Cold temps and snow overnight in Erie County, Pennsylvania – around 5 cm (2 inches) of snow on non-paved surfaces. (Winter’s not over yet!) Escaping the cold, for today’s post it’s part 1 of a recent Saturday morning visit to the great El Rio Preserve in Marana, Arizona, one of the top birding hotspots in the greater Tucson area. First up, a nice shot of Violet-green Swallow in flight. Tough to shoot swallows in flight; this was captured using patience + the “pre-focus” method:
Violet-green Swallow (m)VerdinCooper’s HawkSay’s PhoebeMisc. swallowsViolet-green Swallow (f)Say’s Phoebe in flightAnother view of Violet-green SwallowProbably female Anna’s HummingbirdCooper’s Hawk in sunshineMore hummingbirdMarsh WrenProbably female Costa’s HummingbirdNorthern Shoveler (m)
Nice shots of beautiful Gadwall ducks:
Green-winged Teal (m)Teal dabblingNorthern Shoveler IIBlack-crowned Night Heron (juvenile)Cinnamon Teal x2Black-crowned Night Heron juvenile IIProbably female Anna’s HummingbirdCinnamon Teal IIMore hummingbird IINight Heron IIIMore hummingbird III Verdin IIAnother view of female Anna’s HummingbirdCooper’s Hawk III
Don’t quite know how a staff member ended up in Yuma, Arizona for BirdingPI.com’s “late winter go somewhere other than Erie County” week. Maybe it’s for the ‘salt free’ water? In any event, about a 3-hour, 10-minute drive from Tucson/Phoenix to Yuma, at the border of both California and Mexico, along the Colorado River.
Welcome to ‘salt free’ Yuma Yellow-rumped Warbler
Main birding ‘hot spot’ (hot area?) in Yuma seems to be centered around the Colorado River, @ Yuma West and Yuma East Wetlands. Lots of fun desert/riparian bird activity esp. Yellow-rumped Warbler and Black Phoebe.
Colorado River, view downstream from Riverside ParkYuma East WetlandsMale Anna’s Hummingbird in shadeYellow-rumped Warbler IIBlue-gray GnatcatcherYellow-rumped Warbler IIIBlack Phoebe looking upwardsWarbler IVBlack Phoebe IIBlack Phoebe IIIWarbler VGnatcatcher IIWarbler VIYellow-rumped Warbler VIIGnatcatcher IIIWarbler VIIIBlack Phoebe on groundColorado River view upstreamWarbler IXWarbler XBlack Phoebe on stumpWarbler XIBlue-gray Gnatcatcher IVAnother view downstream of Colorado RiverWarbler XIIAnother male Anna’s HummingbirdWarbler XIVWarbler XVBlack Phoebe VIGateway Park, Colorado River, & Interstate 8 passing into CaliforniaPenultimate Yellow-rumped WarblerRock Pigeon carrying nesting materialFinal Warbler
From last Sunday afternoon, this is along the rocky beach by Leo’s Landing @ Presque Isle State Park, featuring male Common Grackle & a female Mallard:
It’s more Oceanside Harbor Beach in Oceanside, California:
California Brown PelicanWillet in surfPIF IIWhimbrelWillet in surf IIPIF IIIWillet in surf IIIWhimbrel w/ sand reflectionWillet in surf IVMore Whimbrel w/ sand reflectionWillet in surf VWhimbrel IVLong-billed Dowitcher x2 (foreground) + WilletWillet in surf VIWhimbrel VDowitchers + Willet IIWillet in surf VIIWhimbrel VIJuvenile Willet against jetty rocksLong-billed Dowitchers IIIWhimbrel shaking off waterDowitchers in flightWhimbrel VIIIJuvenile Willet IIWhimbrel IXWhimbrel XJuvenile Willet III
Erie update: weather yesterday (Saturday) very cold, cloudy, and unsettled, w/ periods of rain and even snow. Hard freeze overnight. Cold but sunny this Sunday morning. Notable bird activity at Presque Isle State Park yesterday included both Great Black-backed Gull and Lesser Black-blacked Gull @ Beach 11. Pictures forthcoming. #happy_birding
Generally bad/wintery weather this Saturday morning here in Erie County, Pennsylvania. Nevertheless, spring is here, as with these cute shots of male (red) and female (streaked/brown) House Finch, taken on a cold but sunny Friday afternoon in Millcreek Twp (“Gateway to Presque Isle”):
Back to the beach at Oceanside Harbor on the morning of 4 March 2025.
Royal Terns, misc. gulls, & beachgoersRoyal TernProbably California Gull (1st/2nd winter plumage)California Gull (breeding adult plumage)Western Gull or California GullAnother view of Royal Tern in flightMore gull in flightLong-billed Dowitchers in flightRoyal Tern (non-breeding/juvenile plumage)Elegant TernDouble-crested CormorantsMore Tern in flightProbably Western GullProbably Ring-billed GullJetty, gulls, terns, & unidentified shorebird on far leftMore California Gull in flightCalifornia Gull w/ surfProbably Royal TernRoyal Terns (mostly) on beachMore gullGulls and terns in flightWestern Gull w/ receding surf reflectionGulls and terns in flight IIProbably Ring-billed Gull, w/ receding surf reflection
Finally, more shots of terns (mostly Royal Tern) on and off the beach:
Celebrating the 2025 vernal equinox with flowers and wild birds at The Flower Fields in Carlsbad, California. See this special report for lots and lots more flowers.
Continuing on with the “3-hour tour” of Buddy Todd Park on 6 March 2025 in Oceanside, California. Challenging lighting on some of these shots, but still great to see Cassin’s Kingbird w/ an acorn or berry:
Even better, a great sighting (and BirdingPI.com “first ever”) of Nuttall’s Woodpecker, both male and female, generally limited in range to the greater California area. Of course, where better to spot woodpeckers than neighborhood adjacent power poles?
MaleFemale
Males have characteristic red patch, which females lack.
Following medley alternates Cassin’s Kingbird, male Nuttall’s Woodpecker, & female Nuttall’s Woodpecker:
[Editor’s note to staff: going forward, changing “Nuttall’s Woodpecker” (which is an awful name) to ‘Western Wood Annihilator.’]
Today, reporting from Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve on the Pacific coast between Del Mar and La Jolla, outside San Diego, California. Access is on the south end of the beach (which is north of the bluffs/upper portion of the reserve):
View south @ Torrey Pines Beach (south end)
Fun to see a beautiful Say’s Phoebe on the riprap:
View north @ Torrey Pines Beach southFloating Brown PelicanView north w/ surf
From the beach parking lot, it’s either a robust hike to the top, or a short drive w/ limited parking. (If planning to drive up, get an early start – park staff closes the road once the upper parking is full.)
View south from ‘upper’ Torrey Pines
“Upper” Torrey Pines features a great visitors’ center, a small network of generally flat trails, spectacular views, botanic gardens, etc., and several longer/steeper trails that drop back down to the beach. With thick coastal chaparral, the birding is “more heard than seen.” However, it’s a great spot for local species like the amazing, infrequently-seen Wrentit. Managed to get one and only one usable photo:
WrentitView east-ish
Also a lucky, “out in the open” sighting of a couple beautiful California Towhee:
View north-ishTorrey Pines & Pacific OceanTorrey Pines (Pinus torreyana)@ Torrey Pines Natural ReserveView south with Common RavenAnother view up the coastDel Mar, CA & Torrey Pines Beach northRusty brown patch under tail
Weekend weather in Erie County, Pennsylvania – warm, very windy, on/off thunderstorms/rain, turning much colder Sunday night with light snow overnight and snow on the grass Monday morning. (Not done with winter quite yet.) Bird activity as generally expected – ducks and other waterfowl, uptick in Turkey Vulture and Wild Turkey activity, plenty of Robins, Red-winged Blackbirds, Song Sparrows, etc., + the local return of species like Common Grackle and Brown Creeper. Here, featuring a St. Patrick’s Day-appropriate male Mallard exhibiting preening/bathing behavior off Leo’s Landing @ Presque Isle State Park:
Thunderstorms over head of Presque Isle BayLeo’s Landing on Sunday @ break in cloudsAnother view of head of Presque Isle Bay from Leo’s Landing
Seemingly rather abruptly, outer Lake Erie’s now mostly fully unfrozen, except for residual ice/ice dunes along the beach, e.g., as here near Stull Interpretive Center: