More Weekend Update

Dateline: 2 April 2023

Back to last weekend with more content from Sunday at Presque Isle State Park. (Weather: sunny, cold.)

First up, back along the Pine Tree Trail, with cute Fox Squirrel (Sciurus niger):

Snack time
Golden-crowned Kinglet

Obligatory but fun “camouflaged Brown Creeper” shot:

Camouflaged
Side view
More camouflage
Hoppin’/rear view
Another side view

Despite the awful photographs, still fun to see the first Fox Sparrow of the season. Yellow lower beak suggests American Tree Sparrow, but heavily streaked breast (+ overall face colouration) = Fox Sparrow:

Fox Sparrow I

See also red tail:

Fox Sparrow II

Another great sighting, this time Winter Wren. Note overall brown colouration, short tail, slender beak, hint white eyebrow, etc.:

Winter Wren
More Wren
Wren III
#more_wren
Northern Cardinal (m)
American Tree Sparrow

Another day with lovely Yellow-bellied Sapsucker:

Sapsucker I
Sapsucker II
#more_sapsucker

Heading over to the Dead Pond Trail (east end) again, this time with the second butterfly of the season, the beautiful Eastern Comma (Polygonia comma):

Comma, full stop
Comma, side view

And, this is how you know:

Annotated

(Similar looking Question Mark butterfly would have question mark-appearing spots instead + different wing spot pattern.)

Tufted Titmouse
#more_brown_creeper

Finally, didn’t get any good shots, but surprised to see Red-breasted Nuthatch this early:

Nuthatch x pine