As I’m driving to start my hike, I get a phone call from Ed.
“I’m out walking the dog,” he said. “And it was so noisy with birds that I turned on Merlin and it detected a Red-breasted Nuthatch. Do you think that’s accurate?”
“Absolutely,” I said. “And I’m so jealous. I think this is the first time you have a bird this year that I don’t.”
Ed is chuffed. We spend a few minutes discussing the changes to the Merlin app in a classic “who moved my cheese” complaint style.
I arrive at Emmerling Park and use one of my favorite bathrooms on the trail. It’s also a noisy morning here and my checklist grows quickly. Goldfinches, Cardinals, Red-winged Blackbirds and Robins abound. I stop for a moment to admire the male and female Red-Winged Blackbirds. Right now, it seems all the birding ID groups are flooded with people who can’t ID female Red-Winged Blackbirds, female House Sparrows, female anything.
I’m pushing myself out of my comfort zone today and I’m walking two segments of the trail, both in the direction I’ve never traveled before. Plus I’m about to tackle a section of the trail that I consider the most unpleasant and most difficult for me. It’s the ledgy portion next to the warehouse parking lot off of Saxonburg Boulevard.
Wildflowers are out now. I recognize White Trillium, Azure Bluets, and violets.
I finished my walk along the creek. There’s no sign of the Blue Heron, no Louisiana Waterthrushes, and no Kingbirds.
There are two hybrid mallards in the creek as I crossed the bridge.
On Eisele Rd., Robins call out everywhere. I had my first Birding club meeting on Friday and the “cheer up” song of the Robin was the first one I introduced to the kids.
Farther up Eisele Road, Chipping Sparrows are the stars of the show. An Eastern Bluebird perches at the top of a tree and sings its heart out.
When I walked along the creek, I saw people fishing, and I made a silent wish that they would clean up all their fishing line. In the distance, I can hear people on quad bikes, tearing up the terrain. I guess everyone can enjoy the outdoor outdoors in different ways I just wish everybody was as careful about it.
Two sets of two people come toward me traveling in the opposite direction, walking and running. I can tell they’re getting ready for the challenge. I wonder what they think when they see me standing still. But we all exchange friendly enthusiastic greetings you just can’t grouchy when you’re on the trail.
My mom calls as I’m making my way down a steep hill. It’s a good distraction. She wants to know how she can tell if she’s seeing a crow or a raven. I make her laugh with my tried and true test: If you see a crow, you say “oh, that’s a nice big bird.” If you see your raven, you say, “WTF is that bird!”
She tells me some health updates that make me worry about my dad. I promise to call later and check on him.
At the bottom of the hill, near a creek lined with sycamores, I hear a bird singing, but Merlin can’t ID it. I can! It’s a Yellow-throated Warbler.
Time to start the trickiest and most unpleasant part of the trail for me.
I did it! I conquered the tricky part of the trail with surprising ease! I couldn’t believe it. I was rewarded when I got to the parking lot with a Turkey vulture and Black vulture. I was able to get some photos.
Then because I was watching the vultures swirl in the sky,I spotted my first of year Osprey.
If you’re willing to give time to the trail, the trail is willing to give birdy gifts back to you.
The creek bottom area is rather quiet. I spy more plants like invasive Garlic mustard, Virginia bluebells, Skunk cabbage, and Trout lilies.
I come across a butterfly that I didn’t think I had seen before. I startled it off the ground, and then I watched and waited for it to settle. It flies round and round. Watching it was like watching a roulette wheel, spinning, and spinning, circling around me, hoping it would land just where I wanted to. Come on big money!!!
It flies away.
I climbed up a steep rocky hill that I usually go down. I arrive at the cornfield, which was quiet. The day is warmed up and more turkey vultures are taking to the skies. I add five more to my tally.
I’m almost done my walk. Another group of hikers pass me. And when I look over the turnpike way down to Cedar Run where Ed and I walked last night, I see even more hikers. I love seeing people on the trail, but it definitely makes my sometimes-very-urgent pitstops way more risky. It’s the price I’ll have to pay.
This was a big tally today! 38 species in about 3 hours!
Checklist 1
RCT - Emmerling to Saxonburg, Allegheny, Pennsylvania, US
Apr 12, 2026 9:59 AM - 12:37 PM
Protocol: Traveling
5.412 kilometer(s)
38 species
Mallard (Domestic type) 2 Photos
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) 1
Mourning Dove 1
Killdeer 2
Black Vulture 1 Flying with one turkey vulture, all the classic field marks shorter tail, butler’s gloves; both vultures reappeared together a little further down the trail and I was able to get photos
Turkey Vulture 9
Osprey 1
Red-tailed Hawk 1 Carrying a snake in its beak
Red-bellied Woodpecker 8
Downy Woodpecker 5
Hairy Woodpecker 3
Pileated Woodpecker 2
Northern Flicker 2
Eastern Phoebe 2
Blue Jay 14
American Crow 3
Carolina Chickadee 6 Still working to improve my chickadee-dee-ID, and was given this helpful guidance: "basically no white on the secondaries... certainly no white on the coverts... likely Carolina"
Black-capped Chickadee 5
Tufted Titmouse 7
Northern Rough-winged Swallow 3
White-breasted Nuthatch 2
Carolina Wren 2
European Starling 2
Northern Mockingbird 1
Eastern Bluebird 1
American Robin 22
House Finch 2
American Goldfinch 16
Chipping Sparrow 9
Field Sparrow 2
Dark-eyed Junco 1
White-throated Sparrow 7
Song Sparrow 11
Red-winged Blackbird 23
Brown-headed Cowbird 8
Yellow-rumped Warbler 1
Yellow-throated Warbler 1
Northern Cardinal 15
View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S320739749