If South Pier (Erie, Pennsylvania) wasn’t entertaining enough with its stinky chemical toilet and “What are those people doing in that car?” aesthetic, try doing bird photography in a full-on lake-effect snowstorm:

After finding an errant file of iPhone snapshots, re-posting this content from last summer @ “Santa Cruz flats,” northwest of Tucson, AZ, with more environmental context:

Lots of Greater Roadrunner activity:

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Sequence of beautiful Inca Dove:

Here’s the view west along E. Sasco Road out of Red Rock, at the crossing w/ Santa Cruz River. (The puddle is the riverbed.) Good spot for birds w/ riparian vegetation, e.g., the Chat above.

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“Bird of the day,” a surprise/great sighting of Bendire’s Thrasher:

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White-winged Doves @ power line:

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First day of winter 2024/2025 yesterday did not disappoint: cloudy, windy, annoyingly cold, & light PM snow. Rough conditions for outside birding, but the highlight of the day at Presque Isle State Park = 9 Purple Sandpiper on the breakwater off Sunset Point. Not the best pictures (camera equip was freezing up by this point), but still nice to see:

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More Purple Sandpiper, etc. pending photo editing. In the meantime, back to the final “post-Snowpocalypse” content from the other week at Presque Isle:

Long-distance but nice sequence of Canada Geese landing in lake-effect snow @ head of Presque Isle Bay (Scott Park bluff in background):

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Rapidly changing conditions at Leo’s Landing, e.g., hint of blue sky:

And incoming snow:

An unusual amount of Northern Shoveler activity, e.g., a flock of 21, a BirdingPI.com record for most seen at one time:

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Coming up soon, more birds in snow!

Wishing everyone in the northern hemisphere a happy first day of Winter. (Solstice at 4:50AM this morning or something like that.) In celebration, it’s the final post of beautiful Wilson’s Snipe seen on the day of Presque Isle State Park post-Snowpocalypse 2024 re-opening:

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Much earlier on Christmas Bird Count day, there was time for informal, chilly astrophotography in Millcreek Twp (“Gateway to Presque Isle”):

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Later, at Presque Isle State Park:

Distant but fun sequence of startled gulls, perhaps due to passing Bald Eagle(s) – see above:

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One advantage of rising early Saturday morning for the annual Christmas bird count = seeing a red setting almost-full moon:

Another advantage: clear, sunny day. Disadvantage: very cold w/ fresh snow on the ground.

Bird activity overall was modest, but still plenty of birds to see.

Including over a hundred Tundra Swans off Leo’s Landing:

Not the best viewpoint, but still fun to see incoming Hooded Mergansers (w/ Scaups in foreground) on outer Lake Erie:

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Time for an Erie County waterfowl/waterbird break with recent content of 3 species of duck + 1 of grebe, starting with lucky (i.e., relatively close) shots of a beautiful/amazing female Hooded Merganser on Presque Isle Bay:

Horned Grebe in non-breeding plumage off South Pier:

Female or immature Red-breasted Merganser in flight between North and South Piers:

Male Mallard on a pier at Presque Isle State Park:

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Female or immature Red-breasted Merganser on the breakwater off the east end of South Pier:

Two Red-breasted Merganser in flight:

Male Mallard takeoff, rear view:

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Female Mallard takeoff, rear/side view:

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Another view of the Merganser @ South Pier breakwater. Note the Zebra Mussels (Dreissena polymorpha) (invasive) on the vertical rock surface below the duck:

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Finally, while many birds take flight when startled, diving ducks have another option, as captured in this fun sequence of female Hooded Merganser off the Waterworks pier area:

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Coming up soon, under a blood red moon!

More shots from the other day just after Presque Isle State Park re-opened from Snowpocalypse 2024.

Here’s a lengthy sequence of Canada Geese landing on Presque Isle Bay, w/ Tundra Swans & misc. ducks:

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After the Wilson’s Snipe flew off from near the ‘Vista 3 Parking Lot’ boat launch, it was time to trudge through the thick snow to the end of Leo’s Landing for watching the Tundra Swans. (See recent posts.) Quite a surprise when the Snipe flew back in and started calmly foraging along the beach, in close proximity. Here’s a first 20 pictures:

Note: ‘white specks’ in certain shots, as immediately above, are lake-effect snow.

Back to Presque Isle State Park from the other weekend. Following shot a funny view of a Lesser Black-backed Gull + Ring-billed Gull. Not manipulated other than normal light level adjustments + sharpening; just a trick of the light + feather colouration that the two heads blend in so well together: