H. Grebe/Family

Great opportunity recently to see/photograph a small family of Horned Grebe off South Pier, Erie, Pennsylvania. This trio was closer to the pier than usual due to passing small watercraft (e.g., folks out fishing) in the channel between South Pier and North Pier.

In these two shots (above/below), the female is upper left, male is foreground, and the juvenile/immature is on the right.

Following shot, female is top, juvenile is middle, and male lower right:

As in the following shot, the male has a red/russet breast w/ a brown-black back:

Male Horned Grebe

As in the following shot, the female is slightly smaller w/ a blacker back and silvery/white breast w/ hint of russet:

Female Horned Grebe
Male w/ “horns”
Juvenile (l) & female (r)

As in shots above/below, juvenile is smaller, w/ a mottled appearance overall; back of neck is distinctively silvery:

Juvenile Horned Grebe
Juvenile (l) + female (r)
Juvenile (foreground) showing silvery neck
Grebe family
Another view of male in “horns up” mode
Male, left profile
Juvenile scratching face
Male, left profile II
Male (l) & juvenile (r)
Juvenile Horned Grebe (detail)

Palm Saturday

Yellow-rumped Warbler in light rain

Generally awful weather yesterday in Erie County, Pennsylvania. Nevertheless, squeezed in 45 minutes of quality field time between rainstorms, along the one end of the Sidewalk/Ridge Trails at Presque Isle State Park. (If anyone’s in doubt, the warblers are back!) Following all beautiful Palm Warbler:


Pine Warbler in light rain

Coming up soon, more Pine Warbler, more Yellow-rumped Warbler, & an American Kestrel lunchtime! #more_bird

Misc. Bird/Bad Weather

Wow, currently getting slammed with thunderstorms inc. torrential rain (literally torrential, w/ localized flooding) on this Saturday morning here in Erie County, Pennsylvania. All field operations on hold pending some sort of improvement.

Palm Warbler

On the other hand, very happy to report the first BirdingPI.com spring warbler sightings yesterday at Presque Isle State Park. Highly variable weather, then, too – mostly sunny in south Millcreek Twp (“Gateway to Presque Isle”), but localized rain squalls (almost thunderstorms) + cloudy and super humid at Presque Isle. But with the warm/damp weather, the birds were out in full force, at least along the Long Pond Trail, e.g., five warbler species sighted and one heard, including these:

Palm Warbler II
Pine Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Pine Warbler II
Black-throated Green Warbler

Also great to see beautiful Rusty Blackbirds:

And White-throated Sparrow:


Before yesterday’s rain, also nice to spot a Spotted Sandpiper in flight @ head of Presque Isle Bay:

Also of note at that same location, several Forster’s Terns, along with copious Caspian Terns. In the shot below, Caspian Terns are in flight/large, & the Forster’s Terns are much smaller in the foreground:


Closing out today’s post with misc. sparrow from earlier in the week at Leo’s Landing, starting with Savannah Sparrow (note the distinctive yellow patch above the eye):

And beautiful Field Sparrow:

Finally, Song Sparrow:


Plenty more warbler/bird photos forthcoming, esp. Palm Warbler!

#More_Beach (3)

While BirdingPI.com staff is gearing up for weekend field operations at Presque Isle State Park (forecast: rain), it’s back to the beach at Oceanside Harbour in Oceanside, California, early last month:

Marbled Godwit
Immature Royal Tern
Brown Pelicans on breakwater
Elegant Tern (center) + Royal Terns
Immature Royal Tern 2
Marbled Godwit 2
Elegant Tern (l) + Royal Terns 2

ID note: Elegant Terns smaller than Royal Terns (which are in tern smaller than, e.g., Caspian Tern) (ha ha) + much narrower bill w/ more yellow (see above).

Willet exhibiting preening behavior
More Royal Terns
Marbled Godwit 3
Elegant Tern (center)
Willet 2
Another group of Royal Terns
Marbled Godwit 4
Immature Royal Tern 3
Marbled Godwit 5
Adult and immature Royal Terns
Marbled Godwit 6
Immature Royal Tern 4
Marbled Godwit, detail w/ reflection
Immature Royal Tern 5
Marbled Godwit 8
Western Gull takes flight
Marbled Godwit 9
Western Gull takes flight 2
Marbled Godwit 10
Western Gull takes flight 3
Godwit, detail w/ expelled water
Immature Royal Tern 6
Western Gull takes flight 4

Finally, a great sighting of Hermann’s Gull, soon to be renamed something like American Sooty Gull hopefully:

Western Gull (l) + Hermann’s Gull (r)
Hermann’s Gull (l) + Western Gull (r)

Wishing everyone a nice weekend, and for those celebrating Judeo-Christian holidays, a happy Easter and Passover!

More Bath Time

Part 2 of Osprey exhibiting bathing behavior at Leo’s Landing, w/ more digital photographs + video! (The sound is turned down somewhat on the video clips due to wind/aircraft noise.) Wow.


Bath Time

Great thing about nature/birding, you can just be minding your own business and in flies an Osprey for engaging in bathing/grooming behavior, i.e., taking a bath. These fun shots taken recently at Presque Isle State Park at Leo’s Landing:


Honestly, it’s maybe even better seeing the video. Hopefully next post!

Happy Spring

Full moon early morning 13 April 2025

As if the April full moon & a sunny day weren’t enough, the unofficial start to Erie County, Pennsylvania spring kicked off Sunday with the first BirdingPI.com butterfly sighting of the year at Presque Isle State Park, featuring a beautiful Eastern Comma (Polygonia comma) along the Dead Pond Trail:

Eastern Comma Butterfly
Eponymous ‘comma’

Also celebrating with a nice sighting of Chipping Sparrow by the A Trail trailhead:

Budding vine (perhaps a honeysuckle species)
Chipping Sparrow ‘chipping’

[Video’ Editor’s note: brief video clip above somewhat wobbly due to branch movement in the wind.]

No Ducks Here, Either

Yesterday it was Great Egrets on Duck Pond, today it’s shots from the other weekend in the woods along the nearby Duck Pond Trail @ Presque Isle State Park. All lovely Brown Creeper unless otherwise noted.

Lovely Brown Creeper
Norther Flicker
American Robin
Eastern Towhee (m)
Male Towhee II
Male Eastern Towhee sings on budding maple branch
Northern Flicker on branch
Fox Sparrow I
Fox Sparrow II
Fox Sparrow III
Song Sparrow
Northern Flicker III
Northern Flicker IV
Northern Flicker V
Flicker VI – tail detail

Weather yesterday (Saturday) here in Erie County, Pennsylvania: hint of sunshine in the PM, otherwise foggy/gloomy. Today (Sunday): cold but partially/mostly sunny. Looks like a nice day for birding/nature – be sure to check out the terns (Caspian & Common) at Leo’s Landing and Beach No. 11, e.g., here’s a ‘sneak peek’ of Caspian Tern: