Three Rivers Birding Club Southwestern Pennsylvania

Bimonthly Membership Meeting
Wednesday, August 6, 2025
7:30 PM -- 9:30 PM
Hybrid Meeting Originating from Beechwood Farms in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Fifty-three members were in attendance in-person at 3RBC's August membership meeting, held in the Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania's Beechwood Farms auditorium. In addition to those attending in-person, twenty-three computers were logged on to the meeting via Zoom, with some shared by more than one person. In total, more than 80 individuals viewed the meeting which featured 3RBC member, Tom Kuehl, who presented a travelogue of a birding trip that he and his wife, Janet, took in September 2019 to the southern African nation of Namibia, with shorter excursions to Botswana and Zimbabwe.

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:

• Club Secretary, Frank Moone, reminded the members that the club's first-ever board election will be held during the October meeting. Those who are interested in either nominating themselves or someone else have until September 1 to do so. To qualify, nominees must be at least 18 years of age and members in good standing for at least a year. Nominations should be forwarded to Dave Brooke (davbrooke@gmail.com), chair of the Nominating Committee.


• Mike told the group that, due to observance of Yom Kippur, the club's October meeting will be held on October 8, one week later than usual.


• Mike announced that the Pennsylvania Society for Ornithology (PSO) will host its 2025 PSO Birding Festival in Lehigh County, September 26 - 28, 2025. Registration is open now. The Festival is the best place to enjoy great birding trips, learn from experts, and meet or re-connect with birding friends. This year the PSO will be gathering at the Delta Hotels by Marriott Allentown Lehigh Valley; this is the PSO's 34th gathering, and it will be the first in Lehigh County. This year's Festival will feature an impressive line-up of field trips, speakers, and vendors. For more information, please visit https://pabirds.org/2025-overview/.


• President Fialkovich also noted that the American Birding Association's Community Weekend will take place in Pittsburgh. On Saturday morning, September 20, attendees will bird together at Hartwood Acres Park, where participants will explore the trails around the estate buildings, meadows, and mature woodland areas. In the afternoon, the Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania will host two presentations at its Beechwood Farms Nature Reserve, one by Brian Shema and the other by Nick Stahlman. In the evening, birders are invited to gather at East End Brewing for a little urban birding and socializing over pizza and local drinks on their outdoor patio. On Sunday morning, September 21, the activity will move to Frick Park to look for fall migrants. Later we will gather at the Frick Environmental Center for a fun presentation by Mike Fialkovich. All bird walks, talks, and workshops are free and open to the public (with cash bar/food during the evening social), but registration is mandatory. The ABA's bird-friendly SongBird Coffee will be served before and after each bird walk and presentation. For more information, visit https://www.aba.org/pittsburgh-community-weekend-sep-20-21-2025/.


• Bob Mulvihill, The Peregrine editor, announced that he is beginning preparation of the September/October issue and asked members to submit photos and/or articles that might be of general interest. He can be contacted at robert.mulvihill@aviary.org.


• Treasurer Tom Moeller presented his 3RBC budget for 2025-2026, which projects $10,000 in income, which will cover expenses like printing The Peregrine, guest speakers fees, and other necessary expenditures. The membership in attendance, both on Zoom and in-person, unanimously approved the budget. Tom next reported that club memberships are at 325, translating to more than 400 individuals. He also reminded everyone that best way to reduce the cost of the paper copies of The Peregrine is for members to opt to receive the newsletter by email. Right now, only about 40% of the members receive a digital copy of the newsletter only. Please consider receiving The Peregrine by email, and save paper and costs! 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 the fall outing schedule is on the website. He also informed the members that new club member, John Drake, has volunteered to manage the club's social media presence on Facebook and Instagram. Thanks, and welcome, John!


• Outings Director Steve Thomas announced that the following Fall outings will take place:
  
  
  • August 29 – Sewickley Heights Borough Park
  • September 5 – North Park
  • September 6 – Harrison Hills Park
  • September 12 – Sewickley Heights Borough Park
  • September 13 – Sewickley Heights Borough Park, New Birders Outing
  • September 13 – Deer Lakes County Park
  • September 14 – Wingfield Pines
  • September 20 – Raccoon Creek State Park
  • October 3 – Hartwood Acres
  • October 4 – Linda Croskey's Farm
  • October 5 – Frick Park
  • October 18 – Frick Park Family-oriented Bird Walk
  • November 1 – Yellow Creek State Park
  
  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: Bufflehead at Emsworth Dam; a late Solitary Sandpiper at Imperial; American Woodcock at North Park, Peter's Creek, and Hartwood Acres; Red-breasted Nuthatch at Imperial; Brown Creepers at North Park; late Swainson's Thrush at Sewickley Heights Park and Pleasant Hills Arboretum; Vesper Sparrow at Imperial; Savannah Sparrows at Imperial; Henslow's Sparrow at Imperial; White-throated Sparrow in Hampton Township; Worm-eating Warblers at Harrison Hills Park; Black and White Warbler in Harrison Hills Park, Natrona Heights, Frick Park, and North Park; Kentucky Warbler at North Park, Deer Lakes Park, Harrison Hills Park, Indiana Township, and Frick Park; Cerulean Warbler at Boyce Park; Northern Parula at Scott Conservancy; Bay-breasted Warbler at Frick Park; Blackpoll at North Park; Black-throated Green Warbler at Sewickley Heights Borough Park and Crouse Run; Common Loon at Emsworth Dam; Northern Bobwhites at North Park; Great Egret flying up the Allegheny near Lawrenceville and at North Park; Little Blue Heron at North Park; Black Tern at Imperial; Common Tern at Emsworth Dam; Forster's Terns at Duck Hollow; Black Vultures in Frasier, Forward Township, Buena Vista, and at the Monongahela Cemetery; Virginia Rail at Wingfield Pines; Barred Owl family in Frick Park; Red-headed Woodpeckers at North Park and Highland Park; Merlin in Squirrel Hill and in Mt. Lebanon Cemetery; Fish Crow flock in Oakland; Alder Flycatchers at North Park and North Versailles; and Bank Swallows at Dashields Dam.


• Program Director Carol McCullough announced that our October 8 meeting will be hybrid - both in-person at Beechwood Farms Auditorium and on Zoom. The meeting will feature club member and The Peregrine editor, Bob Mulvihill, who will tell us about his 40+ years in ornithology. His talk, "A Serendipitous Career in Ornithology," will feature the many and fascinating details of his ornithological journey.

Carol next introduced Tom and Janet Kuehl. Tom and Janet became avid birders in the late 1990s and are hawk watchers and prolific bird enthusiasts, who have been deeply involved in Christmas Bird Counts, Winter Raptor Surveys, and the current Pennsylvania Bird Atlas 3, for which they serve as Southwestern Regional Coordinators and Westmoreland County Compilers. They also served as regional coordinators in the Second Pennsylvania Breeding Bird Atlas. Tom is the Westmoreland County Compiler for Pennsylvania Birds, and he served two-year terms as Vice President and President of the Pennsylvania Society for Ornithology.

Tom began his presentation by telling the audience that he and Janet visited Namibia, Botswana, and Zimbabwe. In particular, they saw birds and other wildlife in the arid savanna, dry highlands, and coastal deserts of Namibia, and the seasonal wetlands of Botswana. Their trip ended at one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World - Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe. Since this was an African safari, besides birds Tom photographed flora and fauna and some examples of the culture of the areas they visited.

They began in Namibia, a former German colony and the country in southern Africa in which they spent most of their time. They flew into Windhoek, the country's capital. Both Namibia and Botswana are sparsely populated. The area has been under drought conditions for several years. Over the course of this trip, Tom and Janet saw 367 different species.

The first bird that they saw, an Orange River Francolin, was near the Avis Dam. Tom explained that this was a fairly rare species, so they started very well. He told us that there are not many endemic birds in Namibia, but many near-endemics, so they would be chasing after a number of rarities. Next, they saw a Mountain Wheatear and Familiar Chat. They got good looks at the very common Fork-tailed Drango.

As is common in all birding, there were good birds at a local sewage treatment plant they visited. While there they saw Great White Pelican, Grey Heron, Egyptian Goose, and South African Shelduck.

At a game park near Winhoek, they saw a variety of typical African megafauna — zebra, warthogs, wildebeest, and giraffes. On the avian front, they saw Groundscraper Thrush.

Moving on from Windhoek, Tom and Janet next relocated southwest heading across a mountain range toward Walvis Bay, on the Atlantic coast. En route they saw Sociable Weaver nests, the largest nests of all the Weavers. They also saw a common raptor, the Southern Pale Chanting Goshawk. While staying at a lodge, they saw the very scary-looking and bold Chacma Baboons, an animal to be avoided! They also saw Red-eyed Bulbul, a bird very common across southern Africa. They traversed Spreetshoogte Pass, a mountain pass in central Namibia connecting the Namib Desert with the Khomas Highland by traversing the Great Escarpment. This was a very arid locale. Here they saw a Verreaux's Eagle. Here they also made a remarkable find, a family of five Cheetahs, a mother and four fairly large cubs!

Traveling along, they saw a Namaqua Sandgrouse and a Stark's Lark.

When they got to Walvis Bay, they saw some water birds, including Greater and Lesser Flamingo, Chestnut-banded Plover, Black-necked Grebe, and Great White Pelicans. They also saw Black-backed Jackals there.

The next day they searched for the endemic Dune Lark in the Namib Desert. On the way to Etosha National Park, they saw Welwitschia plants, some of which were 500 years old! They stopped in the Spitzkopf Mountains, looking for the Herero Chat, which they found. There were also many starlings, including the Pale-winged Starling. For the reptile aficionados, they also saw the African Striped Skink.

As they made their way toward Etosha National Park, they stayed at the Erongo Wilderness Lodge, where a sampling of the birds they saw included a Hartlaub's Spurfowl, a Green-winged Pytilia, a Rosy-faced Lovebird, and, at the lady's bathroom, a Rock Python!

After leaving the lodge and on the road to Etosha National Park, they saw Bare-cheeked Babblers.

Reaching the park, they saw Ludwig's Bustard. as well as Crimson-breasted Shrike, Double-banded Courser, Southern Yellow-billed Hornbill, Helmeted Guinea Fowl, Pied Crow, Violet Wood-Hoopoe, Burchell's Sandgrouse, Violet-eared Waxbill, Cape Starlings, and many more birds. They also saw Africa's heaviest flying bird species, the Kori Bustard. While they were in this area, they also saw many of Africa's iconic animals — giraffe, impala, springbok, elephants, lions, Red Hartebeast, White and Black Rhinoceros, and, of course, more zebra.

As the intrepid travelers made their way toward Victoria Falls, they stopped at Bwabwata National Park, where they saw a Lilac-breasted Roller, and an ostrich family, as well as several other birds and animals. After taking a boat ride on the Zambezi River to the next lodge, they saw what Tom described as one of the coolest birds on the trip — the Schalow's Turaco, as well as Sacred Ibis, Egyptian Goose, and Southern Ground Hornbill.

Tom and Janet concluded their amazing safari with spectacular views of Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe, one of the world's wonders.

After this interesting presentation, Tom and Janet took several questions from the audience.

President Fialkovich thanked the Kuehls, thanked the members, and adjourned the meeting.

— prepared by Frank Moone on August 29, 2025