Three Rivers Birding Club

Three Rivers Birding Club Outings

Throughout the year, we have many outings to locations in Western Pennsylvania and beyond. For a more comprehensive calendar of birding and other Western Pennsylvania natural history outings and outdoor activities of other groups, see the links at the bottom of this page under the heading of "Events Calendars".

If you are birding one of the areas listed below, download a PDF copy of the birding checklist provided and take it with you:

Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania — Beechwood Farms Bird Checklist
Cook Forest — Cook Forest Bird Checklist
Erie County, Pennsylvania — Erie County PA Bird Checklist
Frick Park — Checklist of Birds in Frick Park
Harrison Hills Park — Harrison Hills Park Bird Checklist
Oil Creek State Park — Oil Creek State Park Bird Checklist
Shenango Reservoir — Shenango Bird Checklist
Westmoreland County — Westmoreland County Bird Checklist
Yellow Creek State Park — Yellow Creek State Park Bird Checklist

Outings are free and open to the public. In the event of inclement weather, contact the leader in advance to confirm whether the outing is on or canceled. Also, contact the leader with any questions about weather, driving directions, or trail conditions. Although we, too, like our pets, it is the club's policy not to include them on our walks.

Below is a general statement that will be followed for all our outings. Also, the leader may have specific requirements that are stated in the outing description:

"It is our intention to foster a safe environment during our outings. Social distancing and mask wearing are not required, and sharing equipment is optional; however, attendees should respect individuals who decide to remain socially distant or wear masks. Pets are not permitted on 3RBC outings. The leader may have certain prerequisites and can end a walk if an uncomfortable situation arises."

In the event of a late cancellation of or a change to any of our outings, please check the Three Rivers Birding Club Facebook page or the "Items of Interest" section of the Home page of this website for the latest information on outings, cancellations, and other events that could not make our newsletter's deadline.

3RBC Current Outings --- June 2026

Saturday, June 6 2026 — Cook Forest State Park

Mike Leahy has invited us to join him for an outing at Cook Forest with the Seneca Rocks Audubon Society in conjunction with the Cook Forest Conservancy.

Make plans to get your spring "warbler fix" with an outing to one the best migrating warbler traps in Western Pennsylvania, Cook Forest State Park.

Michael Leahy from Knox, PA, a long-time member of Seneca Rocks Audubon Society in Clarion, will be the leader for a field trip to one of the gems of the Pennsylvania State Park system, Cook Forest. Located along the picturesque Clarion River, Cook Forest has some of the largest tracts of ancient and virgin forest remaining in Pennsylvania. Classified as a National Natural Landmark by the National Park Service, Cook Forest State Park is often referred to as the "Black Forest" of Pennsylvania. The park's 11,586 acres contain some of the largest specimens of Eastern Hemlock and White Pine found in all of the eastern states. At 184.7 feet tall, the "Longfellow Pine" was the tallest White Pine tree in the Northeastern United States and the 3rd tallest east of the Mississippi River. Unfortunately, it was felled during a microburst in May of 2018. We will visit the remains.

Cook Forest with all of its acres of mature evergreen and hardwood trees is a real magnet for large numbers of migrating warblers and other forest dependent passerines.

We will meet at the Park office at 9:00 AM and then proceed to the Log Cabin Interpretive Center, where we will begin our adventure into the "Forest Cathedral." Depending on time and group preferences, we may visit the fire tower, where you can climb to the top and maybe look a Blackburnian Warbler right in the eye and then visit Seneca Rocks overlook for spectacular views of the Clarion River Valley and surrounding countryside.

Set your GPS coordinates to 41.33309, -79.20902 (100 State Route 36, Cooksburg, PA) and you will make it to the park office. There are restrooms available at both the park office and the Log Cabin Interpretive Center. Bring water and a lunch, or if the weather is wet, there are several restaurants to choose from.

For directions, questions, or more information contact Michael Leahy at mrl706@gmail.com. Or you can phone or text him at 814-229-1648

In case of inclement weather, the field trip will be canceled. Call or text Mike to confirm details.

Sunday, June 7, 2026 — Frick Park

Meet Michelle Kienholz at 8:00 AM at the Frick Park Environmental Center located at 2005 Beechwood Blvd, in Squirrel Hill, 15217 for a morning bird walk in Frick Park.

Michelle will be conducting a Breeding Bird Atlas survey, so this would be a good opportunity to help or learn about the survey.

There will be a limit of 10 participants. Please register with Michelle at mlkienholz@aol.com.

Saturday, June 13, 2026 - Laurel Summit

Mike Fialkovich (412-303-0010) will lead us on a hike at the summit of Laurel Mountain in search of various forest birds. If you miss the warblers from spring migration, you can visit them because many species breed in the mountain forests along with thrushes, vireos, and even Dark-eyed Juncos.

We will start the outing with a short walk to Spruce Flats Bog, a rare habitat more typical of forests in Canada, where we will listen for Hermit Thrushes singing and search for other birds, including Purple Finch, Blackburnian Warbler, and more.

We will then return to the parking lot and take a roughly two mile round trip hike on the Wolf Rocks Trail in Forbes State Forest, looking and listening for various birds that prefer high elevation forest. The hike is level but a bit rocky in places, so sturdy hiking shoes/boots are recommended. Our state flower, Mountain Laurel, should be blooming, adding a scenic component to the hike. The trail leads to Wolf Rocks, providing a nice view of the valley below. If we are lucky, we many see Timber Rattlesnakes sunning on the rocks. Feel free to bring water for the hike. There are pit restrooms at the parking lot.
Purple Finch
If you like, bring a lunch, and we can eat at the parking lot picnic area after our adventure.

Directions: Meet at the Sheetz gas station at the Donegal Exit of the Pennsylvania Turnpike at 7:00 am. From the turnpike exit, turn left onto RT. 31 East, and the Sheetz will be a short distance on the right at a traffic light. We will then drive to the mountain from there. Allow about an hour to drive to Donegal from Pittsburgh.