.

— prepared by Frank Moone on July 3, 2024