From quiet walks through Frick Park and day hikes in the Laurel Highlands to trips far afield to site-specific species, the birders of Southwestern Pennsylvania are constantly on the lookout for their next find.

According to sightings collected by hobbyists on the internet database eBird, more than 300 species have been spotted in the Pittsburgh area. From majestic waterfowl to flighty sparrows to brightly colored cardinals, there’s plenty of diversity in the local avian population.

“I always like to emphasize the wildlife in our backyard, and I preach that you don’t have to travel to exotic locations to see wildlife. It’s around you. It’s a matter of learning to observe it,” said Mike Faix, an educator and photographer for the National Aviary on Pittsburgh’s North Side.

What is needed to get started with birding? According to the Audubon Society, all you have to do is look around or listen. The next step is to use resources such as books or online databases to identify birds that you see or hear, and many birdwatchers choose to keep photographs or lists of their own finds.

Justin Kolakowski got into birding almost by accident after a friend invited him on a walk through Riverview Park on the North Side in 2021.

“She invited us out to just walk around and reconnect, and she was going to be looking for some birds,” said the 45-year-old Lawrenceville resident. “My wife and I hadn’t really been up on the hobby. We really enjoyed it.”

It’s easy to get hooked — chasing the next bird you want to find is much like hunting Pokémon. It’s also a great way to join community groups and meet new friends, Kolakowski said, describing the time a rare bird was spotted on the South Side.

“A friend of mine was birding in South Side Riverfront Park, right along the Mon, and he found a Harris’s sparrow. I think it had been 26 years since one had been found in Allegheny County,” he said. “He texted me and some other friends and I got there as quickly as I could. It was just so fun to watch everybody, once the word started to get out, converge on the bird and congratulate him.”

Birds of a feather

Faix runs a number of birdwatching programs through the Aviary, including beginner and intermediate classes in birding and nature photography.

“We do trips to birding hotspots in Western Pennsylvania. Typically, it’s about four times a year. We also do more localized trips,” he said. “We do kayaking tours monthly during the warmer months.”

He said that those tours are incredibly popular and sell out almost immediately. Faix also pointed out that technology has made birding more accessible and more social.

“The camera bird feeders are becoming really popular and I get tons of text messages from friends and family that have one, and they want to show me the cool bird that came to their bird feeder.” He also said that eBird and the bird call identification app Merlin have made it even easier for beginners to start and access a community of fellow hobbyists.

The Three Rivers Birding Club started in 2001, and its current president is Mike Fialkovich. They have monthly meetings, a newsletter and outings throughout the area.

Fialkovich is a lifelong enthusiast.

“I’ve been interested in birds ever since I was a kid. I’m not quite sure how that happened,” he said. The club is a nonprofit as of last year, and Fialkovich enjoys working with its members and board of directors to best serve the community.

Alex Busato serves as president of the Westmoreland Bird and Nature Club. He’s been an ornithology enthusiast for about six years.

“We’re very casual. That’s one of the goals of the group: anyone who’s interested in birds or nature in general, we try to welcome.”

They have regular outings to local venues in Westmoreland, Fayette and Allegheny counties, as many as three a month during the peak birding seasons in spring and fall.

“It’s giving people the opportunity to come out with some like-minded people and give people the opportunity to see some things if they’re newer to the hobby or the opportunity to teach people if they’ve been in it for a while,” Busato said.

The thrill of the sighting

Every birdwatcher, whether they stick to their backyard or travel around the world, has at least one particularly memorable sighting.