Great weekend at Presque Isle State Park; highly variable conditions – extremely warm & humid Friday & Saturday; mild, humid, and on-and-off rain and wind Sunday starting a bit after 9AM, very buggy (e.g., biting flies) later in the day. Following shots are Common Tern against the morning sun over outer Lake Erie, adjacent the northside outer beach at Gull Point:
More from 2024 Erie County, PA nesting season, with amazing, “cute” baby Red-winged Blackbirds (& male and female adult parents) at South Pier last week. This nest spotted in a tuft of reeds well away from the pier; in the shot above, it’s right about at center. Managed to get some decent shots at two oblique angles @ 600mm:
Both the female adult (above) and male adult (below) take turns feeding the chicks. Good thing there are lots of bugs around!
Finally answered two pressing nature questions: (i) whether Spiny Softshell Turtles (Apalone spinifera) have and convey emotions; and (ii) how fast Apalone spinifera can travel on land. Last Sunday afternoon, arrived at the entrance to the sandy Gull Point ‘rope trail’ for accessing the observation platforms. On the trail and well away from water, much to BirdingPI.com staffs’ surprise, a rather large Apalone spinifera. “Hello!” someone exclaimed in surprise (not the turtle). A split-second pause, then a noticeable look of abject startlement and concern on the turtle’s face.
Immediately, the turtle made a rather mad dash across the sand. For a creature not particularly well adapted to land, the rate of locomotion was quite amazing (lots of flailing about + kicking up sand), and it was back to the safety of the nearby lagoon in no time. Happened so fast not even enough time to raise the camera to capture the turtle in the first instance on the trail; nevertheless, got a few shots of its retreat to the water:
Other Spiny Softshell Turtles in the vicinity:
Best place to see Spiny Softshell Turtles at Gull Point is right along this section of lagoon by the entrance to the roped-off trail. Turtles are usually at the edge of the water (as above), & will retreat quickly in human presence – best strategy for viewing is to go early or at other times when there aren’t many/any folks out.
On the first full day of summer 2024, time for some recent, summer-y birds @ Presque Isle State Park, starting with the Pine Tree Trail:
Now it’s over to nearby Thompson Circle & Thompson Bay:
Very cool to see a spherical Baltimore Oriole nest way, way up in a tree @ Thompson Circle; in the following shot, the nest is to the left of center:
Long-distance detail view of the nest w/ a hint of adult Oriole:
And for context, the nest is at the very top right of the tall tree in the middle:
Wrapping it up with a nice sequence of an unsuccessful Caspian Tern dive fishing run, starting by the Thompson Bay Osprey platform:
Weather in Erie remains sunny, hot, and humid! Happy weekend/nature!
In the northern hemisphere, it’s the summer solstice today at 4:50PM EDT – happy summer! And with that + the recent ‘heat dome’ in Erie County, PA, time to hit the beach at Presque Isle State Park. Here’s a typical beachgoer near Beach No. 11:
All shots Eastern Raccoon (Procyon lotor lotor).
Like Belted Kingfisher, Eastern Kingbird are apt to ‘hover’ in place, meaning flapping busily to generally stay stationary in the air. Except instead of dive fishing, it appears to be for flycatching, either in the air or by landing on lily pads (or pond vegetation) for insects. These recent shots at Presque Isle State Park, on Long Pond:
It’s a baby bunny (and parents) – Eastern Cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus) – on the Gull Point Trail!
Lest anyone think BirdingPI.com has resorted to a “cute bunny on Gull Point Trail” generative AI tool, fear not, it’s real bunnies! Just there’s lots of rabbits @ inner Gull Point, presumably due to the nice grassy/brushy habitat. As proof, AI-generated content would actually be well composed and well lit, if slightly less realistic:
Original image above generated using Fotor (no affiliation).
Safe to say flies aren’t the most beloved of insect orders, but no denying their importance as pollinators, bird food, etc. And close up, they do look amazing-ish. (Just ask David Hedison, RIP.) These shots at Presque Isle State Park, by Long Pond, on what is probably Creeping Thistle (Cirsium arvense).
Following is probably Common Green Bottle Fly (Lucilia sericata):
An unknown species of Cluster Fly in the genus Pollenia:
Lots more shots of Bottle Fly on thistle:
Coming up soon, more cuddly bunnies! And maybe some birds.
Always great to see Belted Kingfisher “hover-fishing.” (Flapping to stay in place for observing fish, then dive fishing.) These recent shots (+ video!) from Presque Isle State Park.
Some still shots of “hover flapping:”
Kingfisher getting harassed by a Red-winged Blackbird:
Unsuccessful fishing attempt at Leo’s Landing:
Back with a giant post of more along the Gull Point Trail in early June 2024:
Here’s lovely Barn Swallow under the old observation platform:
Back to the Budny Beach area:
Adult and juvenile Killdeer:
Long-distance shots from the new observation platform:
Hard to see, but in the following shot there’s a Semipalmated Plover on the far left, then a gull, then a Black-bellied Plover, then a Dunlin, & then a second Black-bellied Plover on the far right:
Back by the trailhead, it’s Baltimore Oriole (m), a bathing American Robin, & Grey Catbird!
Looks like a nice day this Saturday in Erie County, PA. Forecast for next week: sunny with highs around 32 deg C (in the low 90’s deg F) – very unusual for Erie! Happy nature/birding!