April 2009 Outings
Sunday April 5 - Lake Arthur Moraine State Park
This leaderless outing will be our first visit of the year to Lake Arthur which is a man made lake that is the heart of Moraine State Park. The lake gets good (sometimes spectacular) numbers and variety of waterfowl in migration. Meet at the Moraine State Park day use area (south shore) in the first parking lot on the right at 8:00 AM. From I-79, take route 422 east toward Butler and exit at the Moraine State Park exit. At the end of the ramp, turn left and go straight into the park until you see the first major parking area on your right. Allow one hour driving from Pittsburgh.
Sunday April 5 - Lower Buffalo Creek Watershed IBA 80 (Washington County)
Outings to this area continue to produce an impressive list of species. Larry Helgerman (412-508-0312) and Mary Grey will be our leaders. Start time 8:00AM. From Pittsburgh, take I-79 south to I-70. Take I-70 west to the Taylorstown exit. At the stop sign, take a left. At the next stop sign, take a right. After about one mile, you will come to a blinking red light. Proceed straight through this light and meet the leaders in the parking area about 200 yards on the left. In case you get lost, ask for directions to the S-bridge, which is a well-known local landmark at this intersection. Be prepared for muddy trails and pack a lunch to stay into the afternoon.
Saturday April 11 - Yellow Creek State Park
Meet Margaret Higbee (724-354-3493) at the park office at 8:00 AM for this joint outing of the 3RBC and the Todd Bird Club. The park office is located on Route 259 just off Route 422 east of Indiana. Allow an hour and 30 minutes to drive from Pittsburgh. Yellow Creek State Park has been the prime outing location for the Todd Bird Club since the club was created. The park contains a wide variety of habitats and a large lake that attracts a wide variety of species. Some of the waterfowl numbers have been spectacular in the past with real rarities showing up on a fairly regular basis.
Wednesday April 15 - Woodcock Walk
Meet leader Tom Byrnes (412-828-4539) at the Ladbrokes (now The Meadows) parking lot behind the Primanti Brothers restaurant off the Harmar exit of Route 28. We will carpool and drive a short distance to a field in Harmar Township that has produced lots of American Woodcock in the past several years. Be prepared for a muddy walk and bring a flashlight. Meeting time will be 7:15 PM.
Friday April 17 - Sewickley Park
In collaboration with the Fern Hollow Nature Center at Sewickley Heights Borough Park, these bird walks will be lead by Bob VanNewkirk (412-366-1694 or email at van126@comcast.net). The walks begin at 7:30 AM starting from the upper parking lot. Directions to the park can be found on the 3RBC's website www.3rbc.org. Birders should be prepared for muddy trails. It is also advisable to bring water and a lunch. Besides birding in the park we will drive and make stops along Little Sewickley Creek. Louisiana Waterthrush, Yellow-throated Warbler, and Warbling Vireo nest in the area.
Sunday April 19 - Smith/Wilkes Farm in Greene County
Patti Kaminski (412-831-8041) has again arranged an outing to this multi-habitat, 90+ acre privately owned farm just north of the West Virginia border. We will meet at 7:30 AM at the Norman Center parking lot by Borders (across from Burger King Restaurant) in Mount Lebanon for assembly and car pooling. From Pittsburgh to Norman Center, take Route 19 south past the Galleria and turn left at the light at the top of the hill (North Highland). We will drive on to I-79 and continue south to the Mt. Norris exit (#1). At the end of the exit ramp, turn left and follow this road for about 3 miles to a t-intersection (stop sign). Turn left again onto Taylortown Road, and follow this for another 3 miles (caution - lots of curves!); at a "y" in the road, we'll bear right onto Bigfoot Road, and the first driveway to the right is the entrance to the farm. Total driving time is about one hour and fifteen minutes. Be prepared for muddy trails.
Friday April 24 - Sewickley Park
In collaboration with the Fern Hollow Nature Center at Sewickley Heights Borough Park, these bird walks will be lead by Bob VanNewkirk (412-366-1694 or email at van126@comcast.net). The walks begin at 7:30 AM starting from the upper parking lot. Directions to the park can be found on the 3RBC's website www.3rbc.org. Birders should be prepared for muddy trails. It is also advisable to bring water and a lunch. Besides birding in the park we will drive and make stops along Little Sewickley Creek. Louisiana Waterthrush, Yellow-throated Warbler, and Warbling Vireo nest in the area.
Saturday April 25 - Boyce Mayview Park
Join Todd Fortier (412-341-3324 or Cell 412-726-2394) for an outing to Boyce-Mayview Park. In addition to a beautiful wetland area, there are woods and open fields, with recently developed trails throughout. We'll begin our walk at 8:00 AM in a small parking area off of Boyce Road. Travel South 19 past South Hills Village (on your left). Continue on 19 a few miles past Upper St. Clair High School (on right) until you reach Boyce Road; turn right onto Boyce, going past Boyce Middle School and then about 1 mile downhill, going past Friendship Village (on your left). At the bottom of the hill on your right is the entrance to the parking area, adjacent to a small pizza shop.
Sunday April 26 - The Enlow Fork Total Ecology Extravaganza
Starting at 8:00am this will be multi-organizational event. Birding, Botany, Butterflies, Fish, Snails, Stream study and Watershed conservation. Leaders in all fields. Picnicking is encouraged. Larry Helgerman (412-508-0312)says This is one event not to miss!
