Park Ranger Stevie Smith talks about springtime in Allegheny Commons Park and Riverview Park.

Photo: A pair of great horned owls — the same species as the ones photographed here in Florida — is living in the Northside’s Riverview Park. According to Ranger Stevie, owls typically mate in December and January; once the female lays her eggs, it takes about 30 days for them to hatch. Photo, cropped for web, by Jasmine Krayer

Are you getting excited for trees to be green and warm nights under the stars? I know I sure am! 

Each season has so much to share with us. Seasons are one of my favorite things about living in Pittsburgh! Snow storms one day and the next day, it’s 60 degrees and sunny. But for now, we are officially into Spring and Mother Nature isn’t holding back. I’ve spotted two honey bee hives in tree cavities; momma squirrels looking full and ready to give life to their little kits; and crocuses, snowdrops, and Eastern skunk cabbage popping up from the ground, allowing us to know without a calendar that Spring is here!

We have two awesome things to chat about this month, so let’s get to it.

First is Allegheny Commons. With April comes the colors of Spring and there is no better place to witness Spring than in Allegheny Commons. If you’d like to capture the Spring of Allegheny Commons, please  join me on April 6 at 10 a.m. for a Spring Photography Walk. We will meet at the tennis courts where Gus of Gus and Yia Yia’s parks and begin our walk there. I was also thinking of meeting at the Allegheny Sandwich Shoppe at 9 a.m. to have a coffee and chat with my fellow park lovers. If you are interested in either option, please send me an email at lauren.smith@pittsburghpa.gov introducing yourself.

Second is Riverview Park. Riverview is truly a gem and every time I hike in this park, I wish I would have explored it more as a kid, especially since I went to Perry High School. Being a ranger makes me appreciate every single hike and every single park because each park is so unique in its own way. Talking about uniqueness, let’s get into the wildlife. Riverview Park has an array of wildlife and Spring is their time to shine. There’s the Eastern bluebird: Did you know there are about 10 bluebird boxes in Riverview? There are does too, which are currently pregnant carrying their fawns. Some animals are still in their mating seasons, while others are beginning to get their dens ready for their litters to arrive. There is one animal here in our parks, though, that is ahead of the game. Does anyone know “whooooo” I am talking about?

There is a pair of great horned owls in Riverview Park. This pair nested and raised their young here a few years ago, and this year, they decided to come back! Owls typically mate in December and January; once the female lays her eggs, it takes about 30 days for the eggs to hatch. If there are owlets this year, they are definitely getting big by now. Since I do not have the best camera lens for wildlife photos, I thought it would be an awesome opportunity to feature guest wildlife photographer Jasmine Krayer. Jasmine and I connected because of our love for wildlife and outdoor photography. Her work is absolutely stunning, and although this photo wasn’t taken in Riverview, I thought it would be neat to share with you the same species, but in a completely different state and ecosystem. The individual photo of the adult owl was taken at Honeymoon Island State Park in Dunedin, Fl. The owlets were taken at Philippe Park in Safety Harbor, Fl.

I hope you enjoyed this column and I look forward to seeing you on April 6. You can always follow the Pittsburgh Park Rangers on Instagram at @pghparkrangers.

Sincerely, 

Ranger Stevie

Stevie Smith is a City of Pittsburgh Park Ranger in the Northside’s Allegheny Commons Park.