Hard to talk about Hog Island WMA, Surry, VA without mentioning the nuclear power plant: have to check in at the security gate with the ‘guys with machine guns’ to get to the outer/main WMA tract. (Advantage: Presque Isle State Park for ease of access.) Also need a VA hunting/fishing license or day access permit ($4 per person per day). But, 110% worth the effort.

The amazing American White Pelicans were covered in an earlier post. Almost as amazing, the large number of Great Egret. Here, a mashup of that (+ GBH) x Barn Swallow:

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Tons of Bald Eagle activity, both adult and juvenile:

Here’s a GBH getting ‘tripped up’ by a power line:

But it seemed fine/uninjured:

Also lots of Osprey activity, e.g.:

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Coming up soon, more at Hog Island, including more Bald Eagle, blue birds that aren’t jays or bluebirds, and a BirdingPI.com ‘first time ever’ sighting!

Lots of talk in Erie County about the wildfire smoke from Canada. (Good job on that forestry mgmt., Canada.) With the humid conditions, really it’s more like a light fog. A brown, smelly, eye-stinging fog. Anyway, the shot above was taken Friday lunchtime at “Vista 2 Parking Lot” at Presque Isle, looking towards downtown Erie and N/S Piers. And yes, both are usually easily visible from this vantage.

Smoke aside, Presque Isle State Park’s greening up nicely, with plenty of summer bird/insect activity. Trail conditions as expected (e.g., mud in the usual locations like B Trail and Long Pond west end). Looks like rain Saturday afternoon through Monday, then a great day Tuesday for the US Independence Day holiday.

Meanwhile, recent birds:

Beautiful Cedar Waxwing @ ‘Pine Tree Meadows:’

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Lovely Eastern Towhee (m) off the Pine Tree Trail:

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Wishing everyone a nice weekend! #more_bird

Back to the recent BirdingPI.com road trip, an outing to the amazing Hog Island WMA, Surry, VA, on the James River northwest of Newport News. (More on Hog Island in upcoming posts.)

Normally after spotting Brown Pelican on the US east coast, it’s “pelican hunt: mission accomplished.” So, rather/extremely surprised to see a flock (10 individuals) of American White Pelican in the lagoon east of the main road by the Hog Island WMA entrance! White Pelicans = highly unusual for this location at this time of year; completely unexpected to see these beautiful/large birds.

Recent Tufted Titmouse on a branch in the wind, Millcreek Twp, PA (“Gateway to Presque Isle”):

Dateline: 25 June 2023

NW Pennsylvania is great for birds, just there’s some birds that are neither residents nor ‘pass-throughs,’ e.g., most birds whose names include “Carolina.” So it was time to ‘hitch up the wagon’ and head SE to the Atlantic seaboard for a brief BirdingPI.com road trip. In search of… pelicans!

Part I: amazing (if long distance) Brown Pelican (breeding plumage) @ Coquina Beach observation platform, Cape Hatteras National Seashore, NC:

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Beach/dunes for context:

(Brown Pelicans also spotted – no pictures – flying by the Virginia Dare Memorial Bridge, Route 64 (Bypass), over Croatan Sound.)

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Coming up soon: the BirdingPI.com pelican hunt takes a sharp right turn towards the unexpected!

Two juvenile Bald Eagle off the Erie bluffs, 18 June 2023. For lighting/effect, these were manipulated (to various extents) in Adobe Lightroom^TM.

ESA DISCLAIMER: This post contains content of dragonflies engaging in mating behavior. Viewer discretion is advised.

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More recent shots from Presque Isle State Park. First up, Silver-spotted Skipper (Epargyreus clarus) + flower along the Ridge Trail:

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Along the Marsh Trail, an interesting & excellent sighting of male and female Dot-tailed Whiteface (Leucorrhinia intacta) dragonfly:

ID tips: white face; overall black colouration; square-ish yellow dot towards end of tail; each wing has small black spot towards outer edge; slight triangular colouration at base of rear wings. Females have more yellow – see penultimate shot above.

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[Editor’s Note: “ESA” = Entomological Society of America. No affiliation.]

From a recent visit to Erie Bluffs State Park and nearby locations.

Nice/backlit shots of Tree Swallow. (Lots of swallow activity at Erie Bluffs.)

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Nice/fore-lit shots of more Tree Sparrow:

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Summer/Ducks

Great for insects, etc. along the Marsh Trail @ Presque Isle State Park. These shots from earlier in June.

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Finally, a cooperative swallowtail butterfly – the lovely Spicebush Swallowtail (Papilio troilus):

And the always fascinating Eastern Pondhawk (Erythemis simplicicollis):

More swallowtail x dragonfly:

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Looks like a beautiful Hobomok Skipper (Lon hobomok):

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No one’s a huge fan of flies (other than birds = food), but still a nice shot of some sort of hover fly (species uncertain):

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A beautiful flycatcher, probably Least Flycatcher:

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