Please enjoy a special report of Common Loon.
(Un)common Loons
PI Bird Alert
Dateline: 23 April 2023
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In the realm of the ‘highly unlikely but nevertheless real,’ an amazing sighting today of a beautiful Tricolored Heron at Gull Point, Presque Isle State Park! Normally a coastal habitant, so wow. Substantially smaller than GBH, with white belly, white throat line, and blue head/neck colouration.
Just a few preliminary shots + video:
[Video resolution lowered due to site file size limitations.]
GBH at that same location for comparison:
More photography of this amazing bird coming up soon!
Another Point (I)
Milford Point, Milford, CT – the “Presque Isle of Connecticut,” if it had more trees and was lacking nearby beach homes. And was on a giant lake instead of the ocean. Anyway, on special assignment, more BirdingPI.com “guest roving correspondent” content of a recent visit to this amazing location.
Home of the Connecticut Audubon Society Coastal Center at Milford Point, sandwiched between Long Island Sound and the marsh/swamp of Charles E. Wheeler WMA, at the mouth of the Housatonic River. Following shots are on the inland/marsh side:
Coming up soon, on the beach at Milford Pt!
#More_Nature
Beautiful day Friday in Erie County, PA – mostly sunny and warm, turning cloudy with thunderstorms by evening. Forecast for the weekend: cooler, rain on Saturday, cloudy with slight chance of rain on Sunday. Nevertheless, three recent, confirmed sightings of Yellow-rumped Warbler and one of Palm Warbler at Presque Isle State Park – wishing everyone a great weekend outside! #more_nature
Lots of concern over the Trillium, post-snow. Happy to report it survived ok and is doing fine!
By special request from subscriber “Nicky T.,” more butterfly!
An excellent sighting of the tiny (dime-sized) but very beautiful Summer Azure (Celastrina neglecta), at Presque Isle State Park. Hard to photograph, but two nice rear views here:
Crappy iPhone (on max zoom) shot, but still nice to see the lovely, if upside down, Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta) on a flowering ornamental tree, in Lawrence Park Twp:
#More_squirrel:
Spring Into Woodpeckers
Ah, lovely woodpeckers! Some rather nice shots of recent sightings in Erie County, PA.
Following are Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (m) in Millcreek Twp (“Gateway to Presque Isle”) alternated with Downy Woodpecker (m) at Presque Isle State Park. Note the row of pecked holes for drawing sap:
@ The Mothership
Special post of a recent BirdingPI.com “guest roving correspondent” visit to Cornell Lab of Ornithology in Ithaca, NY! Beautiful building, interesting facilities/exhibits/art, + plenty of birds in the surrounding Sapsucker Woods Sanctuary.
Out in the Sanctuary:
Recommend a visit when in the Ithaca, NY area!
Please consider joining the Lab to support bird education, bird conservation, and great apps like eBird and Merlin. Includes Living Bird magazine, 10% gift shop discount, etc. (No affiliation with BirdingPI.com.)
#More_Bonaparte’s
More beautiful/elegant Bonaparte’s Gull on Lake Erie in the general vicinity of Presque Isle State Park.
Inquiring minds want to know: named after Charles Lucien Bonaparte, French naturalist/ornithologist & nephew of Napoleon I.
On Lake Erie off Chautauqua Park:
Breeding adult plumage (e.g., black head):
Between South Pier and North Pier:
Back Around Bentley
Dateline: 16 April 2023
Surprise spring snow aside, it’s Trout Lilly season, and there’s no place better than Bentley Nature Preserve outside Jamestown, NY.
Trout Lilly with an unknown species of False Blister Beetle:
More Black-capped Chickadee:
Couple nice shots of Mourning Cloak butterfly along the Tom’s Point trail:
Spring Flowers (?)
Dateline: 18 April 2023
Light frozen rain and snow flurries Monday evening in Erie County, PA, turning to light snow Tuesday morning – enough for 2-3+ cm accumulation on the grass. Making for unhappy spring flowers!
Back With Turkey
Somewhat abbreviated activities at Presque Isle State Park this weekend due to staff scheduling conflicts. But stay tuned this week for posts with great ex-Erie content from BirdingPI.com’s occasional guest roving correspondents on special assignment. (Spoiler alert: Piping Plover!) Until then, from Presque Isle, some shots last week of the always amazing Wild Turkey:
