14 September 2025
Now that Nick Liadis’ Chook Lab has been banding birds for 5 years within the Pittsburgh space, an evaluation of spring and fall knowledge exhibits the similarities and variations between their three banding websites:
- Hays Woods within the Metropolis of Pittsburgh
- A suburban website within the South Hills
- A rural website in Butler County.
The outcomes have been shocking. Because the Submit-Gazette studies, throughout fall migration Hays Woods has extra birds and extra species than each the suburban and rural websites. The Connecticut warbler pictured at high, banded there final October, is one such instance of autumn hen range at Hays Woods.
Listed here are aerial maps of the three places as screenshots from Google Maps. Discover the feel of the encircling land. Hays Woods is a inexperienced oasis within the metropolis.
Nick explains:
“The birds are in all probability zeroing in on Hays Woods as a result of it’s a big blip of inexperienced in an city space,” he mentioned.
“When dawn comes, they’re in search of the perfect habitat. Hays Woods is larger up in elevation with forest, power-line cuts which are meadows and woodland edges.”
Within the fall, numerous species of migrating birds gravitate to open areas close to energy traces flanked by bushes and brush, Liadis famous.
— Submit-Gazette: Metropolis birds outnumber suburban and nation cousins on this depend
Unsurprisingly, Hays Woods isn’t as fashionable throughout spring migration as the agricultural Butler County website.
So now could be the time to rejoice birds at Hays Woods (and Frick Park). Listed here are two migrants I noticed banded at Hays a yr in the past.
Study extra about Chook Lab and town/suburbs/nation combine in Mary Ann Thomas’ article on the Submit-Gazette: Metropolis birds outnumber suburban and nation cousins on this depend.
