“Yeah, rain birdinginPittsburgh! Just grab an umbrella and an old camera.” Right. Great idea. Obviously the sad result of some combination of nature overenthusiasm and/or too much (or not enough?) black coffee.
Wet birdAllegheny River & Fort Duquesne Bridge (Interstate 279)
Rain. Like water off a duck’s back:
Roberto Clemente Bridge over Allegheny RiverWet bird IIOn left, Point State Park & Fort Pitt Bridge
Goose family’s day along the Allegheny River:
Head of Ohio RiverStill a bird, even wetterAcrisure StadiumLooking for nibletsFort PittI hear a wormFormer site of Fort Duquesne, looking towards head of Ohio RiverFan dancePoint State ParkA discarded orange in perilI know there’s a worm here somewhereHead of Ohio River (l) & Point State Park Fountain (r)Meet me in St. LouisIt cannot escape my powers!Point State Park Fountain (foreground) & Acrisure Stadium (background)On behalf of wet birds everywhere, have a nice day
Bird IDs: (1, 8, 13, 21) Northern Rough-winged Swallow; (2-7) Mallard (m) in fountain; (9-12) Canada Geese (adults & juveniles); (14) European Starling; (15, 18, 20) American Robin; (16, 19) Northern Cardinal; (17) House Sparrows (m).
Bird photography rule #17: be opportunistic. Even with the ‘wrong lens’ (600mm prime = too slow, absurdly long min focus distance, etc.), still possible this past Sunday along the Gull Point Trail for some nice flower/insect close-up shots, featuring Yellow Toadflax (Linaria vulgaris).
“Lucky shot, sir.”
Above: Probably Eastern Bumblebee (Bombus impatiens) on Yellow Toadflax, + unknown species of bee in the family Colletidae on left. Below: Yellow Toadflax along Gull Point Trail.
Silver-spotted Skipper (Epargyreus clarus)Desert False Indigo (Amorpha fruticosa) in bloomCabbage White butterfly (Pieris rapae)ย or similar, on Creeping Thistle
Different date/nearby location, wrapping it up with a different wrong lens, this time an old iPhone, with Viceroy Butterfly (Limenitis archippus) on Purple Crown Vetch (Securigera varia):
Back to Presque Isle State Park, with what seemed like a fairly slow day (shorebird wise) at Gull Point Sunday afternoon.
Budny Beach looking towards Gull PointOuter Gull Point
Slow, that is, except for a great sighting of recently hatched Piping Plover chicks, at least three, possibly four. Always a very happy occasion! Following shots at long distance from new observation platform:
Adult – left; chick – right of centerAdult – left; 3 chicks – 2 to left of adult, 1 on far rightUncropped view of above @ 600mm (very small/distant)Another view of adult and 3 chicks
More Piping Plover:
Adult in flight (right of center)Adult landing by lagoon/pond Adult foraging watersideAnother view of adult Piping Plover
Some sort of brief altercation w/ two adults and a male Red-winged Blackbird:
Piping Plover (left & in flight center right) + Red-winged BlackbirdAdult PP (left center & lower left) w/ Red-winged Blackbird
Following notice was posted on both observation platforms. Unfortunately, despite looking, couldn’t find/see the crow effigies!
Gull Point, view north from new observation platform
More birds @ outer Gull Point:
Spotted SandpiperTurkey VulturesRing-billed Gull (?) w/ fishVultures IISpotted Sandpiper flying over Lake Erie
Finally, a nice (if not particularly well lit) sequence of Osprey carrying fish/food:
Osprey carrying foodOsprey harassed by Common TernOsprey harassed by blackbird or grackleOsprey + Common Tern IIOsprey + Common Tern over outer Lake ErieOsprey lands on marker sign at north outer beach
Part 2/2 of San Diego Botanic Gardens back in March, featuring (unless otherwise noted) Allen’s Hummingbird (maybe also Rufous Hummingbird):
Rufous Hummingbird (f)Lower rainforest gardenPoor Man’s Cycad (Encephalartos villosus) Waterfall @ upper rainforest gardenRainforest gardenLebombo Cycad (Encephalartos lebomboensis) or similarTop of rainforest garden looking downRed-shouldered HawkWalkway to Overlook TowerThe red shoulder of “Red-shouldered”View NE-ish from Overlook TowerRed-shouldered Hawk IIIBlack PhoebeView SE-ish from Overlook TowerA species of Cottontail Rabbit, probably Brush Rabbit (Sylvilagus bachmani)In the distance, the Pacific OceanBamboo forestRabbit in the garden
All in all, agreat visit to SDBG! Highly recommended.
With NE spring warbler migration mostly (entirely?) over, it’s time to head back in time a few months to a great outing in March to the rather amazing San Diego Botanic Garden in Encinitas, California. Lots of plants, & lots of birds enjoying the plants!
BushtitMap to garden adventuresSong SparrowBushtit IIBottle Tree (Brachychiton rupestris)California Towhee
Bushtit III
Elevated view of gardens (foreground) and nearby neighborhoods (background)California Towhee IISpotted TowheeElephant Foot Tree (Beaucarnea recurvata)Orange-crowned WarblerCalifornia Towhee IIIToni’s Tree HouseYellow-rumped WarblerMaiden’s Quiver Tree (Aloe ramosissima), foregroundCalifornia Towhee IVNorthern MockingbirdCandelabra Tree (Euphorbia ingens) or similarCommon RavenBushtit IVView of gardensSpotted Towhee IINorthern Mockingbird IIBlooming Elephant Foot TreeOrange-crowned Warbler IIOrange-crowned Warbler IIIHeading into the rainforest
What’s great about San Diego Botanic Garden is the (i) variety/diversity of plants and (ii) it’s been around (first private and then public) for 80+ years = many magnificent mature specimens.
Bonus section (re-post?) of Orange-crowned Warbler at a nearby location in San Diego County, same date, better showing the orange crown:
Coming up next time, more at SDBG, including lots of hummingbirds! (Yay!)
It’s a rainy, rainy Saturday morning here in Erie County, Pennsylvania = all BirdingPI.com field operations on ‘weather hold.’ But that’s fine – there’s always a backlog of bird photos, e.g., here, recently, at South Pier. All Red-winged Blackbird (male – black w/ red shoulders, female – mottled brown/buff) unless otherwise noted.
Ring-billed Gull at east end of South PierCommon Grackle (m)GBH on North Pier w/ Perry Monument in backgroundRing-billed GullsGrackle II
Out on a late-spring walk in Millcreek Twp, Pennsylvania (“Since 1800”), with toss offs of flowers & friends, either 50mm standard or 50mm macro. Mostly cloudy conditions. (Species ID at end of post.)
Photo IDs: (i) Ox-eye Daisy (Leucanthemum vulgare); (ii) Probably Meadow Buttercup (Ranunculus acris); (iii) Field of daisies; (iv) Multiflora Rose (Rosa multiflora); (v) Ox-eye Daisy (Leucanthemum vulgare); (vi) Philadelphia Fleabane (Erigeron philadelphicus); (vii) More daisies; (viii) Ragged-robin (Silene flos-cuculi); (ix) Philadelphia Fleabane (Erigeron philadelphicus); (x) Ox-eye Daisy (Leucanthemum vulgare); (xi) Ragged-robin (Silene flos-cuculi); (xii) White Philadelphia Fleabane w/ probably Tarnished Plant Bug (TPB)(Lygus lineolaris), nymph form; (xiii) Multiflora Rose w/ a hoverfly, perhaps Margined Calligrapher Fly (Toxomerus marginatus); (xiv) Fleabane w/ TPB; (xv) Creeping Thistle (Cirsium arvense) bud; (xvi) Multiflora Rose w/ hoverfly; (xvii) species of Taraxacum (dandelion), seed pod detail w/ morning dew; (xviii) Multiflora Rose w/ hoverfly; (xix) Fleabane w/ TPB; (xx) dandelion, seed pod detail w/ morning dew; (xxi) Multiflora Rose w/ hoverfly; (xxii) Ox-eye Daisy detail; (xxiii) Creeping Thistle (Cirsium arvense) bloom; &(xxiv) Ox-eye Daisy.
[Editor’s note: ID on Ox-eye Daisy based on bloom size, petal count, and leaf pattern (e.g., Common Daisy would be smaller with fewer petals and a rounder leaf):
From much earlier in the spring (end-April) in Erie County, Pennsylvania, it’s a celebration of beautiful Palm Warbler @ Red Elderberry (Sambucus racemosa):
