2 of the Best Places to Go Bird Watching in Pittsburgh

See Pittsburgh birds in Schenley Park and around. Go bird watching in Pittsburgh with a visit to the National Aviary.

I love birdwatching so when I had the chance to visit Pittsburgh for the weekend between two halves of a business trip, I jumped at the chance to do a bit of birding. 

Pittsburgh's Parks Conservancy runs monthly bird and nature walks in Schenley Park. Pittsburgh is also home to the National Aviary, a bird zoo of sorts. 

Here are some photos from a day of bird watching in Pittsburgh. Read on to discover the best places to see Pittsburgh birds.

Birding Walk in Pittsburgh's Schenley Park

Kate St. John, the naturalist and blogger who writes Outside my Window runs a free 2 hour walk on a Sunday morning (8:30 - 10:30 am) in Schenley Park once a month. We hiked through Schenley Park's forested paths spotting various birds like red-winged blackbirds and common grackles as we walked. 

I think this is a Northern Gray Mockingbird...

We also spotted a red-bellied woodpecker pecking away at a tree in Schenley Park.

The birds were a bit shy on the day we visited Schenley Park so Kate took the opportunity to show us various plant species along our hiking route.

We even spotted a curious deer peering back at us from the woods of Schenley Park.

I love the sleek industrial feel of Pittsburgh and all the imposing metal bridges remind me of the city's industrial past. Even in Schenley Park, bridges arch overhead in certain areas.

We covered a lot of ground and I met some interesting locals by participating in this free nature walk in Schenley Park on my quest to find the best Pittsburgh birds. 

It's always a good idea to check local event sites and find interesting and free things to do when you visit a new place for business or pleasure. Once again, I managed to make the most of a serendipitous weekend in Pittsburgh necessitated by an extended business trip.

Pittsburgh's National Aviary 

The next stop on my mission to find Pittsburgh birds was The National Aviary. This premier bird zoo in Pittsburgh features exhibits with birds from around the world. 

Each room is dedicated to a particular area of the world and climate and the birds roam free within the limits of the exhibit. I had fun spotting various tropical birds at the National Aviary.

The grasslands exhibit at the National Aviary featured all sorts of small colorful birds alight on trees. There were even some field mice on hand on the ground to make the scene as authentic as possible.

Larger grasslands birds scurried along the floor at the National Aviary.

We even spotted a Crowned Pigeon in Pittsburgh. Crowned Pigeons are native to Australia; even the pigeons seem fancy and exotic Down Under!

Pittsburgh's National Aviary also features a baby 2-toed sloth. I'm not sure why they have a sloth since the National Aviary is a bird zoo. 

Regardless, the sloth was super cute and I enjoyed getting an up-close look at it when a National Aviary intern brought out the sloth for a feeding session.

I finished my birding Sunday in Pittsburgh at Condor Court in the National Aviary. It was really cool to get an up-close glimpse of a bird that is really an American icon.

Are there birding opportunities in Pittsburgh? The answer is a resounding yes. Between natural encounters with birds in places like Schenley Park to the National Aviary bird zoo, there are plenty of opportunities to do some bird watching on a weekend break while on a business trip to Pittsburgh.

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