Dateline: 4-5 June 2022

A belated weekend update, just in time to usher in the new weekend.

Rain Thursday and earlier in the week, otherwise generally mild and sunny. Trail conditions at Presque Isle State Park are generally good, but may be locally muddy. Of note, as of Sunday the Sidewalk Trail east end was finally mostly dry. Gull Point outer old trail locally muddy but generally still easily passable.

Lots of nesting activity happening at Gull Point, but difficult to see from the trail or observation platform due to vegetation. Easily-viewed bird activity included Barn Swallow and Tree Swallow, Spotted Sandpiper, Red-winged Blackbird, Starling, Killdeer, various sparrows and gulls, Canada Geese, Dunlin, Semipalmated Sandpiper, and Semipalmated Plover.

So focused (literally) on getting shots of the Dunlin and Semipalmated Sandpiper, somehow missed any good shots of a Semipalmated Plover:

Note the Plover has one black neck/chest band vs. a Killdeer’s two, plus a shorter, stubbier bill.

Bird ID tip: Semipalmated and Western Sandpipers have black legs, vs. a Least Sandpiper’s yellow legs. Western Sandpiper would have a longer bill and would probably be rounder and larger.

Lucky all three species were wading/foraging in the turtle pond along the roped-off trail corridor = closer shots than usual.

More Dunlin:

In flight, probably a flock of Semipalmated Sandpiper:

Heading back along the outer old trail, first a Yellow Warbler:

A common trio scavenging on dead fish:

Finally, more lovely Cedar Waxwing. Bird ID tip: Bohemian Waxwing are similar, but would likely have a brown instead of yellow hind-belly, plus white cross-patches on the wings.

Reminder there’s a Presque Isle Audubon outing to Gull Point on 11 June 2022, gathering at 7:45AM: https://www.presqueisleaudubon.org/uploads/2/5/0/0/25009090/junejulytoe2022.pdf?mc_cid=b717b40237&mc_eid=d5b0db7e32

Dateline: June 2022

Introducing Wrent – The Musical!

For our first number, bad wren video #1. Out of focus, but the sound is ok:

For our second number, bad wren video #2. In focus but the audio file is partially corrupted. At least to start, keep the volume down.

Thus concludes Wrent – The Musical. Quite an extravaganza.

Now that’s out of the way, here’s some decent shots of the same House Wren. All at the east side of Budny Beach, along the Gull Point trail.

Still lacking a videography department at BirdingPI.com, so it’s make do with in-camera mics and handheld @ 500-600mm. Not a recommended method.

Looks like lovely Barn Swallows out at Gull Point!

Amazed and transfixed by beautiful Barn Swallows:

Dateline: May 2022

With peak migration season over, time to enjoy some interesting and beautiful insects out at Presque Isle State Park. (Not to worry, no more tick pics!)

First, a few birds!

Unless stated otherwise, following shots all from Pine Tree Meadows. https://birdingpi.com/pine-tree-meadows/. Pine Tree Meadows is great for seeing diverse insects (and ticks) in a relatively small area.

First, the very tiny but very beautiful Eastern Tailed-blue butterfly:

Switching to a dragonfly, the amazing Black Saddlebags:

Picture below seems to be of an immature or female Blue Dasher dragonfly; lots of these around. Note the vertically-striped thorax and horizontally-striped abdomen. See https://www.welcomewildlife.com/dragonflies-and-damselflies-top-guns-of-the-insect-world/ for a nice write-up on dragonflies generally, plus a helpful diagram of anatomy. (No affiliation.)

Next up, the colorful Common Green Darner:

Photographing dragonflies in the air is harder even than birds. Very erratic flight patterns. Lucky to get even this mediocre shot:

Always great to see another Monarch. Note the white spots on the thorax – distinctive of Monarch relative to other, similar-looking species.

Next, the distinctive Silver-spotted Skipper:

Closing this post out with another dragonfly classic, the Twelve-spotted Skimmer. (Don’t worry, more insect shots to follow!) This is likely a female or immature – a mature male would have white spots next to the black spots on the wings.

Dateline: May 2022

“Web of snacks?” In any event, while we wait for the weekend update, here’s some recent shots of a Baltimore Oriole partaking of an easy meal. From the Long Pond Trail by its east-end trailhead by the swamp.

BirdingPI.com — the only website bringing you Spotted Sandpiper in a tree!

Weekend update featuring Gull Point and other fun coming soon!

Dateline: May 2022

Hummingbirds: (i) beautiful and (ii) amazing from a bio-mechanics perspective. Here in Erie we get the Ruby-throated Hummingbird. Recent shots of a lovely female out at Presque Isle State Park, off the Pine Tree Trail:

Bird ID tip: male would have a ruby- or dark-colored throat.

[Photo Editor’s note: lighting conditions were very shady for these shots, with a low hit rate. Still, pretty good all things considered.]

There’s never too many Canada Geese.

Four portraits of a Canada Goose:

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Dateline: May 2022

Catching up on overflowing memory cards with some pleasant bird shots from the last month. All at Presque Isle State Park.

[Editor’s note: no more tick posts. Unless we find a new species of tick to share #science #nature.]