For The Birds!

Nature, Pittsburgh

I happened upon an odd scene while photographing the other day. Hundreds of seagulls decided to visit our fair city. I was walking around the Clemente bridge on Saturday the 15th, noticing all of the other photographers that were out and about. It was a beautiful afternoon. The temperatures were still pretty low, but the sun was shining, bathing the downtown side of the Allegheny in a wonderful light. I was walking past the steps near the center field entrance when a very excited gentleman asked, “You see all them birds!!!”. My response was, “Yeah.. there’s a lot of them”.

I chuckled to myself and kept on walking through the outer PNC Park area, looking at the light slowly creeping up the buildings on the other side of the river. It wasn’t until I got most of the way to the opposite gate that I saw a group of people huddled together with what looked like spotting scopes. I peered over the wall and saw the largest collection of seagulls that I’ve ever witnessed.

Seagull Holiday
Seagull Holiday

They were -literally- chilling on some large sheets of ice that were floating back upstream in the wind. I made my way down the steps and attempted to figure out the angle that all of the spotters were looking, as to not get in their way. I switched lenses to my 70-200 and started snapping shots.

An Ice Floe Of His Own
An Ice Floe Of His Own
One Cold Foot At A Time
One Cold Foot At A Time

I had seen a few seagulls on ice sheets a few weeks back, but the sheer number of birds was a bit overwhelming.  I got right to the edge of the sidewalk without scaring them away. The light and the reflection from the bridge was amazing. Most of the river was in a cool shadow of blue with the exception of the vibrant yellow reflections from the Clemente Bridge.

Resting Near Golden Waters
Resting Near Golden Waters

Another photographer wandered past and moved in for a shot. I took the opportunity to switch lenses and capture her in the shot.

Shooting Birds On The Banks Of The Allegheny
Shooting Birds On The Banks Of The Allegheny

As she moved closer, an entire group of birds abandoned their ice floe and took to the skies.  It was like a scene from a Hitchcockian masterpiece.

A Scene Alfred Would Love
A Scene Alfred Would Love

I’m not sure where they came from or how long they will stay, but, as a gracious host, I did suggest that they try a Primanti Brothers sandwich while in town.