Wildlife photographer Don Orkoskey visits Churchill Valley Greenway in Penn Hills, Pennsylvania, a former golf course now managed by the Allegheny Land Trust. He photographs female Orchard Orioles, Yellow Warblers, red-winged blackbirds bathing, and Baltimore Orioles among abundant flora and insects ideal for macro work.
This past week, I got to visit the Churchill Valley Greenway for the first time, and I know I'm kind of late to things if you are a fan of that spot, but it was my first time there, and I want to tell you, it is an absolutely amazing place to photograph birds. And in fact, I want to show you some of the birds that I did manage to photograph. If you're unfamiliar though, the Churchill Valley Greenway used to be the Churchill Valley Country Club. So it sits on Beulah Road in Penn Hills, Very close to Churchill, and it has a bridge going across Beulah Road. So there's sort of 2 parking areas and lots and lots of land that used to be this country club, used to be this big golf course. In addition to that, there are lots of what used to be the trails, roads for the golf carts to drive through, which are mostly paved. Some of them are not in the best shape, but they're mostly paved, which makes it a really accessible place to go. It is now managed by the Allegheny Land Trust, and they have had it since 2021 and are doing just fabulous stuff. There's lots of programming there, so if you're interested in visiting but you want to do something with other people, then I highly recommend going to the Allegheny Land Trust's website and checking out what they have going on there. But for now, let's have a look at the photos that I got. Here's a female Orchard Oriole that I photographed really right next to the parking lot. In fact, I saw multiple birds right next to the parking lot. This Yellow Warbler was also right next to the parking lot. In fact, I was getting into my car when I saw it and, and pulled my camera back out and snapped away. There were also a ton of sparrows. It was mostly cloudy when I visited, but occasionally the sun would peek out. I found a spot where the birds like to bathe and got a sparrow just before it took a bath. Speaking of baths, this red-winged blackbird had just taken one and I managed to capture it shaking off. A few minutes later, I saw a female red-winged blackbird that Also take a bath and then shake off the water that was on it, followed by getting an assist from the wind with air drying. I had the pleasure of seeing and photographing some Baltimore Orioles as well as Orchard Orioles, though I wasn't able to get very many good photos of the Orchard Oriole. This is the best I've got. In addition to the birds, there are lots of flowers there and insects as well, so if you're into macro It's a great spot to check out. In addition to those, there were so many other birds that I heard but was not able to photograph, and a couple that I was able to get some not good photos of, so I won't be sharing those. But I highly encourage you to visit, and if you're into wildlife photography and nature photography, then please also make sure to like and subscribe and follow me for more on what's happening in the Pittsburgh area in terms of nature and wildlife. As well, I do lead a monthly nature and wildlife photography meetup, and I'm teaching lots and lots of classes on nature and wildlife photography. Thanks so much for watching, and I'll see you next time. Bye-bye.
