Well, the power’s out on this Wednesday rainy/stormy evening here at BirdingPI.com HQ. (Public utility electrical power, to be clear.) Before running out of candles and/or battery charge on the laptop or iPhone (acting as WiFi ‘hotspot’), and in case things don’t improve by morning, might as well finalize tomorrow’s post. So, with a drumroll please, at No. 1 (of the Top 10 list of birdy things to do at Presque Isle State Park on a slow autumn day), it’s Quality time with PI’s resident Eastern Screech-Owl!

Presque Isle State Park’s resident Eastern Screech-Owl can be enjoyed, at a distance, from the main park road just west of Fisher Drive bridge where the two bike trails converge.

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Finally, very fascinating reading on the right way to enjoy wild birds. Yet another reason to support the amazing Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

Ah, Erie County, Pennsylvania, land of beauty! Just step outside, there’s Bald Eagles soaring majestically overhead!

What’s that Bald Eagle doing?

Ah. Stuff happens, apparently.

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Anyway. At a big No. 2 on the Top 10 list (of birding things to do on a slow autumn day at Presque Isle State Park), it’s “hike to Gull Point.” Weather permitting. Number One rule of Presque Isle: Gull Point is always a good idea, unless the weather is bad, in which case it’s a bad idea.

Heard Snow Bunting multiple times + seen distantly in flight; following was the only individual spotted on the ground:

Following landscape shots taken from the very furthest ‘pointy part’ of Gull Point (accessible in the off season):

Great to see a Greater Yellowlegs still, on one of the bayside-facing lagoons:

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For an even bigger post, time for ‘bonus’ content. First, here’s the old observation platform taken from the very furthest end of Gull Point (where it wraps around), by where the main lagoon complex exits into the lake:

With reference to BirdingPI.com’s fine map of Gull Point, this location is pointed to by the red arrow in this excerpt:

Main lagoon complex with the two observation platforms against the horizon on left (old) and middle (new):

Following shot is from the furthest end of outer Gull Point, showing (i) outer Gull Point tree line and (ii) the main lagoon complex exit channel (lake is on the left). Usually impassible (w/o getting very wet), seems like this is the lowest/dryest it’s been any time recently:

Finally, Greater Yellowlegs video. Maybe.

Back with more Downy Woodpecker + Ring-billed Gull drop-catch behavior at Leo’s Landing:

After a rather gloomy, monochromatic weekend in Erie County, Pennsylvania, here are correspondingly mostly monochromatic photographs from Leo’s Landing the previous weekend. Conveniently, it’s also No. 3 on the “Top 10 list of birding things to do on a slow autumn weekend at Presque Isle State Park,” namely, hang out at Leo’s Landing, weather permitting.

Here’s part 1 of some really interesting Ring-billed Gull behavior. Specifically, repeatedly dropping and then fetching a stick in the water, i.e., drop-catch. Predation practice/foraging behavior? Just for fun? In this context, science suggests the latter. Fascinating.

After a very gloomy Saturday yesterday here in Erie County, Pennsylvania, taking a break from the chilly fall weather with more desert SW birds from this past summer in the Tucson metro area.

Back with recent Dunlin & friends at various locations around Presque Isle State Park. (All pictures Dunlin – alone or flock – unless otherwise noted.)

At No. 4 of the “Top 10 birding things to do at Presque Isle State Park on a slow autumn birding day,” it’s “stare longingly out to sea over Lake Erie for spotting migrating waterfowl:“

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Weekend weather forecast for Erie County, Pennsylvania: Saturday, cool and cloudy, Sunday cool w/ a mix of sun and clouds. Happy birding!

In eBird news, there were multiple reports of a highly unusual sighting of a Vermilion Flycatcher at Leo’s Landing, Presque Isle State Park, last Thursday, November 7, 2024 (<- true story):

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2 Days Earlier:

🙂

BirdingPI.com policy is to avoid situations disruptive to bird activity, e.g., minimize time near nesting sites. But even in well-traveled areas in the ‘off season,’ stuff happens. Take this past holiday Monday at the outer beach near Stull Interpretive Center for a quick look at migratory waterfowl activity over Lake Erie.

Crossing the narrow strip of grassy dunes, up from the grass startled an amazing Short-eared Owl (a BirdingPI.com ‘first ever!’):

Which was immediately caught up in a crazy wind gust:

Resulting in an unplanned tree/owl excursion. Whoops. 🙁

The good news, it seemed unhurt, flying off into the nearby woods:

Shot above, the owl is in upper right corner (blurry); in shot below, owl is just above center:

With the conditions + total surprise, lucky to get any shots of this encounter. (Rule 3 of bird photography: always have a camera at the ready.) Following shot was the only one with a visible face – note the distinctive black-rimmed, golden-coloured eye:

& visible talons in this shot:

Coming up soon, looks like beach cleanup!

Back to the “Top 10 birding nature things to do at Presque Isle State Park on a slow autumn birding day.” At No. 7, it’s “photograph random trees:“

Benefit of foliage photography: trees don’t fly away.

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Moving on to No. 6, “hike an interior trail.” Benefit 1 of hiking = exercise. Benefit 2 = might see a bird or two. Following shots from Saturday along the Sidewalk and Ridge Trails, east end:

Best trails for interior hiking at Presque Isle State Park: Ridge Trail, Sidewalk Trail, Dead Pond Trail, Long Pond Trail, & Duck Pond Trail. Best loop hikes: Ridge + Sidewalk + Fox (or Marsh); & Pine Tree + Dead Pond + B Trail (longer option: Pine Tree + Dead Pond + A Trail + Pine Tree Meadows).

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Next up at No. 5, “impromptu GBH behavioral study,” e.g., standing still, or (if lucky) displaying active predation behavior (a.k.a. fishing). Here, from Saturday on Long Pond, it was very interesting to see two GBH in proximity (but not directly interacting), both with their heads held up with neck extended, while walking slowly through the pond vegetation, for quite a long time:

Never seen a GBH exhibit this behavior for so long, let alone two. Research suggests it might be for spotting other herons or predatory birds overhead. However, no such birds were seen at the time by BirdingPI.com staff.

Where to see GBH at Presque Isle State Park: potentially, any pond or lagoon; Long Pond probably the most reliable from an “easy to access” standpoint.