From last Sunday afternoon, this is along the rocky beach by Leo’s Landing @ Presque Isle State Park, featuring male Common Grackle & a female Mallard:
A Different Beach
On The Beach (3)
It’s more Oceanside Harbor Beach in Oceanside, California:
Erie update: weather yesterday (Saturday) very cold, cloudy, and unsettled, w/ periods of rain and even snow. Hard freeze overnight. Cold but sunny this Sunday morning. Notable bird activity at Presque Isle State Park yesterday included both Great Black-backed Gull and Lesser Black-blacked Gull @ Beach 11. Pictures forthcoming. #happy_birding
Spring Finch
Generally bad/wintery weather this Saturday morning here in Erie County, Pennsylvania. Nevertheless, spring is here, as with these cute shots of male (red) and female (streaked/brown) House Finch, taken on a cold but sunny Friday afternoon in Millcreek Twp (“Gateway to Presque Isle”):
On The Beach (2)
Back to the beach at Oceanside Harbor on the morning of 4 March 2025.
Finally, more shots of terns (mostly Royal Tern) on and off the beach:
#Spring_flowers
Celebrating the 2025 vernal equinox with flowers and wild birds at The Flower Fields in Carlsbad, California. See this special report for lots and lots more flowers.
Bonus “bird wars” on the same date + location, it’s Red-tailed Hawk vs. American Crow:
Happy spring!
Little Buddy (2)
Continuing on with the “3-hour tour” of Buddy Todd Park on 6 March 2025 in Oceanside, California. Challenging lighting on some of these shots, but still great to see Cassin’s Kingbird w/ an acorn or berry:
Even better, a great sighting (and BirdingPI.com “first ever”) of Nuttall’s Woodpecker, both male and female, generally limited in range to the greater California area. Of course, where better to spot woodpeckers than neighborhood adjacent power poles?
Males have characteristic red patch, which females lack.
Following medley alternates Cassin’s Kingbird, male Nuttall’s Woodpecker, & female Nuttall’s Woodpecker:
[Editor’s note to staff: going forward, changing “Nuttall’s Woodpecker” (which is an awful name) to ‘Western Wood Annihilator.’]
Torrey Pines
Dateline: 4 March 2025
Today, reporting from Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve on the Pacific coast between Del Mar and La Jolla, outside San Diego, California. Access is on the south end of the beach (which is north of the bluffs/upper portion of the reserve):
Fun to see a beautiful Say’s Phoebe on the riprap:
From the beach parking lot, it’s either a robust hike to the top, or a short drive w/ limited parking. (If planning to drive up, get an early start – park staff closes the road once the upper parking is full.)
“Upper” Torrey Pines features a great visitors’ center, a small network of generally flat trails, spectacular views, botanic gardens, etc., and several longer/steeper trails that drop back down to the beach. With thick coastal chaparral, the birding is “more heard than seen.” However, it’s a great spot for local species like the amazing, infrequently-seen Wrentit. Managed to get one and only one usable photo:
Also a lucky, “out in the open” sighting of a couple beautiful California Towhee:
Weekend Update (w/ Mallard)
Weekend weather in Erie County, Pennsylvania – warm, very windy, on/off thunderstorms/rain, turning much colder Sunday night with light snow overnight and snow on the grass Monday morning. (Not done with winter quite yet.) Bird activity as generally expected – ducks and other waterfowl, uptick in Turkey Vulture and Wild Turkey activity, plenty of Robins, Red-winged Blackbirds, Song Sparrows, etc., + the local return of species like Common Grackle and Brown Creeper. Here, featuring a St. Patrick’s Day-appropriate male Mallard exhibiting preening/bathing behavior off Leo’s Landing @ Presque Isle State Park:
Seemingly rather abruptly, outer Lake Erie’s now mostly fully unfrozen, except for residual ice/ice dunes along the beach, e.g., as here near Stull Interpretive Center:
On The Beach (1)
The real #1 reason for birding @ coastal southern California is biodiversity (e.g., many different biomes in close proximity) + climate. A big part of that is the beach, here at Oceanside Harbor Beach the Tuesday before last, just after sunrise.
As a BirdingPI.com favourite, so great to see a Whimbrel relatively close up:
Lots of Great-tailed Grackle activity around the marina and beach:
Willet ID note – distinctive black outer wings w/ broad white stripe:
Not Quite As Big An Event
While not nearly as momentous as last year’s total solar eclipse, still great to see the total lunar eclipse here in Erie County, Pennsylvania early Friday morning.
Following shots taken from 1AM EDT to about 3AM EDT. Thankfully the weather was clear, and for being outside, not as chilly as expected for late winter here in the northeast.
A bit later, w/ a more pronounced eclipse effect:
The eclipse progresses to totality:
Following shots at or close to totality. Closest views @ 600mm cropped, then 600mm uncropped, + wide angle @ 100mm, all handheld generally w/ 1/20 sec – 1/60 sec exposures.
Sorry, no pictures after totality – after all that + two hours in the cold, time to get back to bed!
Next full lunar eclipse viewable in the US: 3 March 2026. See you next year!
