Seems like grebes are mostly seen floating and diving/foraging, less so in flight. From Sunday at Presque Isle State Park, a passing boat startled this trio of Horned Grebes into flight. Unhelpful for the grebes perhaps, but great for photography, even if conditions were overcast:
Today on BirdingPI.com, it’s a super cute Bushtit on landscaping flowers outside the Coyote Point Yacht Club in San Mateo, California:
Continuing on with U.S. west coast content, reporting today from a recent visit to El Corte de Madera Creek Open Space Preserve off California State Route 35 in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Rugged coastal countryside and beautiful mature redwood forest, e.g., Coast Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens), Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii), Pacific Madrone (Arbutus menziesii), California bay laurel (Umbellularia californica), Tanbark-oak (Notholithocarpus densiflorus), etc.
Due to the thick foliage, many birds (e.g., Pacific Wren, Western Flycatcher, Spotted Towhee) were only heard and not seen. One exception, several very noisy/busy Chestnut-backed Chickadees:
This is the location of the Tafoni Sandstone, a locally famous, rather giant sandstone monolith on the side of the forested mountainside:
Surprise “bird of the day,” multiple sightings of amazing Band-tailed Pigeon, very high up in the trees. Key features: yellow beak with dark tip, white neck crescent, pale band at end of tail (if you can see it), very deep, owl-like cooing vocalizations, and loud flapping upon takeoff.
Due to the dense, tall foliage, very hard to take pictures. Lucky to get even these few.
Pigeons in the redwoods, who knew?
Later, back at the trailhead @ Skeggs Point turnout, a trio of Red-tailed Hawk:
While patiently waiting for “real spring” in Erie County, PA, today’s post (& forthcoming posts) features recent nature content (w/ lots of great western birds) from the bay-side and Pacific coastal hills of San Mateo County, California, just south of San Francisco. Weather in San Mateo: courtesy of the current western ‘heat dome,’ sunny and unseasonably warm.
Celebrating the official end of winter today with one final post of content from Long Pond @ Presque Isle State Park the weekend before last:
Well, it’s the last full day of ‘official’ winter here in the northern hemisphere. Weather in Erie County, Pennsylvania: overcast skies, cold temps, and snow on the ground. Nevertheless, with birds like these Red-winged Blackbirds and Common Grackle at South Pier, ‘spring is in the air.’ Or maybe ‘spring is mostly on the ground?’ Whatever.
More waterfowl at Long Pond, Presque Isle State Park:
Coming up soon, giant pigeons in the big woods!
It’s recent shots of Wild Turkey in Millcreek Twp, PA (“Since 1800”):
Back to Long Pond the other weekend at Presque Isle State Park, featuring (of course) birds, birds, and more birds. #more_bird
Current weather conditions in Erie County: cold, overcast, & snow 🙁 As reported by BirdingPI.com’s associate editor currently in the SF Bay Area, current weather conditions: clear, sunny, & in the 80’s deg F 🙂
The other evening in Erie County, Pennsylvania, spotted an American Kestrel perched on a power line over a corn field. Seemed to have a piece of cord or rope in its talon. Long story short, turns out the ‘cord’ was a live snake, probably a garter snake.
After flying to a different, nearby power line, the Kestrel proceeded to peck at the snake, presumably the head end:
Coming up reasonably soon, down the hatch!