Category: Nature

  • Bald Eagles at the National Aviary

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    These two female eagles were injured in the wild and can no longer fly. They must think they died and went to eagle heaven, where food comes to them rather than having to be hunted down with infinite labor. This is a quick cell-phone snapshot, and old Pa Pitt apologizes for the quality.

  • Burrowing Owl at the National Aviary

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    She may be only about the size of a common pigeon, but she thinks you’d better not mess with her. This is a cell-phone snapshot, which accounts for the poor quality of the image. But it’s an impressive little bird.

  • Periwinkles in January

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    A periwinkle flower (Vinca minor) blooms in a front yard in Point Breeze, taking advantage of a short thaw.

     

  • Babbling Brook, Dusting of Snow

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    Yesterday’s light snow gave us this pretty scene in Mount Lebanon.

  • Spring in December

    Crabapple blossoms

    Warm weather has fooled the gullible plant kingdom into thinking spring has arrived already. Cherry blossoms, dandelions, wood sorrels, and clovers were all blooming in the grounds of the Carnegie in Oakland.

    Dandelion
    Wood sorrell
    Clover in December
  • Boston Ivy in Fall Colors

    Boston ivy growing on a stone wall at the Pittsburgh Zoo turns bright colors for fall.

  • Sunset Over Beechview

  • Woods in Frick Park

    Sunlight filters through the woods in Frick Park. Miles of trails meander through the forest here, and it’s easy to forget that the park is in the middle of otherwise crowded urban neighborhoods.

  • Pine Creek, Etna

    Pine Creek, which in many parts of the world would be called a river, glimmers in the late-afternoon sun. This little paradise of woods and water is in the middle of the crowded borough of Etna, but it’s easy to forget the city as you listen to the burbling rapids.

  • Magnolias

    It’s a magnificent early spring, and the magnolias are already in bloom. This tree was in full flower beside Fallowfield Avenue in Beechview.