Cloudy/rainy conditions this Saturday morning in Erie County, PA, but unseasonably warm. (Temperatures supposed to return to normal tomorrow, although still above freezing in the daytime.) While waiting for conditions to clear up by this afternoon (hopefully), some recent shots from Presque Isle State Park on a sunny morning:
Failed to make note of 3 February 2024, the winter mid-point. On the other hand, the northern hemisphere’s well on the way to spring!
Speaking of spring, “crazy February” continues here in Erie County, PA, with unseasonably warm weather and no snow/little ice. After a sunny but cold weekend (AM hard frost), it transitioned to high temperatures in the 10+ deg. C range (50’s deg. F!), with clouds/rain Thursday night, otherwise mostly/partly sunny. So mild, at least one Erie golf course opened Wednesday (!), not to mention recently sighted daffodil shoots. All that said, forecast calls for a 50%+ chance of snow next week.
Ice conditions at Presque Isle State Park and Lake Erie remain highly variable: Lake Erie completely unfrozen, & Presque Isle Bay + interior ponds varying between ‘light ice’ and ‘mostly no ice,’ depending on overnight temperatures.
Seasonal bird activity remains high, e.g., American Robin, Blue Jay, Dark-eyed Junco, ducks/waterfowl, Tufted Titmouse, Northern Cardinal, Black-capped Chickadee, American Crow, White-breasted Nuthatch, Bald Eagle, American Tree Sparrow, House Sparrow, woodpeckers, Eastern Bluebird, European Starling, Wild Turkey, etc. Unofficial BirdingPI.com “species seen in Erie County so far in 2024” count = 69!
Tundra Swans in flight over Presque Isle Bay:
Of note, very early recent sightings of Red-winged Blackbird at Leo’s Landing (& Gull Point), Yellow-rumped Warbler on the Gull Point Trail (probably an overwintering population), and Golden-crowned Kinglet in Millcreek Twp (“Gateway to Presque Isle”).
Photos of Yellow-rumped Warbler forthcoming. Meanwhile, wrapping it up with ‘morning’ ducks on Lake Erie:
More male Red-breasted Merganser:
Fairly regular Pileated Woodpecker activity this winter in Millcreek Twp (“Gateway to Presque Isle”). Also spotted at Presque Isle State Park itself. These recent shots from the former.
It’s the return leg of BirdingPI.com’s August 2023 fully-permitted day hike at amazing Aravaipa Canyon in central SE Arizona.
Female Blue Grosbeak w/ snack:
Series of photographs heading downstream from the turnaround at Cave Canyon junction:
Back at the desert-y trailhead in full afternoon sun. Probably at least a 9-10 deg C (15+ deg F) difference in temps between the trailhead on an August afternoon and the streambed w/ water + trees.
All in all, an amazing (and robust) day hike. If you go, take food and lots of water!
Plenty of great Bald Eagle activity this time of year in/around Presque Isle State Park. ‘Perched in a tree’ shots from Long Pond. In-flight shots from over the North Pier/South Pier area, w/ some degree of fighting/play-fighting/chasing going on.
Currently lots of ducks & other waterfowl in the waters in/around Presque Isle State Park – Canvasback, Greater/Lesser Scaup, Common Goldeneye, Mallard, Red-breasted Merganser, & smaller numbers of American Widgeon, Gadwall, Ring-necked Duck, Hooded Merganser, etc. These overcast-but-fun shots of mostly beautiful Redhead ducks:
Redhead landing sequence, at South Pier:
Coming up soon, more ducks! More Bald Eagle! More woodpecker! More Arizona! #more_bird
Dateline: 4 August 2023
Another winter diversion, this time a special two-part report from ‘regionally famous’ Aravaipa Canyon, Arizona. BLM (US government) wilderness land in southeast Arizona, renowned as a year-round stream & rock canyon oasis in what’s essentially the rugged Sonoran-ish desert northeast of Tucson and southeast of Phoenix.
Shot above: unnamed rock formation, probably the eastern edge of the Brandenburg Mountain complex. Shot below: Aravaipa Canyon West Trailhead.
Canyon is accessed by west and east trailheads; west trailhead much closer to both Tucson and Phoenix. Driving time to west trailhead from Tucson Mall area: about 1.5 hours. (About an hour on the highway to the E. Aravaipa Rd turnoff, then 1/2 hr.+ mostly on rough dirt roads; absent crazy weather conditions, ok for passenger cars.) There is an open-air ‘bathroom’ at the trailhead, namely, pit toilet building sans roof.
Hiking or camping (max. 2 nights/3 days) access via permit only. See BLM website for details. Short version: go online to get an inexpensive permit, 3 months ahead of your planned date. Hint: few folks are hiking the canyon in high summer. Shot below – view west back towards trailhead, post-dawn w/ moon, from Aravaipa Creek streambed:
Canyon route has short sections of trail, but otherwise unimproved with many sections requiring stream crossings or stream hiking. Hint: wear close-toed water shoes, or boots/wool socks; sandals are ‘doable’ but there’s a lot of sand & gravel = really unpleasant.
Canyon overall is fairly heavily forested along the water = shady and cool in the morning. (Sunrise in August around 6 AM.) Mid-summer, still warm in the canyon, but much cooler than surrounding desert = good hiking conditions if carrying plenty of water for hydration.
Initial section is a bit flatter; after passing the wilderness boundary, more interesting with rock/canyon walls:
A view showing the very tight transition between stream, riparian vegetation, and desert hillside:
Overall bird activity was “good,” but probably too large an area with too much water/vegetation for concentrated activity. Here are some nice ‘flying way overhead’ bird shots:
For this day hike, the turnaround was the junction for Cave Canyon:
Considering patches of rough terrain + occasional need for bushwacking, Cave Canyon seemed like a reasonable spot for lunch + turnaround. (As mentioned, temps were warm/hot, but manageable.) Better option for enjoying the canyon would be an overnight at least as far as Horse Camp Canyon.
With the recent melt-off at Presque Isle State Park, fascinating to see late-January North American Beaver (Castor canadensis) activity off Leo’s Landing. And a fairly unusual sighting of two Beavers together.
Can’t be 100% certain what’s happening here, however, Jan.-Feb. is Beaver mating season:
More North American Beaver:
[Photo editor’s note: rather tough lighting conditions for these shots, w/ deep shade + overcast + ice.]
Not quite the arctic here in Erie County, PA, especially considering the recent unseasonably mild weather. (Snow/ice as of 2 February 2024 = essentially zero.) Still, with the earlier period of cold + variable weather, there’s plenty of bleak-ish landscapes to share via helpful, generally ok Nikon camera imaging:
The GBH were mostly lying low during the cold snap. Following shot of an unusual congregation (& similar shot below) from after it warmed up slightly, but before the recent ice melt:
This is probably a juvenile Great Black-backed Gull:
A bit of ‘snow drizzle’ this Friday afternoon here in Millcreek Twp (“Gateway to Presque Isle”), but the weekend weather forecast looks ok. Happy birding/nature!
Back to the snow storm the Saturday before last, with mostly woodpecker shots at Presque Isle State Park. (Generally, plenty of Downy, Hairy, Red-bellied, & Pileated Woodpecker activity in Erie County, PA.) Following is a mélange of lovely female Downy Woodpecker (in the woods along the multi-use trail by the PI maintenance center) + misc. woodpecker/etc.:
