It’s a recurring joke here on BirdingPI.com, but is “Greater” and “Lesser” Yellowlegs really fair? Instead, maybe something like “Pretty Good Yellowlegs” and “Even Better Yellowlegs.” [Editor’s note to staff: this ‘joke’ can be retired now, thanks.] Anyway, from the Gull Point bayside, by the ‘big bend’ beach access, it’s probably Greater Yellowlegs (+ misc. bird):
ID note: Greater Yellowlegs = barring on flanks + relatively long, slightly upturned bill.
Why not a mid-week interlude with beautiful Red-breasted Nuthatch spotted along the Pine Tree Trail @ Presque Isle State Park last weekend? (Might be the first BirdingPI.com sighting of this species at PI this year; more common at ‘pinier’ places like Asbury Woods.) For those on the normal work week schedule, happy “hump day!”
Part 2 of Weekend Update content (part 3 counting the Cuckoo post) featuring outer Gull Point, mostly in chronological order. First up, remiss in not earlier mentioning the “surprise bench” that appeared adjacent the old observation platform recently. Many thanks (!) to whoever/whatever was responsible for this excellent addition to the Gull Point infrastructure!
Moving on to birds, within the tree line, immature American Goldfinch:
Next up, bad shots of American Golden-Plover. (Expensive camera equipment notwithstanding, nothing gets past atmospheric heat shimmer at long distance.) This appears to be a male in some sort of transitioning or molting plumage. Note the overall ‘large plover’ appearance, dark cap, white face colouration, and very blotchy chest and underside. (E.g., eventually, presumably, it would transition to black cap + black breast/underside = American Golden-Plover; Black-bellied Plover lacks a dark cap.)
Thankfully, a good shot of juvenile Black-bellied Plover:
Two juvenile Black-bellied Plover (left & middle), + ‘mystery bird’ on right:
Had no idea of the ID on this bird in the field, other than “never seen the likes of it before = must be interesting/unusual.” Based on image analysis back at HQ, turns out this is a non-breeding plumage adult Red Knot – rather unusual for Erie. (A breeding-plumage bird would be, well, somewhat red-ish.) Note the overall relatively medium size, stout bill, yellow-green legs, white eyebrow, & pale gray rump especially visible in flight:
More nice shots of juvenile Black-bellied Plover:
Coming up soon, more Pine Tree Trail, & inner Gull Point w/ lots of Yellowlegs content!
Dateline: 14 September 2024
Beautiful weekend at Presque Isle State Park: sunny, warm, dry; trails in good condition. Warbler/migratory activity has definitely ticked up (anecdotally) relative to recent past visits. Of note, lots of Yellow-billed Cuckoo activity as seen by BirdingPI.com staff along the Pine Tree Trail (PTT), + other reports on eBird elsewhere. Following shots from Saturday on the PTT of “other birds:”
Medley 1 of juvenile Yellow-rumped Warbler x Northern Parula:
Probably immature male Northern Parula – note the hint of chestnut breast band, broken white eyering, & white wingbars (see below):
Probably Chipping Sparrow x probably Pine Warbler:
Eastern Phoebe x more Chipping Sparrow:
Dateline: 14 September 2024, Presque Isle State Park
The Pine Tree Trail was on fire Saturday afternoon. Not literally. That would be bad. Bird-wise, rather. Especially an amazing and very surprising encounter w/ two Yellow-billed Cuckoo. First BirdingPI.com sighting of this species outside Arizona, first BirdingPI.com sighting of “more than one at the same time/location.”
Note the black-and-white bands visible on the underside of the tail:
Yellow-billed Cuckoo are known for hunting caterpillars = great to see here:
Awful/blurry shot, but just for the record – one individual @ far left, another @ lower right (very blurry):
Looks like a nice (sunny/mild) weekend for birding at Presque Isle State Park. Recent reports show good conditions at Gull Point (e.g., low water level = mud = good for shorebirds) + interesting/uncommon sightings like Red Knot & American Golden-Plover. (More on this in upcoming posts.) To get the weekend off to an ok start, here are some okay/cloudy shots of a Great Egret in flight, etc. last weekend at Leo’s Landing:
Took a while, but finally able to lure a beautiful Common Raven (or three) into close photography range with a strategically placed bust of Pallas. All shots at Gordon Hirabayashi Recreation Site (a.k.a. Prison Camp) half-way up (more or less) Mt. Lemmon, outside Tucson, AZ.
The photographer in the eye of the beholder:
Coming from Erie, PA where Common Ravens are very uncommon and mostly transient, encounters like this are a very happy occasion!
From a day in late July, it’s lots of Tucson-area suburban Sonoran Desert birds outside the BirdingPI.com Regional Desert Southwest (BIRDS) field station in Casas Adobes, AZ. Perhaps Tucson’s “best” & “most exclusive” location for quality birding within 10 meters (20-30 feet) of air conditioning & a cold beverage (e.g., ice water).
All hummingbird pictures Purple Shooting Star (a.k.a. Costa’s Hummingbird):
Here’s a medley of Lesser Goldfinch (female or juvenile) x Black-tailed Gnatcatcher (m):
Two of White-winged Dove w/ nice lighting:
Medley of Purple Shooting Star x Juvenile Verdin:
Very cool picture of the setting sun through evening monsoon rains:
Finally, lots more Purple Shooting Star from earlier in the afternoon:
Fun facts: Verdin (Auriparus flaviceps) is the only species in the genus Auriparus and the only representative of the old-world family Remizidae (penduline tits) found in North America. “Penduline tits:” all but the Verdin make elaborate bag nests hanging from trees (whence “penduline”, hanging), usually over water. (That being said, even Verdin make fairly elaborate spherical hanging nests out of sticks and twigs.)
Please consider donating to Wikipedia, BirdingPI.com’s favourite online tool for helpful misc. information. (BirdingPI.com is not associated with Wikipedia except as an occasional donor.)
This was the Presque Isle weekend of “events for people in really good shape,” which sadly excludes the entire BirdingPI.com staff: Erie Marathon on Sunday, & Barber ‘Beast on the Bay’ on Saturday. Due to the commotion + other logistical issues, unfortunately no Gull Point content again this week. However, ‘the game’s afoot’ (migration-wise), with some nice shorebird sightings Saturday afternoon (after the rain but cloudy) at Leo’s Landing:
It’s Gray Catbird! x more Caspian Tern (carrying a stick apparently):
Trail conditions: locally muddy at usual locations, e.g., Duck Pond Trail & west end Long Pond Trail.
Coming up soon, more Great Egret!
It’s the final “Gull Point photo adventure” from June, featuring ‘misc. bird,’ mostly Yellow Warbler except where noted.
