It’s a beautiful Greater Yellowlegs at outer Gull Point, Saturday morning at Presque Isle State Park (guest starring various Bank and Barn Swallows):

Early AM photography = frequently poor results from shade, dim conditions, or bad backlighting. These mostly quite nice shots (thank you, side lighting) are from Saturday morning on the hike out to Gull Point @ Presque Isle State Park:

Dateline: 20 July 2024

Another beautiful/epic weekend at Presque Isle State Park, with warm-mild/spectacular weather and plenty of bird activity along the Gull Point Trail. Based on this carcass atop the old observation platform, however, not such a nice weekend, apparently, for a gull:

Gull Point highlights: Whimbrel, Tricolored Heron (still hanging around since last weekend), Willet, Semipalmated Plover, & unusual Green Heron volume (5+ spotted at one time). Of note, currently extremely ‘buggy’ @ outer Gull Point, with concurrent amazing (literally amazing) swallow, etc. activity – at times, hundreds and hundreds of mostly Bank Swallow (w/ Barn Swallow, Red-winged Blackbird, etc.) swirling about in flight. (More on this in later posts.)

First saw this Whimbrel already in flight; subsequently dropped into the brush/dunes on the south side of outer Gull Point. Not seen again, sadly, despite lots of observing.

This is (apparently) the same juvenile Tricolored Heron as seen both Saturday and Sunday last weekend. Spotted again both Saturday and Sunday this weekend:

---

Despite challenging conditions (long distance, backlit morning lighting), still a nice shot of Tricolored Heron (foreground) & Yellowlegs (background):

---

Not a very good shot (challenging distance + lighting), but here’s the Willet (l) and a (probably) Greater Yellowlegs (r):

---

Less than ideal lighting, but still a cool view of Tricolored Heron exhibiting “shade water to attract fish” foraging behavior:

---

Trail conditions: locally muddy where usual, e.g., Gull Point ‘inner official trail:’ fairly wet/muddy.*

---

Coming up soon, “The Heron who would be a Goose.” Also, butterflies on rotten fish!

[Editor’s note: triple ‘r’ alliteration for the win!]

[* Editor’s note 2: seen multiple instances of folks starting on the Gull Point Trail at the official trailhead, along the ‘inner official trail,’ then turning back in discouragement due to mud/water. Hint: that section of trail comes out at the beach again soon enough, so just follow the beach in the first place!]

More Presque Isle State Park bird content, from a recent mid-morning at Leo’s Landing:

This Osprey was flying up and hovering briefly, then diving steeply down and back up, over and over, carrying what appeared to be a headless fish. Eventually it settled into a nearby tree w/ another Osprey (see shot below). After internal discussions in the BirdingPI.com break room, thinking this might have been courtship behaviour. (Video will be posted if the video function ever works again.)

[Editor’s note: shot above – American Goldfinch (r) & Yellow Warbler (l).]

[Editor’s note: past observations have suggested that having caught a fish, Osprey may first eat the head. Perhaps it’s the ‘tasty bits.’]

Shots of individual Cedar Waxwing along the Long Pond Trail @ Presque Isle State Park:

He reached the top of the bank in a single, powerful leap. Hazel followed; and together they slipped away, running easily down through the wood, where the first primroses were beginning to bloom.

Adams, Richard. Watership Down. Macmillan Publishing Company, Inc., 17th printing, 1975.

For Mr. Hunter, 4th grade.

Usually down in the shrubbery (“heard not seen”), it was great for a couple recent, uncommon appearances of Common Yellowthroat along the Gull Point Trail, close to the trailhead at Bundy Beach:

On one occasion, a male (see above), on the other, two of what were females and/or juveniles:

Lots and lots more shots of both:

Part II of 7/7 content from Presque Isle State Park along the Gull Point Trail:

(Trail note: fastest route to outer Gull Point is along the beach, which requires diverting through the brush in a couple spots, as above.)

Nice shots of an older chick Spotted Sandpiper:

---

At this same spot, an older juvenile Spotted Sandpiper:

Plus more chick Spotted Sandpiper:

More from Presque Isle State Park, back to the Gull Point Trail on 7 July, including plenty of pleasant shots of Short-billed Dowitcher:

And lovely Blue-gray Gnatcatcher off Budny Beach:

---

---

Coming up soon, special portraiture of Common Yellowthroat!

Plenty of Marsh Wren at Presque Isle State Park, but hard to photograph due to (i) inaccessible swamp habitat, &/or (ii) hunkered down in the cattails/reeds. Typical shots:

Here, lucked upon a very vocal/loud individual (audio clip below) in cattails fairly close to the Long Pond Trail. Strategy: carefully bushwhack along a slight deer trail to the edge of the marsh, then wait. Fortunately, after 5-10 minutes and lots of rustling, it popped up briefly into open sight:

Edit: further to received feedback, here’s audio (recorded using the Merlin app) of this bird (also Song Sparrow in background):