No better way to close out 2024 than with Tundra Swan takeoff/flight pictures from this past Saturday at Presque Isle State Park. Following mostly in chronological order, @ Long Pond:
Finally, can’t have a Long Pond post without Mallards – a male (left) and female (right) in flight:
Highly variable conditions in Erie County, PA over the weekend – unusually warm + hazy sunshine Saturday, rain Sunday. Conditions this Monday morning: “wintery mix.” While waiting on photo editing from Saturday (‘stay tuned’ for Tundra Swans in flight – yay!), it’s more from this past August, this time back at wonderful Madera Canyon outside Green Valley, Arizona:
Among other species, Madera Canyon is great for Mexican Jay, Bridled Titmouse, & Acorn Woodpecker:
Part 1 of “finally getting through some old memory cards” from this past August, here at Leo’s Landing @ Presque Isle State Park; all photos preening/bathing immature male Mallard unless otherwise indicated:
The weather rollercoaster (see-saw? yo-yo?) continues this weekend in Erie County, PA, with unseasonal temperatures (e.g., high yesterday of approximately 7.8 deg C = 46 deg F) and most of the snow melted. While waiting on new content from recent BirdingPI.com field operations, these shots ‘part 2’ of Christmas Day at Presque Isle State Park.
Guess it’d be difficult to fit a GBH into a stocking. Kinglet, maybe. Purely in a metaphorical sense, of course. All shots from Christmas Day at Long Pond @ Presque Isle State Park.
With Long Pond partially unfrozen, lots and lots of GBH activity, including this individual fishing by Fisher Drive bridge:
Recent shots of a very cute, immature Long-tailed Duck, probably male, off North Pier @ Presque Isle State Park. This individual has been seen in the channel between N/S Piers for several days now.
“The long-tailed duck (Clangula hyemalis), … formerly known as the oldsquaw, is a medium-sized sea duck that breeds in the tundra and taiga regions of the arctic and winters along the northern coastlines of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. It is the only member of the genus Clangula.” Per Wikipedia.
It’s reasonably colourful fall/winter birds all at Presque Isle State Park. Wishing everyone a Happy Christmas!
All shots male Northern Cardinal (as above), American Robin (immediately below), & female Northern Cardinal foraging on the beach (two below).
If South Pier (Erie, Pennsylvania) wasn’t entertaining enough with its stinky chemical toilet and “What are those people doing in that car?” aesthetic, try doing bird photography in a full-on lake-effect snowstorm:
After finding an errant file of iPhone snapshots, re-posting this content from last summer @ “Santa Cruz flats,” northwest of Tucson, AZ, with more environmental context:
Lots of Greater Roadrunner activity:
Sequence of beautiful Inca Dove:
Here’s the view west along E. Sasco Road out of Red Rock, at the crossing w/ Santa Cruz River. (The puddle is the riverbed.) Good spot for birds w/ riparian vegetation, e.g., the Chat above.
“Bird of the day,” a surprise/great sighting of Bendire’s Thrasher:
White-winged Doves @ power line:
First day of winter 2024/2025 yesterday did not disappoint: cloudy, windy, annoyingly cold, & light PM snow. Rough conditions for outside birding, but the highlight of the day at Presque Isle State Park = 9 Purple Sandpiper on the breakwater off Sunset Point. Not the best pictures (camera equip was freezing up by this point), but still nice to see:
More Purple Sandpiper, etc. pending photo editing. In the meantime, back to the final “post-Snowpocalypse” content from the other week at Presque Isle:
Long-distance but nice sequence of Canada Geese landing in lake-effect snow @ head of Presque Isle Bay (Scott Park bluff in background):
Rapidly changing conditions at Leo’s Landing, e.g., hint of blue sky:
And incoming snow:
An unusual amount of Northern Shoveler activity, e.g., a flock of 21, a BirdingPI.com record for most seen at one time:
Coming up soon, more birds in snow!