Taken under dark/gloomy conditions, some nice shots nevertheless of White-throated Sparrow (w/ foraging behaviour) at Scott Park earlier this week.
Fall Leaves
The Bad & The Good
Big bird news at Presque Isle State Park this week was the prolonged visit of a rare (at this location) Eared Grebe (Podiceps nigricollis) off Leo’s Landing. ID tips @ non-breeding plumage: gray neck, steep forehead, smudgy cheek, and small/pointy/dark bill; lacks the white-tipped bill and clearly demarcated cap/cheek line of more common Horned Grebe. These rather bad pictures taken under cloudy/rainy/snowy/dark conditions:
Nearby same date/location, fairly good pictures of beautiful male Northern Cardinal exhibiting foraging behaviour:
Weather today in Erie County, Pennsylvania: mostly cloudy, cool. Recent snow mostly melted. Rain forecast for this weekend, but conditions should be ok for waterfowl observation. Happy birding!
Woodpecker & Vine
Rather awful weather in Erie County, Pennsylvania for yesterday’s Veterans’ Day holiday in the U.S. – overcast and cold with wind and snow. Nevertheless, plenty of nice bird activity for brief field operations, including this beautiful Red-bellied Woodpecker along the main entrance road at Presque Isle State Park:
Recently w/ Moon
Still having problems with the BirdingPI.com website due to corporate web-hosting shenanigans. Thankfully, at least recent blog posts are functional…
Today (Tuesday) in Erie County, Pennsylvania: day 2 of wintery weather, with wind and light blowing snow. More ‘outdoor suffering’ on the way from Presque Isle State Park, but for this post it’s recent moon content:
More Outdoor Suffering
First snow of the season in Erie County, Pennsylvania last night – maybe 8 cm (3+ inches) in Millcreek Twp (“Since 1800”). These shots are from cloudy and cold conditions Saturday afternoon at Presque Isle State Park, along Long Pond, with the “surprise birds of the day” being a pair of beautiful Greater Yellowlegs:
Water level’s down generally, hence possible to walk along the muddy shore of Long Pond for quite a distance:
Luckily, these Yellowlegs vocalized loudly, otherwise wouldn’t have known they were around (hard to spot against the mottled/muddy shoreline). Also, best way (vocal ID w/ the Merlin app) to distinguish from Lesser Yellowlegs.
Otherwise, lots of nice, seasonal waterfowl activity, + sparrows, etc.:
ID on the falcon = when really cropped/zoomed, easy to see distinctive ‘sideburns:’
Outdoor Suffering
Seems too early for ‘outdoor suffering’ already, but that was certainly the case yesterday at Presque Isle State Park (cold temps = cold hands) and even before that with cold rain and lots of it, like here at Leo’s Landing:
These shots utilized the infamous ‘umbrella method,’ involving simultaneously balancing a large camera and an umbrella, in windy conditions.
Finally, the Bonaparte’s Gull was ‘out and about’ finally, dipping into the rainy lagoon:
Weather today (Sunday) in Erie County, Pennsylvania: overcast, damp, and cold.
Down For Maintenance?
Currently having website problems on BirdingPI.com today; some content may not be available. Also, weekend weather in Erie County, Pennsylvania = rather abysmal. With that said, back to happier times in July, with beautiful nature content at Asbury Woods. (All birds Song Sparrow.)
Rather nice shots of “very difficult to ever capture on ‘film'” Two-striped Grasshopper (Melanoplus bivittatus):
Back Bay (2)
2nd and final part of bird activity on/near Presque Isle Bay on 25 October 2025, just north of Leo’s Landing.
Unsettled/windy weather continues today (Friday) in Erie County, Pennsylvania, with several days of precipitation forecast starting Sunday and the potential for a steep drop in temperatures Monday w/ snow. Waterfowl and other migratory sightings remain erratic, although plenty of cormorant and gull activity. Happy birding/nature!
Back @ South Pier (Part 3)
Wow! More pictures of (mostly) Ring-billed Gulls!
Back Bay (1)
Despite cloudy conditions, it’s nice shots from the weekend before last on/near Presque Isle Bay just north of Leo’s Landing at Presque Isle State Park. Following is a view looking east of the entrance channel to Presque Isle Bay with North Pier on the left and South Pier on the right:
