Ahead of what looks to be a cold and (lightly) snowy weekend in Erie County, PA, some misc./recent bird pics from Presque Isle State Park!
A nice series of beautiful Ring-necked Duck (m):
Two of GBHIF in fog over Thompson Bay:
Finally, two of lovely American Tree Sparrow by Beach No. 11 parking:
Wishing everyone a great weekend! #enjoy_nature
Found this collection of rather nice Northern Mockingbird photos from last year in Virginia lost in the “drafts” folder. While waiting on more content from Presque Isle State Park, please enjoy.
We now return to our regularly-scheduled programming…
Meanwhile…
More recent Bald Eagle at Presque Isle State Park! Shots of the north side of Long Pond taken from boat landing #4.
Starting off 2024 the happiest way possible, with Bald Eagles at Presque Isle State Park. Came in on the tail end of this recent exchange over Long Pond, + the positioning/lighting wasn’t ideal, but still, it’s a gull of some sort (Herring?) chasing a Bald Eagle!
Next time, more/better Bald Eagle!
More Darth Vader Great Black-backed Gull:
Meanwhile…
Stay tuned for tomorrow’s special New Year’s post: Gull vs. Eagle!
A few days ago, in a state park not far away…
Ring-billed Gulls on the chase for destroying the Death Star food:
Coming soon, Episode V – The Gulls Strike Back!
[Editor’s note to staff: the wave picture at top is clearly on a different day/time = nonsensical. Please delete or replace before publication.]
Tooth surface index of fluorosis? Thank swans it’s Friday? Maybe Tundra Swans in flight? Recent Tundra Swan activity at Leo’s Landing, Presque Isle State Park.
With entrance to Presque Isle Bay in background, South Pier on right and North Pier on left:
BirdingPI.com is excited to announce (i) its December 2023 updated map of Presque Isle State Park, and (ii) more notably, its new Gull Point trail map! While Gull Point may have taken tens of thousands of years to form, it was only 10-20 minutes to capture on a cartoonish map! [Editor’s note: ahem – ‘cartoonish’ is not exclusive of general accuracy or informativeness.]
To celebrate, recent raptors in Erie County, PA!
Finally, the ‘cherry on top,’ and in a rare 5 minutes of clear skies in Erie, Christmas night full moon:
The variable weather continues in Erie County, Pennsylvania. Cloudy/gloomy over the weekend, mild and eventually sunny Christmas day, cloudy/gloomy but unseasonably mild (13 deg C) Tuesday, & on-and-off light-to-heavy rain Wednesday. Above and below: Walnut Creek @ Asbury Woods, in full-flow mode.
And with the bad/gloomy weather, time to catch up on more recent “strange” (as in uncommon) birds at Presque Isle State Park. These long-distance shots are somewhat unsatisfying, so posted less for ‘art’ and more for informational/archive purposes.
First up, finally saw the Purple Sandpiper recently seen at Gull Point and the outer beaches and reported on eBird. This was on the breakwater off Budny Beach/Sunset Point. Dunlin-sized (medium), yellow-orange legs, droopy bill that’s yellow at the base and dark at the tip, & solid-ish upper chest transitioning to streaks to white belly.
On left, with Red-breasted Merganser on right:
Next up, an amazing Northern Shrike on Big Pond:
Overall gray (head, chest, back), + black wings & tail, + characteristic black mask. Distinguished from Loggerhead Shrike due to location/season + mask is less extensive. … Below, in a tree (towards top) with Bald Eagle:
Finally, at a very long distance on Lake Erie off Gull Point, an Eared Grebe (non-breeding plumage). Red eye, thin/straight/pointy bill, peaked forehead, + black cap that extends down below eye level for a “smudgy cheek.” Relative to Horned Grebe, lacks white-tipped bill and ‘clean line’ look on head.
Coming up next time, an exciting BirdingPI.com content update! Plus bird pics.