Big thunderstorms in Erie County, PA Wednesday evening into Thursday. Not sure if it was the rain or just a coincidence, but there was an amazing Common Snapping Turtle (Chelydra serpentina) out in the open in a patch of sidewalk-adjacent grass in Millcreek Twp (“Gateway to Presque Isle”). Seen digging in the dirt, but couldn’t tell if it was for laying eggs, foraging, or some other purpose.
A bevy of bird photos in Erie County, PA from late May and early June. Following is the view north from East Ave boat launch, with Canada Geese, North Pier (North Pier sand pile is on the left), Thompson Bay, inner Gull Point (the trees), & billowing clouds over Lake Erie:
Beautiful Red-tailed Hawks in Millcreek Twp (“Gateway to Presque Isle”):
Song Sparrows w/ and w/o food, @ woods by East Ave boat launch:
Couple shots of cute Eastern Wood-Pewee:
ID tip: note the vested look.
And beautiful female and male Brown-headed Cowbirds, somewhere along the Gull Point Trail:
Lost distance shots, but nevertheless, here’s a Willow Flycatcher by Long Pond:
Note the overall olive/yellow colouration + wing bars + white throat:
Generally, Willow Flycatcher and Alder Flycatcher look almost identical; this one was positively identified as Willow based on voice/call using Merlin.
Short medley of Northern Cardinal & Yellow Warbler (in a blackberry bush):
Finally, it’s Chipping Sparrow exhibiting nest material gathering behavior at Pine Tree Meadows (across the road from Pine Tree Trail west trailhead @ Presque Isle State Park):
More recent shots on a couple different days at West Road Access Area along upper Elk Creek, in McKean Township, PA.
As elsewhere, the Red-winged Blackbirds here are fairly aggressive during nesting season. (See picture above.) Recent incidents at various locations include Red-winged Blackbird harassing: Great Blue Heron (x2); Common Tern (shots forthcoming); Green Heron in a tree (true story); Bald Eagle; Osprey; & BirdingPI.com staff member at Leo’s Landing (x2 – true story; “No photographers were injured”).
Coming up soon, unusual fish die-off in Presque Isle Bay?
As always, since sensibilities vary even in the context of ‘G-rated’ nature content, ‘NSFW‘ = snakes, ticks, bird-on-fish violence (or blood generally), & certain avian copulation behavior. Here, it’s the latter (beautiful Bank Swallows) x lovely Barn Swallows, along the Gull Point ‘rope trail.’
(For more information (TMI?), see Copulation (zoology) – Wikipedia & Cloaca – Wikipedia.)
Part 1 of a special report from a great, under-the-radar “nature spot” in Erie County, PA: West Road Access Area along upper Elk Creek in McKean Twp. Close to the junction of Interstates 90 and 79 on the southwest side, this is 18+ hectares of old farmland bordering the south side of Elk Creek, one of the important riparian corridors of the Erie-area watershed.
The shot below shows the main access + main gravel trail leading along the tree line and eventually down to Elk Creek. (The creek – really a small river – is to the right of the mature trees on the right-hand side of this shot, down a steep embankment.)
Mixed open field, brush, & scattered young trees, bordered by a line of mature forest along Elk Creek – great for Common Yellowthroat, Song Sparrow, Red-winged Blackbird, & probably the most reliable spot around (seasonally) for amazing Indigo Bunting:
Directions: Take I79 to the McKean, PA exit. Turn left or right westwards onto West Road. Drive 2 kilometers (1.3 miles) to the parking lot on the right.
It’s part 2 of ‘prime warbler migration’ @ Presque Isle State Park, along the Pine Tree Trail a few weeks ago.
Nice shots of shady Chestnut-sided Warbler:
Not a warbler, but Red-eyed Vireo (not the best pics., but no luck with anything better so far this year):
Beautiful Magnolia Warbler:
Here’s more Bay-breasted Warbler:
These are Cape May Warbler x Bay-breasted Warbler:
No post yesterday due to site maintenance. Today, it’s back to the height of warbler migration at Presque Isle State Park with shots from on and near the Pine Tree Trail.
It’s back to Global Big Day with more bird pictures from Presque Isle State Park, mostly after the rain started.
It was a rather amazing Sunday at Presque Isle State Park – sunny, warm/humid, the smell of Multiflora Rose in the air, then ocean-like ground fog along the outer beach. Bird-wise, things got off to the best start possible for a hike out to Gull Point with exceedingly cute Killdeer chicks in the Budny Beach east parking lot:
Later, an amazing American White Pelican trio over outer Gull Point. (Ho-hum, just another day at the Point… 😉 Reported occasionally on eBird, still a rare occurrence for Erie County and the east coast generally – this is the first BirdingPI.com local sighting ever:
Here’s an alternating medley of more Killdeer and Pelican:
These Pelicans came in the from the west/northwest maybe, then made a looping turn over outer Gull Point to head pretty much due south:
Pure conjecture, but considering the abrupt turn south from the lake, wonder if they were using Gull Point as a navigation landmark. (“Bird things that make you go ‘hmmmm….'”)
Finally, same day at Gull Point, the perils of field mis-identification. Following bird spotted flying overhead – obvious shorebird, decent sized, with long straight-ish beak – immediate thought is Yellowlegs. “Why does that Yellowlegs have a rusty belly?” Good question. The answer: not a Yellowlegs, but an unusual-for-Presque Isle Hudsonian Godwit:
To be fair, hard to see well under these lighting conditions, but still a good example of being cognizant of field marking inconsistencies (e.g., no species of Yellowlegs has a streaked, rusty belly, regardless of age).
Well, Global Big Day weekend is long gone, and spring warbler migration is past-peak, but it was an oversized holiday weekend at Presque Isle State Park nevertheless. Compounded by rather amazing weather: a sunny Saturday start with rain by late morning (clearing later), a warm and humid Sunday w/ eventual ocean-like ground fog, & big afternoon thunderstorms Monday (including torrential rain & pea-size hail).
Concurrent with spring, of course it’s nesting season. Recent nests and/or chicks (juvenile birds) seen at Presque Isle: Bald Eagle, Osprey, Common Grackle, Red-winged Blackbird, Killdeer, American Robin, Wood Duck, Barn Swallow, & Tree Swallow. Here’s a great sequence of a lovely female Yellow Warbler nest building in a blackberry shrub along the Gull Point Trail, from Saturday (before the rain):
Coming up soon, amazing American White Pelicans at Presque Isle! Also, special Eastern Towhee portraiture! And baby Killdeer! #more_exclamation_points!!! #more_bird