Dateline: 13-14 November 2021
In Erie, a week of good weather falls into the “too good to last” category. Saturday dawned overcast, with a few surprise snowflakes. By early afternoon, it had devolved to squalls of hail and frozen rain, with periodic light rain. Still, later, periods of ‘dry’ with a bit of sun towards the evening. Presque Isle State Park was a mess, but there were plenty of ducks hiding from the hunters on the back bay. Photography conditions were challenging.
Trail update: all trails wet and muddy.
Picture above – male and female Scaups to the left and right. (Lesser? Greater?) Male and female Buffleheads in the middle.
Sunday dawned overcast, but with hints of blue sky through the clouds. Not to last: light rain by afternoon, and out-and-out snow by late afternoon. (Yay snow!) Also very windy. Conditions at Presque Isle State Park were correspondingly poor. Nevertheless, more “might be birding folks” were seen than usual this time of year – perhaps a coincidence, perhaps due to the bad weather on Saturday.
The Long Pond Trail (SE trailhead) was flooded out but passable. Sparrows, GBH, Kinglets, misc. waterfowl. Light rain made for poor photography/equipment conditions.
Identity of the ducks above is a tough call. One seemed to have a yellow bill, the other olive. Perhaps American Black Ducks, or female/immature Mallards.
Another tough call with the Grebe above, especially considering the lighting conditions. The (apparently) dark eye color eliminates many species. Perhaps an immature Pied-billed Grebe?
