1999 - Bird sightings in Westmoreland County, southwestern Pennsylvania
Screaminghawk's
Bird sightings in Westmoreland County, southwestern Pennsylvania
~~~ Year 1999 ~~~
Some bird sightings
m=male, f=female, pr=pair (1 male + 1 female), a=adult, im=immature, f/i=female or immature, b=breeding (summer) plumage, n=non-breeding (winter or basic) plumage, h=heard, s=seen, oh=overhead. An underlined entry means the sighting is somehow special, first of season, unusual, noteworthy; locally or regionally uncommon/rare, out-of-season, out-of-range, extralimital, etc.
Use the Edit & Find command from your browser's menu bar to search for a specific species name in this page. Most recent sightings are at the top of the list. Dates are formatted as month/day (mm/dd).
An adult Cooper's Hawk on the hunt in downtown Latrobe. Seen flying over the stone-arch railroad bridge, then landing in a large Sycamore tree. An adult male Kestrel appeared & began divebombing the Cooper's. 11/30
Two Great Horned Owls hooting back & forth to one another at Westpoint & Rt130; Sharp-shinned Hawk in Latrobe at Unity Street & Crabtree Road intersection; Canada Geese, 10 Black Ducks, 1 Ruddy Duck, 3 Green-winged Teal (1m 2f), 3 Ringneck Duck, 1f Bufflehead at Latrobe Reservoir. 11/11
Cooper's Hawk flying over downtown Latrobe & being harassed by some pigeons, 11/10.
Two Raven soaring in the Loyalhanna Gorge at Chestnut Ridge, 11/4.
Purple Finch (singing softly) on Chestnut Ridge in Loyalhanna Gorge, 11/1.
A flock of 200-300 Crows taking a communal bath at Conemaugh River Lake, 10/31.
Ross' Goose, Canada Geese, Killdeer, Coot, Pied-billed Grebe, Mallard at farm pond on Luxor Rd, 10/21. The Ross' Goose was first reported by D.L. on 10/20 & last seen 10/24.
Winter Wren, Black-capped Chickadee, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Tufted Titmouse, White-breasted Nuthatch; Pileated, Red-bellied, & Downy Woodpeckers heard; Great Blue Heron at Chestnut Ridge, 10/13.
Great Horned Owl heard hooting from the direction of a cemetery up the hill at 3:30AM at the edge of Latrobe, 10/11.
Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow (inland race in some field guides) at a farm in central Westmoreland County, located by D.L., 10/10.
Great Blue Heron, 2 Belted Kingfisher, 2-3 Killdeer in Loyalhanna Creek downtown Latrobe at the stone arch railroad bridge. 2 Red-breasted Nuthatch, 5 Raven, 6 Double-crested Cormorant at Conemaugh River Lake. 10/8.
5 Raven, 1 Broad-winged Hawk, Turkey Vulture, Red-tailed Hawk, 2 Kestrel, 1 Pileated Woodpecker, Belted Kingfisher, Spotted Sandpiper, Eastern Bluebird, Indigo Bunting, at Conemaugh River Lake, 8/16.
In the Loyalhanna Creek 2 Great Blue Heron, 2 Green-backed Heron, 1 Belted Kingfisher seen from 2nd bridge (Steele Bridge 1963) on Ligonier Street at the north end of town, not far from the hospital, 8/15.
Common Nighthawk over Latrobe Hospital 8/5 & over Latrobe Steel plant 8/6.
A very vocal Raven on Bow Ridge, 2 Great Blue Heron, 1 Spotted Sandpiper at Conemaugh River Lake, 8/3.
A Great Blue Heron fishing riffles in the Kiskiminetas River in Hyde Park, upriver from the footbridge, 7/31.
Kentucky Warbler, Wood Thrush, House Wren, Carolina Wren, Gray Catbird, Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, Cardinal, Common Yellowthroat, American Goldfinch, Song Sparrow between Walton Rd & the Hutchinson bypass near Grange Rd, one mile from Rt30, 7/21.
In the village of Loyalhanna 4-5 Purple Martin at a martin house. The Martins were flying in to roost for the night. 7/18.
An Eastern Kingbird at Keystone State Park perched atop the white plastic stakes that hold up the goose control fence beside the swimming beach. The kingbird uses the stakes as a hunting perch. 7/17.
3 Red-shouldered Hawks, 1 Red-tailed Hawk, 1 Osprey, Scarlet Tanager (1pr), Acadian Flycatcher, Eastern Wood Pewee, Great Crested Flycatcher at Loyalhanna Lake near the Woodlands private boat launch. The Red-shouldered Hawks were very vocal. The one I saw was young. All 3 may have been young. The flycatchers were heard. An Osprey was fishing in the lake. The Osprey made a plunge hunting from the wing without making a catch. Then the Opsrey used a perch to hunt from. On the third plunge from the perch the Osprey got hold of a fish, and for some seconds struggled in the water with the fish - probably a carp since carp feed in the mud and shallow water of that part of the lake. Even after getting airborne the Osprey had no easy time handling the thrashing fish. Carp are heavy and strong. It is the most action I've seen between an Opsrey and a fish. After circling to gain height the Osprey flew away with the catch. 7/15.
1 Cormorant, 3 Belted Kingfisher, American Redstart, Hooded Warbler, Red-eyed Vireo, Carolina Wren at Conemaugh River Lake, 7/10.
1 Cormorant & 2 Great Crested Flycatcher at Loyalhanna Lake. A young Turkey Vulture in a cave on Chestnut Ridge. 7/8.
Hooded, Kentucky, Black-throated Green & Parula Warblers, Turkey Vulture, Scarlet Tanager, Red-eyed Vireo, on Chestnut Ridge. Great Crested Flycatcher, Grasshopper Sparrow, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Bobwhite, Whip-Poor-Will, & Owl (a screeching young Great Horned Owl?) heard in Ligonier Valley. 7/7.
Great Crested Flycatcher, Rough-winged Swallows, Eastern Phoebe all still busy making feeding trips to young in nests at Loyalhanna Lake. Great Blue Heron, Tree & Barn Swallows. Heard Warbling Vireo, Scarlet Tanager, Eastern Wood Pewee, Acadian Flycatcher, Indigo Bunting, Common Yellowthroat, Yellow-breasted Chat, and more, 6/30.
Savannah, Song & Grasshopper Sparrows, Mockingbird, 3 Kestrels, along Shotgun Rd (TR888) near Whitney. A Broad-winged Hawk (vocal) shadowing a Red-tailed Hawk over Ridgeview Heights in Latrobe. 6/28.
Blue-grey Gnatcatcher, Hooded Warbler, Black & White Warbler, Yellow-breasted Chat, Cedar Waxwing all heard & seen at close range on Chestnut Ridge 6/26.
WHIP-POOR-WILL again heard and seen (1m) at an undisclosed location in Ligonier Valley, 6/23.
MOURNING Warbler, Ruffed Grouse slowly crossing the road, Hermit Thrushes & Veeries singing, Golden-crowned Kinglet; Magnolia, Hooded, Blackburnian, Common Yellowthroat, Ovenbird Warblers (all seen at close range except Ovenbird); Cedar Waxwings, Dark-eyed Juncoes, Robins, Chipping Sparrows, Brown-headed Cowbirds, Common Grackle, Crows, a hen Wild Turkey doing a variation of the broken wing act (chicks present), on Laurel Summit. 4 Turkey Vultures perched atop the transmission tower on Bald Knob, Least Flycatcher, Black-throated Green Warbler, Red-eyed Vireo off Weaver Road. 6/21.
MOURNING Warbler, Ruffed Grouse drumming, Hermit Thrushes & Veeries singing, on Laurel Summit. Elsewhere in the Ligonier Valley, a Barred Owl perched on a Beech tree branch above me, a hen Wild Turkey and her clutch of chicks, 2 WHIP-POOR-WILLS calling, one at very close range but still hidden from my view in the branches of a row of tall spruces, a Great Horned Owl screeched loudly from large trees at the edge of a field, at an undisclosed location in Ligonier Valley. Someone had this to say about the Whip-Poor-Wills, "I never heard them before And I'll tell you, I hope they fly far away !...Darn thing just won't let you have a moments peace!!!...:):)". 6/15.
Eastern Kingbird, Warbling Vireo, Red-eyed Vireo, Northern Oriole, Tree Swallow, Rough-winged Swallow, Acadian Flycatcher, Eastern Wood Pewee, Great Crested Flycatcher (A pair nesting in the trunk of a scrawny half-dead sycamore tree at the water's edge. A memorable image framed by the binocular field of view of a Great Crested Flycatcher perched on a dead limb against the blue sky and a thin crescent moon), Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Scarlet Tanager, Cedar Waxwing, Red-tailed Hawk, Turkey Vulture at Loyalhanna Lake 6/9.
Kentucky Warbler, Loyalhanna Gorge 6/4.
UPLAND SANDPIPER, family of 2 adults & 2 young; Grasshopper, Savannah & Vesper Sparrows; Purple Martin, Hutter's Dairy Farm in Kecksburg, 6/1.
SWAINSON'S Warbler at the Loyalhanna Lake location, first reported 5/8, was last seen/heard on 5/27.
Common Nighthawks 3 flying and diving over downtown Latrobe after sunset, 5/27.
Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Winter Wren (singing), Black and White Warbler, Redstart, Black-throated Green Warbler, Acadian Flycatcher on Chestnut Ridge, 5/26.
Bank Swallows flock of 12~ at Mammoth wetlands on Sewickley Creek, 5/24.
Kentucky, Cerulean, Redstart, Blue-winged, Blackpoll, Parula, Yellow, Yellow-throated (on her nest), Common Yellow-throat, Blackburnian, Ovenbird, Black and White, Hooded, Louisiana Waterthrush Warblers; White-eyed Vireo, Goldfinch, Eastern Bluebird, Meadowlark, Barn Swallow, Grackle, House Finch, Black-billed Cuckoo, Indigo Bunting, Rough-winged
Swallow, Cedar Waxwing, Eastern Towhee, Song Sparrow, Raven, Turkey Vultur, Chimney
Swift, Spotted Sandpiper, Eastern Phoebe, Rock Dove, Pileated Woodpecker, Red-shouldered Hawk, Great Crested Flycatcher, Yellow-throated Vireo, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Tree Swallow, Carolina Wren, Cowbird, Black-capped Chickadee, Flicker, Catbird, Eastern Wood Peewee, Northern Oriole, Scarlet Tanager, Chipping Sparrow, Mourning Dove, House Sparrow, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Wood Thrush, Northern Cardinal, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Red-eyed Vireo, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Acadian Flycatcher, Tufted Titmouse, Blue Jay, Red-wing Blackbird, Starling, Canada Goose, Crow, Robin seen on a field trip to Conemaugh Dam, 5/23.
SWAINSON'S Warbler along Koontz Road at Loyalhanna Lake. Likely the same individual present at this exact location last year, 5/23.
WORM-EATING Warbler, 5/14 & 5/18.
Nashville Warber on Chestnut Ridge, 5/12.
Acadian Flycatcher, Pileated Woodpecker along Loyalhanna Creek north of Latrobe, Common Nighthawk 3-4 downtown Latrobe, 5/11.
Lesser Yellowlegs 1, Great-crested Flycatcher in Loyalhanna township, 5/10.
Black & White, Redstart, and Black-throated Green Warblers; Scarlet Tanager 1pr, Rose-breasted Grosbeak 1pr, Turkey Vulture sitting on eggs, 5/9.
Brown Thrasher 1, Cedar Waxwing 10, Blue-winged Warbler 4, Yellow Warbler 2,
Prairie Warbler 5, Common Yellowthroat 8, Yellow-breasted Chat 4, Indigo Bunting 1, Rufous-sided Towhee 8, Field Sparrow 18, Savannah Sparrow 2, Grasshopper Sparrow 15, and more at reclaimed stripmine near Latrobe, 5/8.
Scarlet Tanager 2m, Cerulean Warbler 1 at close range, Turkey Vultures, Osprey, Red-tailed Hawk, Black & White Warbler (scolding me as if i were near a nest), Yellow-throated Vireo, 5/6.
Black and White, Chestnut-sided, Cerulean, Hooded, Ovenbird Warblers; Rufous-sided Towhee, Junco, Red-tailed Hawk, Broad-winged Hawk (fly-by carrying a rodent), Turkey Vulture,
Hermit Thrush, Hairy Woodpecker, Pileated Woodpecker (heard). Young Raven have left a nest. Invariably the rambunctious young Raven outgrow their nest, and the nest ends up broken apart and pushed off the rock ledge. A new nest will be built next February. 5/4.
House Wren; Rough-winged, Barn and Cliff Swallows; Chimney Swift, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Yellow Warbler, Brown Thrasher, Gray Catbird, Common Yellowthroat, American Redstart, Black-throated Green Warbler, White-eyed Vireo, Warbling Vireo, Green-backed Heron (collecting nest material); Savannah, Grasshopper, Chipping and Song Sparrows; Red-tailed, Broad-winged and Cooper's Hawks; Turkey Vulture, Ring-billed Gull (2nd year), at Mammoth County Park, 5/2.
White-eyed Vireo, Brown Thrasher, Yellow Warbler, Yellow-breasted Chat, Great Horned Owl mobbed by 3 Crows, Osprey 2, Red-tailed Hawk, Blue-winged Teal, Green-winged Teal, Pied-billed Grebe, Tree & Barn Swallows at Virginia Farms of Conemaugh River Lake. Yellow-throated Warbler, Parula Warbler, Cerulean Warbler, Blue-gray Gnatcatchers completing a nest, Rough-winged Swallows, White-eyed Vireo, Conemaugh Dam area, 4/29.
Three young Raven in a nest practicing flapping their wings. They are just about ready to start flying. The two adult Raven were nearby. Hermit Thrush, Winter Wren, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 1f, Hairy Woodpecker, Blue-winged Teal 6, on Laurel Ridge. A Hummingbird (fly-by) on Chestnut Ridge in an area with blooming wild Columbines. 4/27.
Common Snipe 40+, Yellowlegs (sp?), Spotted Sandpiper 2, Solitary Sandpiper 4+, Blue-winged Teal 3pr, Green-winged Teal 1pr, Wood Ducks 6 overhead, Mockingbird, Red-tailed Hawk, Kestrel, at wetlands near Westmoreland County Fairground, 4/26.
Gray-cheeked Thrush off Roaring Run Bike Trail along Conemaugh River near Apollo; Black-throated Green Warbler, Black and White Warbler, Louisiana Waterthrush, Spotted Sandpiper, Yellow-shafted Flicker, Eastern Phoebe along Conemaugh River at Tunnelton; Parula Warbler 1 heard at end of Rt259 at Rt30, 4/24.
Ruby-crowned Kinglet at Latrobe Res., Chimney Swifts 17 in downtown Latrobe at dusk, 4/21.
A SANDHILL CRANE was present (not seen by me) at wetlands on the North Fork of Sewickley Creek on Pollins Farm near Westmoreland County Fairgrounds, 4/20.
One of the Cooper's Hawks nesting at the city limits of Latrobe seen hunting birds in town. Louisiana Waterthrush, Eastern Phoebe at Loyalhanna Gorge; Osprey (with a fish), Bufflehead 1pr, Ruddy Duck 1pr, Red-breasted Merganser 3f, Pied-bill Grebe 1 and a Beaver at Latrobe Reservoir, 4/18.
Raven 2 flying & soaring at Longbridge, Loyalhanna Gorge; also 1 Great Blue Heron overhead, 4/17.
Kestrel perched on wire along Rt981 close to St Vincent College, 4/16.
Turkey Vulture 1 flew low over the railroad station in downtown Latrobe, 4/13.
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 1m, Red-tailed Hawk in nest, at city limits of Latrobe, 4/10.
Severe weather brought down migrating waterfowl. At Mammoth County Park this evening were Common Loon 14 (all in breeding plumage), Red-breasted Merganser 1pr, Scaup 4m 2f; a flock of gulls reconnoitered the lake but didn't land, Bonaparte's Gull 50+, Herring Gull 3 subadults, 4/9.
Cooper's Hawk nest at city limits of Latrobe, 4/6.
Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher, Osprey, Solitary Sandpiper, at Bridgeport Dam wetlands. Pectoral Sandpiper 1 at Mammoth wetlands, 3/8.
Two Short-eared Owls at farm fields between Pandora & New Derry. Also Red-tailed Hawk 2, Great Horned Owl 1, Kestrel 1pr, Eastern Meadowlarks. Tree Swallows 2, Bufflehead 1m, Hooded Merganser 1pr at Loyalhanna Lake & Bufflehead 8m 1f at Keystone State Park, 3/30.
Female Red-breasted Merganser at Derry Lake & Keystone State Park 3/29.
Hairy Woodpecker 2, Brown Creeper 2, White-breasted Nuthatch 1, Woodcock 1, Screech Owl (grey) at hole in tree, Chestnut Ridge 3/27.
Pintail 1pr, Gadwall 1pr, Hooded Merganser 1pr, American Widgeon 1pr, Green-winged Teal 3pr, Wood Duck 3m 1f, Mallards, Black Ducks, Canada Geese at Latrobe Reservoir, 3/26.
A Cooper's Hawk testing groups of Robins, Starlings and Killdeer at the Atheltic Field in downtown Latrobe, looking for a straggler or weak flying bird to attack. None were found so the Cooper's Hawk flew elsewhere in search of prey. 3/22.
Great Blue Heron 1, Ringneck Duck 40+/-, American Widgeon 4, Blue-winged Teal 1m, Mallard and Canada Geese, Killdeer 1, Eastern Bluebird 1, at wetlands along North Fork of Sewickley Creek on the Pollins Farm near Westmoreland County Fairgrounds, 3/20.
Red-tailed Hawk on nest, Northern Harrier 1, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Kestrel, Belted Kingfisher at various locations south of Latrobe. Horned Lark 1 on Bakers Rd. Eastern Meadowlark 2 near Mammoth Park. Red-shouldered Hawk 1, Turkey Vulture 14+ at Loyalhanna Gorge. American Widgeon 3, Wood Duck 2m, Eastern Bluebird 2 at St. Vincent Lake. 3/20.
Tundra Swan 9 at Latrobe Res. 3/16.
A pair of Pileated Woodpeckers at Twin Lakes. Horned Larks in fields north of Crabtree & west of Rt119. One lark on Lone Maple Rd at Lone Oak Farm. 3/11.
A hawk (most likely an accipiter) made a kill at our bird feeders today (3/9) in Latrobe. No one witnessed it. The bloodied clumps of body feathers, a tail feather, a wing feather, tell the tale of a Mourning Dove having been taken. There were no signs of animal tracks in the fresh snow. Whatever caught the dove flew off with the catch.
Hooded Merganser 16, Red-tailed Hawk 2, Hairy Woodpecker 1m at Keystone State Park, plenty of Song & Tree Sparrows at the Beaver Dams, & some White-throated Sparrow, Junco, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Golden-crowned Kinglet. Hooded Merganser 4m 1f seen from 4th Avenue overlooking the Loyalhanna Creek two blocks from the hospital in Latrobe. Kestrel 1 on State Park Rd just west of New Derry. 3/9.
Hooded Merganser 3m & 3f at Kingston Dam on Loyalhanna Creek. Tundra Swan 11, Scaup 1f Latrobe Res., Kestrel 1 on Latrobe-Kingston Rd. Yellow-rumped Warbler 1 at suet feeder in yard in Latrobe, 3/7.
Kestrel perched atop a power line pole along Center Drive, beside Plants'n More Garden Center in Latrobe, 3/2.
Ring-billed Gulls 4 stopped at Latrobe Reservoir to bathe & preen at the waters edge, then flew off over the ridge in the northwest direction of Derry, 2/25.
Turkey Vultures 2, Red-tailed Hawk 1 circling above ridgeside at Longbridge on Rt30. These are my first TVs of the year, 2/24.
Mockingbird 2 in field above coke ovens at Mammoth County Park. Horned Lark 4 in field northwest of Mammoth along Baker Rd (TR567), 2/23.
Horned Grebe 1, Pied-bill Grebe 1, Hooded Merganser 2m, Coot, & the usual Mute Swan, Mallard, & Canada Goose at Ethel Springs Lake in Derry. Raven 2, Robins 24+, Chestnut Ridge, 2/21.
Sreech Owl 1 red phase perched at hole in dead tree on Chestnut Ridge, 2/3.
Green-winged Teal 1m at Latrobe Res. 2/1.
Bald Eagle 1 adult, Common Merganser 2m 1f, Ring-necked Duck 4m 1f, Black Ducks, Mallards, Canada Geese, Latrobe Reservoir, 1/24.
The Bald Eagle flew in over the lake, began circling over the ice-free upper part of the lake, then flew away. Common Goldeneye 1f, Ethel Springs Lake in Derry, 1/22.
I release a Common Loon into the waters of Loyalhanna Creek below Kingston Dam. The loon had been in the care of a wildlife rehabilitator (in a bath tub) after having become land-bound on Chestnut Ridge. Loons cannot take off from land. They have evolved for diving & swimming under water. Their legs are placed far to the rear of their body for that purpose, too far so for them to stand on land. In order to take off they need a long running surface on open water, much like a fixed-wing airplane needs a runway for taking off. If land-bound, or stuck on too small a pond or lake for taking off, they will resort to "wing-walking" on land, which eventually wounds the wings. The loon could die if not able to become airborne. 1/6.
Red-tailed Hawk 2, Northern Harrier 1, Robins 8+, Pileated & Yellow-shafted Flicker Woodpeckers, Keystone State Park, 1/4.
Red-tailed Hawk, Robins 8+, Hermit Thrush 2, Tree Sparrows 20+, Swamp Sparrow, Yellow-rumped Warblers, Hairy & Red-bellied & Yellow-shafted Flicker Woodpeckers, Ruffed Grouse 2 at Keystone State Park. Coot 2, Northern Pintail 2m, Mute Swan 6, Canada Geese, Mallards, Black Ducks at Ethel Springs Lake in Derry. Temp. 20°F, 1/1.
Powdermill Nature Reserve reports the first Louisiana Waterthrush returned to the reserve March 24, a record early date, breaking last year's record early arrival of March 27 1998.