| Bird Watching in North Park | |
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As a young boy, my father used to take me bird
watching within the wooded boundaries of North Park, in the northern suburbs of
Allegheny County. The park is located around the perimeter of Marshall Lake. The
lake itself is the center of park activity but beyond the oft-crowded waters lie
dozens of trails through dense woodlands and endless meadows. My favorite trails
were the ones surrounding the Latodami Nature Reserve on the park's northern
border. It was under the towering evergreens and stately elms of Latodami that I
saw dozens of species of American birds for the first time.
The trail starts out as a gravel road and gradually becomes more wooded. Along the fringes of the trail's beginning, I saw my first diminutive Chestnut-sided warbler foraging in some saplings near the road. During the spring and summer, the roadside edge of the trail will certainly provide the birder with glimpses of its resident Baltimore Orioles, Song Sparrows, Barn Swallows and Cardinals.
About 100 yards from the trail's start is a small pond on the right side of the trail. It was not uncommon for me to identify Baltimore Orioles, American Redstarts, and Blue Jays foraging in the giant elms that stand over the pond. On several occasions, in the pond itself, I have seen male and female Wood Ducks, Mallards, Green-Backed Herons, Spotted Sandpipers, and even the prehistoric looking great blue heron! There are secret passages along the pond which allow the curious birder to observe parts of the pond not immediately visible to the less adventurous. I once came within a few feet of an adult Great Blue Heron, which, upon my sudden encroachment, burst into flight, and nearly gave me a heart attack.
Past the pond, there is an old farmhouse that once served as the headquarters for a nature camp run by the late Joe Gromm. The farm house is the annual home to dozens of barn, tree, and rough-winged swallows. There is nary a summer day that the swallows are not performing their aerial miracles in and around the farm house. Eastern Phoebes constantly bob their tails on the power lines outside the farmhouse, and an occasional American Kestrel or Great Horned Owl can be spotted scanning the horizon from atop the roof of the grand old building. Adjacent to the farmhouse, atop a small hill, is a woodland house formerly inhabited by the Gromm family. The small clearing in front of the house provides suitable habitat for breeding Eastern bluebirds and Rufous-Sided Towhees. There was never anything more exciting to me than the sight of an exquisite male Eastern Bluebird perched atop his nest box. Behind the house are trails that lead into dense forest. The trail itself is bisected by narrow creeks and pockets of thick vegetation. The trail is lined by shorter trees and vegetation which permit stunning views of the magnificent surrounding canopy. Blue-winged and Yellow Warblers were my constant companions along the trail, while the ethereal chorus of hidden Wood Thrushes dazzled my ears from mysterious locales within the understory. Scarlet Tanagers still light up Latodami's green and yellow panorama with their blood-red bodies and blazing black wings, while the striking contrast of the Rose-Breasted Grosbeak is always visible from a less prohibitive heights in the trees.
As the trail narrows, and the forest grows deeper, so does the opportunity for the observation of more unusual birds. Near the trail's end, I have identified migrating Bay-Breasted, Nashville, and Cape-May Warblers. Black-Billed Cuckoos, Black-and-White and Magnolia Warblers, and White-eyed Vireos are some of the birds I have seen during the time of the Spring that suggests they are breeding. The drumming and maniacal call of the Pileated Woodpecker was, to me, an indication of my substantial depth in the forest and one of the memories I cherish most from my time in the woods outside Pittsburgh. Beyond the trail, at the top of a rather steep incline, lies an absolutely majestic meadow that stretches far beyond what my eyes could see and my legs could walk. It was here, under the strength of a time-honored oak, that I proposed to my fiancée amidst the circling Tree Swallows and cheerful Meadowlarks.
Latodami is a special place. Whether you are a bird-watcher or not, you can certainly find yourself lost within the forests and fields of one of Pittsburgh's most hidden treasures.
