Volunteer/wild Purple Columbine (possibly Aquilegia vulgaris):

Dateline: 21 May 2023

From this past Sunday at Presque Isle State Park, fun shots of a Northern Flicker @ nest hole:

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Site location: way high up in a tree by the main park road between Niagara Pond and Misery Bay:

Wonders never cease – shots of “wild” Ruby-throated Hummingbird that aren’t totally awful! (Wild = not at a feeder.) And a male to boot, with visible gorget. (Gorget = hummingbird throat feathers, esp. iridescent throat feathers.)

Photographs taken recently at Headwaters Park, Millcreek Twp (“Gateway to Presque Isle”), early evening.

Mostly long-distance shots @ 400mm, significantly cropped.

Dateline: 21 May 2023

Another beautiful weekend at Presque Isle State Park, Erie, PA. After the rain Saturday morning: cool, humid, mostly cloudy; lovely, lingering scent of honeysuckle on the Pine Tree Trail (Common Yellowthroat, Bay-breasted Warbler, etc.; report forthcoming); Sunday: sunny, cool, slightly windy, beautiful day.

After just a fleeting glimpse the other day at Asbury Woods, BirdingPI.com personnel were dispatched for spending Sunday scouring the Long Pond Trail ‘hinterlands.’ Mission: Scarlet Tanager!

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First up, by the east trailhead, another “first of 2023” BirdingPI.com sighting, Northern Parula! Not the best shots ever for showing distinctive colouring, but still excellent to see:

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In that same area, another “first of 2023,” awful photographs of Blackpoll Warbler (m)(!):

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Part of the southwest side of Long Pond is defined by a roughly NW-to-SE sand ridge; hence the stand of mature forest in this spot. Pond on the one side, swamp on the other, tall trees and brush in between = bird goodness.

Warbler nest near Boat Landing #5:

Several shady shots of Red-eyed Vireo:

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BirdingPI.com’s springtime “go to” spot for the amazingly red Scarlet Tanager = Long Pond Trail:

Mission: successful!

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Dateline: 13 May 2023

Lots and lots of birds on the Pine Tree Trail (& vicinity), from last Saturday.

Three of lovely Black-and-white Warbler:

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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:

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Also very nice to see Cedar Waxwing back in town:

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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.

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Presque Isle honeysuckle season is in full swing:

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Two of the always amazing Great Crested Flycatcher:

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Four of the implausibly-coloured/beautiful male Magnolia Warbler:

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Surprised the out-of-town summer tourists are back already:

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Please also enjoy ostentatious Wild Turkeys.

Another quick ‘photo essay’ of birds seen recently along the Long Pond Trail @ Presque Isle State Park.

Following probably juvenile Cooper’s Hawk:

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Beautiful Yellow Warbler (m) taking advantage of a spider’s web:

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Female Baltimore Oriole:

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And, male Baltimore Oriole:

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Always great to see the cute and noisy House Wren:

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Bonus shots of Brown-headed Cowbird at a different location:

BirdingPI.com’s giving killer whales hunting seals off the northern Shetland Islands a run for its money, with recent cute/furry “critters” content from Presque Isle State Park and elsewhere in Erie County, PA.

Controversial and engaging content of Eastern Cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus) along the Sidewalk Trail:

Take that, Sir David Attenborough!

Dateline: 20 May 2023

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:

Very cool sighting of a Lincoln’s Sparrow recently along Sidewalk Trail:

ID tips: gray face, well-formed eye ring, fine streaking on breast, hint of ‘buffy wash’ on neck and breast.

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“Bonus” warbler content; shots taken recently along Ridge Trail and Sidewalk Trail, Presque Isle State Park:

Wishing everyone a nice weekend! #more_bird

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.

Dateline: 14 May 2023

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.

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:

Blurry shots of what’s probably Cooper’s Hawk passing overhead on its way (apparently) to the ‘mainland:’

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Very cool to see a pair of Yellowlegs! Based on the slightly upturned bill (see shot below), calling it as Greater Yellowlegs:

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Lots of Killdeer activity:

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A Killdeer nesting near the roped access trail to the observation platform:

The parent Killdeer temporarily left for its “lure predators away by pretending to have a broken wing” behavior:

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.”]

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On the back bay along the “outer old trail,” a pair of Lesser Scaups:

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:

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[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.]