On a cold, cloudy, snow-covered Saturday, a bit of sunshine from earlier in the week: please enjoy Blackbird/Sunset special report.
Plenty of snow Friday in Erie County – at least 15 cm. Also plenty of bird activity – European Starling, Red-winged Blackbird, American Robin, Northern Cardinal, Blue Jay, Red-tailed Hawk, etc.
It’s a cold, snowy Friday in Erie County, PA. Warming things up with a bonus post of recent shots of the always amazing Pileated Woodpecker!
Recent shots of beautiful Red-breasted Merganser off South Pier, Erie, PA, around sunset. (Stay tuned for a special sunset report with Red-winged Blackbird + you guessed it, the sunset!)
Meanwhile, a winter weather advisory is in effect for Erie, PA from 7AM Friday through 7AM Saturday, projected snowfall of up to 10+ cm. Winter is coming!
After a cloudy weekend and then snow, a couple days in Erie County of clear, cold, windy weather.
Moonset at sunrise with European Starling and unidentified ducks:
Mourning Doves @ snowy branch:
Some rather nice shots of beautiful Northern Cardinal (m) @ snowy tree:
Mostly cold and unpleasant Saturday at Presque Isle State Park, + bad lighting for photography. What else to do but huddle in the chilly wind for admiring the Canada Geese?
Preening/grooming behavior @ Long Pond, boat landing #3:
Surprise cold/wet snow Monday evening in Erie, PA, at least five cm by 9 PM. And with that, why not another episode of Misc Bird? All photos from this winter in Erie County, PA.
First, probably Herring Gull at Presque Isle State Park:
Misc gull @ Long Pond, when it was still frozen over:
Pileated Woodpecker in torpedo (flight) mode, Millcreek Twp (“Gateway to Presque Isle”):
Beautiful Red-tailed Hawk @ tree:
A nice sequence of House Sparrow (m):
Lovely Red-bellied Woodpecker:
Dateline: 5 March 2023
Another cold/cloudy day in Erie, PA on Sunday; high temp around 4 deg C. Very subdued bird activity at Presque Isle State Park. More on Saturday to follow – geese, ducks, etc. Here, what there was of Sunday in the mostly non-waterfowl category.
Following – juvenile Bald Eagle over Thompson Bay:
Misc gulls @ Beach No. 11:
After the substantial rain Friday night, all trails in fairly damp condition, some flooded. Flooded trails: Long Pond (west); Sidewalk (east); Marsh; B Trail; Dead Pond (portions, east end). Some Thompson Bay access points flooded on Saturday but back to normal Sunday.
Cloudy and cold in the greater Erie, PA area Saturday – rather unpleasant day for birding – but stay tuned for full report later in the week. Featuring – wait for it – waterfowl!
Here, even more Northern Cardinal, all recent shots from Erie County. Mucho (lots of) Northern Cardinal activity this time of year!
Recent duck photos @ Presque Isle State Park.
Three Hooded Merganser (m, f) in flight above Long Pond:
Two Common Merganser (m) @ Long Pond:
One Red-breasted Merganser (m) @ North Pier:
Too much GBH? Maybe, but better that than leopards killing baby monkeys. The BirdingPI.com promise: “No leopards killing baby monkeys.” (Thanks a lot, Nature Conservancy photo contest.)
All shots Thompson Bay, Presque Isle State Park:
