Tales From A Cold Saturday

Recent weather in Erie County, Pennsylvania: cold, frequently overcast/gloomy, & windy. Just like last Saturday here at Presque Isle State Park:

Presque Isle Bay, view from North Pier

Ice/water conditions highly variable/localized, e.g., ice (& ice fisherfolk, as above) in one spot, open water in others, like here at head of PI Bay, w/ Tundra Swans and misc. duck:


Female Scaup foraging in slushy surf off Perry Monument
Ice & view towards Waterworks from Perry Monument

Now on to ducks, etc. as seen from North Pier:

Mostly Common Goldeneye
Canada Geese over South Pier
Mostly Common Goldeneye II
South Pier, Canada Geese, & Hammermill smokestacks
Mostly Common Goldeneye III
Goldeneye landing I
Goldeneye landing II
Goldeneye in flight
Redheads landing (female – upper left, male – right)

Male Lesser Scaup landing sequence:


Ring-necked Ducks

Finally, beautiful Tundra Swans @ partially frozen Thompson Bay:

(Gull Point observation platform in background)

[Editor’s note: Somewhere in one of these shots is an unidentified waterfowl in the ‘not terribly common at Presque Isle’ category. ‘Where’s Waldo?’ More on this ‘mystery bird’ coming up soon, along with other recent uncommon sightings!]

Misc. Bird

Today’s post, recent shots of miscellaneous winter birds in Millcreek Twp, Pennsylvania (“Gateway to Presque Isle”):

American Robin on Staghorn Sumac (Rhus typhina)
White-breasted Nuthatch
Eastern Bluebird
Northern Cardinal (f)
Tufted Titmice
Black-capped Chickadee
Robin II
The Chickadee takes flight
Nuthatch II
A Titmouse takes flight
Chickadee III
Titmouse III
Chickadee IV w/ snow
Dark-eyed Junco
Nuthatch III
Titmouse IV
Nuthatch IV
Titmouse V
Nuthatch V
Titmouse VI
Nuthatch VI
Titmouse VII
The Nuthatch takes flight
Titmouse VIII
Dark-eyed Junco II
The Robin takes flight

Winter Blue Jays

Quick, cloudy/cold mid-day stop at McClelland Park the other day = a nice encounter with another great Erie County ‘winter bird:’ noisy Blue Jays!

Location note: McClelland Park is a square, 60-acre park on the east side of Erie, w/ a large dog park, playground, and walking trails through a tract of suburban/unimproved (i.e., natural) scrub woodland.


On A Thin, Yellow Line

Enjoying recent sunshine/dodging traffic along the main entrance road at Presque Isle State Park, featuring a nice look/comparison of male and female American Robin:

Following five shots, male on left (also above) & female (or possibly immature male) on right, male w/ darker face and redder/rustier breast, female with lighter face and white streaking on breast.


8/Rail/Raven

Mostly clear overnight in Erie County, Pennsylvania. Cloudy this Saturday morning; current forecast suggests snow starting later this afternoon.

3/4 moon @ evening of 7 February 2025

Got the team heading out momentarily to Presque Isle State Park for some cloudy/gloomy/cold bird photography; expectations are low. Elsewhere in Erie from the recent past, it’s eight shots of always amazing Common Raven @ Lawrence Park Twp:


PS5

It’s a sunny but annoyingly cold Friday today in Erie County, Pennsylvania. Weekend forecast calls for snow, cold, etc.; BirdingPI.com field operations currently “TBD.” But however the weekend plays out, here’s some guaranteed nice bird content, closing out 12 January 2025 @ Gull Point, Presque Isle State Park:

Unless otherwise noted, all shots Purple Sandpiper (above) or Snow Bunting (below).

Male Downy Woodpecker
GBH I
Float ice on outer Lake Erie
GBH II

Coming up soon, Blue Jays, a Hairy Woodpecker, Common Raven, & more! #more_bird

Back In The House

Recent shots of beautiful House Sparrow @ Millcreek Twp (“Gateway to Presque Isle”), w/ a hint of falling snow:

Males (as above) have distinctive black chin & breast w/ gray crown and brown behind the eyes. Females/immature, as below, overall more brownish/beige: