Dateline: August 2022

Quick post on the recent BirdingPI.com field trip to beautiful Ramsey Canyon – hummingbird edition – outside Sierra Vista, AZ. (All shots of hummingbirds.) See, e.g., Nature Conservancy.

Dateline: August 2022

If it’s August, must be time for an update (or several) from the BIRDS (BirdingPI.com Regional Desert Southwest) Field Station in Tucson, AZ. (Recent weather in Tucson: ranging from sunny with highs of 105 deg F to rainy/monsoon with temps in the 70s deg F; humid.) Lots of great birds in Arizona!

Recent shots from around the field station. First up, the state bird of Arizona, the beautiful Cactus Wren, on or in a cactus:

Wow, Haris’s Hawk! In a neighborhood eucalyptus tree. Note the dark brown coloration, chestnut shoulder patches, white coverts, and white tail tip.

Plenty of hummingbird activity. One of the more common in Tucson, Costa’s Hummingbird. These are all males, or perhaps the same male:

Looks similar to the also-fairly-common Anna’s Hummingbird, but the males have a purple-colored head/throat/gorget (see following shot); Anna’s males – red-colored. (“Gorget:” flaps of elongate feathers that extend off either side of the throat.)

Dove action! Omitting the very common Mourning Dove in favor of two of the local ‘exotics:’

Another ubiquitous desert denizen, the Curved-billed Thrasher:

Yet another desert/southwest ‘likely to see,’ the Lesser Goldfinch (male):

Ducks in Tucson? Yup – plenty of artificial lakes in Tucson, and thereby plenty of birds to take advantage. Here’s a lovely female Mexican Duck (Mexican/Mallard hybrid?) at Sweetwater Wetlands:

Very interesting discussion of Mexican vs. Mallard Ducks by Sibley. Although, recent word is that Mexican Duck is currently considered a separate species from Mallard, interbreeding notwithstanding.

Dateline: July 2022

Lot of recent swallow activity out at Gull Point, Presque Isle State Park. Populations seem highly transient – first Tree Swallow and Barn Swallow, then Bank Swallow. (Northern Rough-winged Swallow spotted in the spring over Misery Bay.)

Mid-week last week, early AM – potentially hundreds of Bank Swallow, with a few Barn and Tree:

Perched on the observation platform rope fence:

Perhaps female Tree Swallow on the right:

Barn Swallow on the left (although atypical coloration?):

Dateline: Late July 2022

Some recent shots of the ornately beautiful Common Green Darner (Anax junius) dragonfly, from Pine Tree Meadows, Presque Isle State Park:

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[Editor’s note: A reminder that BirdingPI.com “NSFW” = general squeamish content warning, e.g., overt blood, spiders/ticks/snakes, dead animals, birds eating animals (other than fish), animals eating birds, and so on. Hereinbelow: macro spider content.]

Bonus spider, Millcreek Twp (“Gateway to Presque Isle”). Probably Cross Orbweaver (Araneus diadematus):

Dateline: 31 July 2022

BirdingPI.com team’s been keeping a casual but regular eye on the Thompson Bay (Presque Isle State Park) Osprey platform. Avoiding, however, trekking out to the platform itself #dont_disturb_the_bird.

From across the bay on Sunday, happy to see a parent and two juveniles! (Other parent in flight nearby.)

Above, adult in the middle; juvenile: distinctive, darker/almost-black wings with white spotting up towards the back.

All shots at a very long distance, Nikon D7500 and Nikon 200-500mm f/5.6 lens @ 500mm.

Dateline: 30-31 July 2022; Weekend Update

Saturday: previously reported. Sunday: mostly sunny with scattered clouds transitioning to light cloudy/overcast/partly sunny, sunnier later in the day; quite warm. Localized, interesting bird activity on the interior Presque Isle trails. Nice day to be outside, other than the biting flies. Trail conditions: generally dry and in good shape. Hope everyone had a great Discover Presque Isle weekend!

More recent photos at or near Gull Point. Last Sunday: Dowitcher (previously reported). Later in the week: hundreds of Bank and other swallows; more posts forthcoming. Saturday: just a handful of swallows, no mudflat shorebirds (other than Killdeer), lots of Caspian Tern and gull activity plus Canada Geese.

Three slightly-fuzzy shots of Osprey:

Stay tuned for an exciting Osprey nest update later in the week!

[Photo Editor’s note: More lens/camera testing on some of these shots, with uneven results.]

Dateline: 30 July 2022

Seems like August is the best time for ‘shore birds on the beach’ at Presque Isle State Park, so off to a good start Saturday with several Semipalmated Plover, Sanderling, and Spotted Sandpiper. Just a few of each, but still great to see. Between Budny Beach and Gull Point.

Three shots of Sanderling:

Dateline: 30 July 2022

Wishing everyone an exciting Discover PI Weekend (no affiliation). Mild and partly cloudy Saturday; surf up on the lake with moderate wind – lovely day for being out at Presque Isle State Park for the excitement. E.g., Rotary pancake breakfast, archery, bonfire, volleyball, art fair, and so on. Not to mention the BirdingPI.com “Gull Point Forced March” this morning; big success: at least ten folks seen coming or going from Gull Point.

In exciting bird news, Plover (Semipalmated?) and Sanderling spotted along the beach for the first time this season! Stay tuned for photography. In the meantime, Canada Geese video! And gull video! And Barn Swallow video! Wow.

Lovely Bank Swallow, rather, from earlier in the week. Enjoying the sand out at Gull Point – sand bathing, or looking for insects perhaps.

Some recent backlit/flight shots of Killdeer @ Gull Point, Presque Isle State Park.

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