Lots and lots of birds on the Pine Tree Trail (& vicinity), from last Saturday.
Veery
Three of lovely Black-and-white Warbler:
Based on the buffy eye-ring and non-contrasting tail, possibly Swainson’s Thrush:
Partially blocked shot, but still great to get a decent photograph of Ovenbird:
Gray Catbird!
Also very nice to see Cedar Waxwing back in town:
Eastern Towhee (m)
World’s worst hummingbird photo, but included here to show a male Ruby-throated Hummingbird. Most (all?) BirdingPI.com sightings previously have been, coincidentally, females.
Colourful blob
Presque Isle honeysuckle season is in full swing:
Two of the always amazing Great Crested Flycatcher:
Palm Warbler
Four of the implausibly-coloured/beautiful male Magnolia Warbler:
More Swainson’s Thrush?
Surprised the out-of-town summer tourists are back already:
Controversial and engaging content of Eastern Cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus) along the Sidewalk Trail:
Cute rabbit on Sidewalk TrailRabbit scratching itselfRabbit playfully rolling in grassRabbit peacefully eating grassMore scratchingRabbit hopping along Sidewalk TrailMore cute hoppingStill more cute hopping
Erie/Presque Isle weather news: unsettled Friday – windy, humid, partially cloudy; light, highly localized rain starting around noon. Saturday: thunderstorms Friday night followed by periodic heavy rain Saturday morning; very rainy. Good for the grass, not good for birding.
Presque Isle trail news: before Saturday, Marsh Trail remained very muddy but passable without wet feet.
Erie County bird news: recent “first for 2023” sightings of Red-headed Woodpecker (in woods adjacent Gull Point) and Scarlet Tanager (Asbury Woods)(no pictures). Here, very happy to finally see a Bay-breasted Warbler high in the trees on Ridge Trail:
Bay-breasted Warbler IBay-breasted Warbler II
Very cool sighting of a Lincoln’s Sparrow recently along Sidewalk Trail:
Lincoln’s Sparrow ILincoln’s Sparrow II
ID tips: gray face, well-formed eye ring, fine streaking on breast, hint of ‘buffy wash’ on neck and breast.
“Bonus” warbler content; shots taken recently along Ridge Trail and Sidewalk Trail, Presque Isle State Park:
American Redstart (f)Magnolia Warbler (m)Magnolia Warbler (m) – take offChestnut-sided Warbler (m)Magnolia Warbler (f) IMagnolia Warbler (f) IIShady Black-throated Blue Warbler (m)Magnolia Warbler (m) IIIAmerican Redstart (m)
Fun to see a female Baltimore Oriole gathering nesting material (cattail fluff). These shots taken fairly recently by the Long Pond Trail east trailhead, Presque Isle State Park.
Finally got someone back out to Gull Point @ Presque Isle State Park. Lots of complaining about the ‘long’ hike – “But there’s sand!”
Pine Tree Trail, Dead Pond Trail, Sidewalk Trail, etc. are easy – pick somewhere to stand and the birds flock around like Mary flippin’ Poppins. Gull Point takes effort – no pain, no (birding) gain.
Song Sparrow/greeting the sunWindy SundayGull Point – looking generally west towards main PI, from the observation platform
Following’s a crop @ 800mm of the SW mudflat (approximately at the center of the picture above). Quality is awful, but it’s posted to show (i) Dunlin (x2 on right); and (ii) a gull at Gull Point! (Wow!)
Another awful crop @ 800mm, showing Dunlin and other shorebirds (Sanderling probably) in flight:
Still another awful crop, of what’s probably Sanderling:
Lots of Spotted Sandpiper out-and-about:
Spotted Sandpiper in flightEastern Kingbird
Blurry shots of what’s probably Cooper’s Hawk passing overhead on its way (apparently) to the ‘mainland:’
Very cool to see a pair of Yellowlegs! Based on the slightly upturned bill (see shot below), calling it as Greater Yellowlegs:
Spotted Sandpiper ISpotted Sandpiper IIMore morning sun
Lots of Killdeer activity:
Barn Swallow
A Killdeer nesting near the roped access trail to the observation platform:
Killdeer on nest
The parent Killdeer temporarily left for its “lure predators away by pretending to have a broken wing” behavior:
Killdeer off nest
Killdeer chicks and egg:
[Editor’s Note: BirdingPI.com Field Policy No. 12(b): “Upon encountering an active ground-level nest, vacate the area immediately in a calm and orderly manner. Quick photographs are permissible if possible without further disturbance.”]
On the back bay along the “outer old trail,” a pair of Lesser Scaups:
Chicken dance IChicken dance II
Following’s a bad crop @ 800mm, but including it here to show the purple iridescence. Normally hard to see w/o good lighting/right angle. ID tip: generally, male Lesser Scaup = purple iridescence; male Greater Scaup = green iridescence.
Special guest appearance of attractive mushrooms:
Possibly Oyster Mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus or similar)
[Editor’s Note: BirdingPI.com management apologizes for use of the phrase “Mary flippin’ Poppins” in this post. Appropriate individuals have been referred to anger management training.]
Always a springtime favourite, a lovely Rose-breasted Grosbeak (m), the “Elegant Trogan of Erie.” [Editor’s Note: ???] Shots taken a couple weeks ago in a tree at the Budny Beach east parking area, Presque Isle State Park.
Bonus shots of a female Rose-breasted Grosbeak along the Pine Tree Trail:
Rose-breasted Grosbeak (f) IRose-breasted Grosbeak (f) II
Always a treat to see BirdingPI.com’s ‘official second favourite warbler,’ the lovely Black-throated Blue Warbler. Gorgeous blue/black/white colouration. All shots recently on the Pine Tree Trail, Presque Isle State Park.
Black-throated Blue Warbler (m)
Couldn’t ID the following bird in the field, but a dozen or two minutes of intensive research revealed it as a female Black-throated Blue Warbler. Another “first time anywhere” BirdingPI.com sighting. ID tip: white ‘wing square’ is distinctive.
Black-throated Blue Warbler (f)
More shots of the male Black-throated Blue Warbler:
Been remiss in delaying this year’s obligatory “goose babies” post. (Sans Ryan Gosling jokes.) Rough spring in Erie, with frequent cold snaps – back in April, saw at least two abandoned nests. Now, plenty of little ones at Presque Isle and elsewhere. (These closeup shots along the Long Pond trail.)
Goose family on Marina Lake
Family with juveniles (close to adult plumage) in Millcreek Twp (“Gateway to Presque Isle”):
We’re taking a walk!
Same location/day, another family or two with younger, post-chick adolescents:
