Three Rivers Birding Club Southwestern Pennsylvania

Bimonthly Membership Meeting
Wednesday, June 4, 2025
7:30 PM -- 9:30 PM
Hybrid Meeting Originating from Beechwood Farms in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Seventy-seven members were in attendance in-person at 3RBC's June membership meeting, held in the Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania's Beechwood Farms auditorium. In addition to those attending in-person, forty-nine computers were logged on to the meeting via Zoom, with some shared by more than one person. In total, more than 126 individuals viewed the meeting which featured noted birder, naturalist, and author, Kenn Kaufman, who gave a live talk entitled, "The Hidden History of American Warblers."

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

• Mike began by reminding everyone that the club's first-ever board of directors election will be held at the October meeting. Nominations to be considered for the board opened on June 1 and will close September 1. To qualify, nominees must be at least 18 years of age and members in good standing for at least a year. Dave Brooke, Chair of the Nominating Committee, is accepting nominations — email him at davbrooke@gmail.com.


• Mike announced that Kenn Kaufman will lead a bird walk at Frick Park on June 5th. Those interested in attending should meet at the Frick Environmental Center at 9:00 a.m.


• Dave Brooke informed everyone that a special program on Purple Martins will be held at Harrison Hills Park. Everyone is invited to discover the magic of these birds by joining the Friends of Harrison Hills Park for a special presentation by birding expert Ken Kostka on Sunday, June 15, at 1:00 PM at the Harrison Hills Park Environmental Learning Center. Please RSVP to friendsofharrisonhills@gmail.com if you are interested in attending.


• Bob Mulvihill announced that the National Aviary is conducting ongoing Louisiana Waterthrush research. The current phase of this research concerns the impact of micro-plastics on the birds. To aid this effort, Bob requested anyone with knowledge of locations of Louisiana Waterthrush nests to please contact him as soon as possible. He can be texted or called at 412-522-5729.


• In his role as The Peregrine editor, Bob Mulvihill noted that the July/August issue is shaping up nicely and will have more warbler photos than usual. He commented that he has a little space left, so anyone with a nice photo and a brief story to go with it should contact him at robert.mulvihill@aviary.org.


• Treasurer Tom Moeller reported that club memberships are holding at 337, translating to about 430 individuals. The club lost 17 memberships from those who did not return from last September, but we have gained them back! A number of our most recent members are new to Pittsburgh. Tom noted that seven folks joined this week specifically because of Kenn Kaufman's appearance at the club. Thank you, Kenn! Tom also noted that the club is trying to reduce the cost of the paper copies of The Peregrine mailed out, and the best way to do this is for members to opt to receive the newsletter by email only. He encouraged members to contact him if they would like to receive a digital newsletter only. Currently, only 40% of members make use of this option. As always, Tom extended his thanks to new members who have chosen to join us, and to our loyal, ongoing members for their continued support and generosity.


• Webmaster Tom Moeller reported that he has added favicons (depicting a Peregrine Falcon head) to each page of the club's site. For those unfamiliar with the term, a favicon, short for "favorite icon," is a small, square icon associated with a website, typically displayed in a browser's address bar, tab, or bookmark list. It serves as a visual identifier for the website, making it easier for users to recognize and access it. Tom related that he also has created dedicated pages for past Zoom meetings, one for each Zoom meeting in our last five years. Finally, Tom is also looking for a volunteer to handle the club's Facebook page. Please contact him or any club officer if you're interested. Good work, Tom!


• Outings Director Steve Thomas announced that the following Spring outings will take place:
  
  
  • June 14 – Piney Tract (State Game Land #330) [cancelled]
  • June 21 – Jacob's Creek Educational Wetlands, Fayette County
  • August 29 – Sewickley Heights Borough Park
  • September 5 – North Park
  • September 6 – Harrison Hills Park
  • September 12 – Sewickley Heights Borough Park
  • September 13 – Sewickley Height Borough Park, Beginning Birders Outing
  
  Outing 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. Each leader may discontinue the outing at any time if conditions warrant such an action. Attendees should also note that pets are not permitted on 3RBC outings. 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.


• President Mike Fialkovich gave his recap of highlights of recent bird sightings: Connecticut Warbler at Bellevue Memorial Park; Pacific Loon at Duck Hollow (an Allegheny County first); Blue-winged Teal at North Park (a possible breeding pair); Bufflehead at Emsworth Dam; Semipalmated Plover at Sharpsburg marina; Greater Yellowlegs at Boyce-Mayview Park; Solitary Sandpipers have been reported in the area; Philadelphia Vireo have been reported in the area; leucistic American Robin in Richland Township; American Pipits at Imperial; Gambel's White-crowned Sparrow at West Deer Township; Worm-eating Warbler in Harrison Hills Park and Tom's Run; Golden-winged Warbler at Richland Township, Hayes and Frick Park; Mourning Warbler at Frick Park and Beechwood Farms; Black Vultures increasingly sighted in the area; Virginia Rail at Wingfield Pines; Sora at Janoski's Farm in Findlay Township and at Wingfield Pines; Sandhill Cranes flying over Gibsonia and North Park; Lesser Black-backed Gull at Dashields Dam; Caspian Tern at North Park and Duck Hollow; Forster's Tern at a number of locations on the Allegheny and Ohio Rivers; Black Tern at Imperial; Common Terns at Sharpsburg; Red-throated Loon at Cheswick; Great Egrets at Harmar Township, McCandless Township, Duck Hollow, and North Park; Merlin in Squirrel Hill; Red-headed Woodpeckers at North Park and Highland Park; Alder Flycatcher at Deer Lakes Park and at the Point; Yellow-bellied Flycatchers at Frick Park and other locations; Olive-sided Flycatcher at Frick Park, Boyce Park and Hampton Community Park; Bank Swallow at Dashields Dam; Marsh Wren at Wingfield Pines (possible breeding pair); Pine Siskin at Allison Park; Spotted X Eastern Towhee hybrid at Beechwood Farms; Rusty Blackbird in Bridgeville; Orange-crowned Warbler in Harrison Hills Park and Schenley Park; a number of Northern Waterthrush have been reported in the area; and Prothonotary Warbler along Crouse Run in Allison Park and Duck Hollow.


• Program Director Carol McCullough was absent, so Mike announced that our August 6 meeting will be hybrid — both in-person at Beechwood Farms Auditorium and on Zoom. The meeting will feature Tom and Janet Kuehl, who will present to us the highlights of their recent trip to southern Africa, where they visited Namibia, Botswana, and Zimbabwe. Tom will present a photographic tour through the arid savanna, dry highlands, and coastal deserts of Namibia, the seasonal wetlands of Botswana, and end at one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World — Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe. Since this was an African safari, we can expect to see not just the many birds Tom photographed on the tour, but also flora and fauna, and some of the culture of the areas visited.

Next, founding member Jack Solomon introduced Kenn Kaufman, American author, artist, naturalist, and conservationist renowned for his accessible field guides on birds and butterflies. Kenn gained early recognition in the 1970s as a teenage birder who hitchhiked across North America, an adventure chronicled in his book Kingbird Highway. Over his career, Kaufman has become a prominent figure in the birding world, contributing significantly to bird identification resources and conservation efforts, and he is the only person to have received the American Birding Association's lifetime achievement award twice.

Kenn's presentation, entitled, "The Hidden History of American Warblers," explored the many species of small, colorful warblers, which are so popular with birders. Kaufman has been studying the history of these birds for several years, and his talk drew on material from his two most recent books, A Season on the Wind: Inside the World of Spring Migration and The Birds That Audubon Missed: Discovery and Desire in the American Wilderness.

Warblers, which provide some of spring migration's peak excitement, have a complicated history. Kenn explained that, two centuries ago, the American warbler family hadn't been defined yet, and naturalists were identifying some of the warblers as flycatchers, creepers, titmice, or thrushes. The females, males, and fall plumages of some warblers look so different from each other that they were originally described and named as separate species. Even after these were figured out, some hybrids caused confusion for years, and at least one mysterious warbler vanished for no obvious reason.

Kenn's delivery focused on the hidden history and characteristics of American warblers, highlighting their popularity among birders and their colorful plumage. By contrast, warblers found in Europe and elsewhere are mostly drab-colored.

He explained that the term 'warbler' is not consistently defined across regions, and that the classification of these birds has evolved over time. Luckily for us, New World warblers display vibrant colors, which make them particularly rewarding to observe during spring migration.

Kaufmann offered the group a fascinating look at the evolution and history of bird classification. For instance, commenting on how the Linnaean system evolved, the Chestnut-sided Warbler was classified differently in 1766 compared to today. He also highlighted the contributions of early naturalists like George Edwards and William Bartram, and described how the Worm-eating Warbler got its name. He also mentioned Thomas Jefferson's role in describing the Palm Warbler and introduced Alexander Wilson and John James Audubon as early American ornithologists.

Kenn discussed the early classification of American warblers, noting that until the 1820s, birds were not categorized into distinct families like they are today. He highlighted the confusion surrounding bird names and classifications, such as the Black-and-white Warbler being called a creeper, and the Ovenbird being referred to as a Golden-crowned Thrush. Kenn attributed significant progress in bird classification to Charles Bonaparte, who, in the 1830s, separated American warblers from European warblers and correctly identified the Ovenbird and Redstart as warblers, despite their ground-dwelling habits. Bonaparte's work laid the groundwork for modern bird classification, though his contributions are often overshadowed by those of Audubon and others.

Bird species naming offered another source of confusion. Focusing on the work of Wilson and Audubon, Kenn discussed historical bird species naming and classification. He explained how species like the Bay-breasted Warbler and Magnolia Warbler had confusing histories and had been misidentified over the years. Kenn also delved into the mystery of the Carbonated Warbler, a bird that Audubon claimed to have seen but whose existence remains unproven. He suggested that Audubon may have painted it from memory, possibly a now-extinct species. But he also reminded the audience that Audubon was "the P. T. Barnum" of birding and may have invented this so-called lost warbler.

Kaufmann delighted the listeners with his discussion of rare and somewhat mysterious bird discoveries. He related mysteries surrounding several bird species, including the Swainson's Warbler, Bachman's Warbler, and Kirtland's Warbler. He explained how these birds were discovered and named, and commented on their subsequent rarity or extinction. Kenn also covered the discovery of Brewster's Warbler, which was later determined to be a hybrid between Blue-winged and Golden-winged Warblers. He emphasized the excitement surrounding these discoveries and the resistance to the idea of songbird hybrids in the 19th century.

Next, Kenn moved to a discussion of warblers and hybrids, and some of the conservation challenges they face. He explained that while some hybrid warblers are fertile, others may face reproductive disadvantages. Kenn also touched on the ongoing debate about the origin of warblers' migration patterns and mentioned recent findings of unusual bird hybrids.

After his fascinating talk, Kenn took several questions from the audience.

President Fialkovich thanked Kenn for his work, thanked the members, and adjourned the meeting.

— prepared by Frank Moone on June 18, 2025