Dateline: 8 April 2024

Reporting from the BirdingPI.com “solar observatory,” it was quite the ‘weather rollercoaster’ in Erie County, PA for the 2024 total solar eclipse on Monday: high fog (hint of sunrise sunshine), then rain, then clouds. There was partial clearing before the eclipse started after 2PM, but still on-and-off clouds; more on the ‘on’ side during totality. Thankfully, enough partiality, cloud-wise, for things to work out ok, if less than ideal. Following photographs (in chronological order) all Nikon @ 400mm w/ solar filter (partial eclipse) & @ 600mm unfiltered (totality), handheld.

View of the ‘final crescent’ w/ clouds:

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Totality w/ clouds (pink colour is from solar flares – see below):

A passing cloud break (more or less), w/ clear totality + solar flares:

Just as totality ends, w/ faint solar flares:

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Waning crescent eclipse w/ clouds:

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Final waning eclipse w/ sunspots:

Key takeaways: (i) totality, although short, is pretty amazing, especially the level of darkness relative to partial coverage; (ii) seeing solar flares, wow; (iii) big difference between eclipse glasses and anything w/ magnification (telescope or camera); (iv) never bet against bad weather in Erie; & (v) “everything under the sun is in tune, but the sun is eclipsed by the moon.”

Looking forward to 2044!

Really an emotional rollercoaster Monday in Erie County, PA with the bad weather relative to The Big Event, i.e., the eclipse. Thankfully, not a total eclipse disaster; halfway decent astrophotography forthcoming. In the meantime, it’s gulls at East Ave beach, by the boat launch. Unless otherwise specified, American Pixie Gull*.

Large flock of American Pixie Gull at this location, which (anecdotally) is unusual. Attracted to some sort of small (hard to see) food source in the water, apparently.

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[* Editor’s note: while waiting on the very slow “honorific bird name re-naming project,” still calling Bonaparte’s Gull = American Pixie Gull.]

Dateline: 8 April 2024

Well, after a beautiful, sunny Sunday, the weather today in Erie County, PA started off high fog + a hint of sunrise, since transitioning to light rain. #Erie_weather_strikes_again. Guess folks will see the eclipse – or not – soon enough. (Forecast still for sun by afternoon.)

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Back to birds, celebrating the day with BirdingPI.com’s first sighting this season of amazing Greater Yellowlegs, at outer Gull Point the other Friday:

ID info: This is adult breeding plumage. Versus Lesser Yellowlegs, has a longer, slightly upturned bill, and also significant streaking on the flanks, which Lesser generally lacks.

Apparently the solar eclipse is also happening Monday in Millcreek Twp (“Gateway to Presque Isle”) and Presque Isle State Park itself:

Relative to Sunday morning, assuming the delay’s around 32 hours:

This intersection obviously a triple “no go” for “SOLAR ECLIPSE MONDAY”:

@ the intersection by Tom Ridge Environmental Center:

After a good 30+ minutes of internal debate, we think this is “No barking on roads,” meaning, be cognizant of the eclipse’s effect on dogs, presumably:

Welcome to Presque Isle!

Best editorial staff can determine, this is unprecedented in Presque Isle State Park history, namely, the deployment of AT&T mobile base stations! (Another spotted by Pine Tree Beach.)

And on the way out:

Seems like “Thanks for visiting Presque Isle, please don’t come back Monday” would make more sense:

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Anyway. After a week of overcast/rain, the bad weather finally broke Saturday mid-morning, enabling BirdingPI.com staff to verify the the sun still exists. These are @ 400mm, 600mm, and 1200mm all cropped to around 3000 x 3000 pixels:

Weather Sunday: cold, sunny. Forecast for Monday: mixed clouds/sun. Fingers crossed!

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The sun shots are fine, but after the preceding goofiness, time for some ‘nothing better than this’ bird content, namely, sunny Mallards on a log!

Shades Beach Park, east of Erie, PA on Lake Erie. There’s a beach, there’s a park (grass, playground, picnic areas, etc.), there’s a boat launch, lots of great habitat diversity in a relatively small area. In early spring, just not so much shade. (= good for bird photography.)

Used to looking easterly towards N/S Piers from the west side of Presque Isle, on the back bay. Here’s the ‘opposite’ view from Shades Beach, looking west across Lake Erie towards Presque Isle with South Pier middle left and North Pier (+ North Pier Light) middle right:

Here’s a sunny Bufflehead (male) w/ ok capture (on some shots) of feather iridescence:

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Following shot is looking up Eightmile Creek. (In the photo labeled “View E/NE…” above, the creek is on the right.)

Herring Gulls where Eightmile Creek empties into Lake Erie:

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There were at least two Belted Kingfisher on this occasion, flying up and down Eightmile Creek and also over Lake Erie and back around:

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Another great view of Presque Isle State Park. This is from the Shades Beach Park bluff looking generally west across Lake Erie. Sunset Point (and its breakwaters) on far right, + Budny Beach middle/left-middle:

Beautiful Golden-crowned Kinglet:

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Apparently there’s a solar eclipse in Erie County, PA on Monday:

Sun hasn’t been seen in days, so good thing the eclipse wasn’t this week. (See yesterday’s post.)

More advice on I79 – (1) “Solar Eclipse Monday”; (2) “Slow Down”:

Unsure what vehicle speed on Thursday has to do with a solar eclipse on Monday. “Prepare for daytime darkness” or “Avoid Erie” or “Have fun!” would be better advice. Or maybe a “Wow!”

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Anyway, time for bird content, with rather cool shots of Gull Point on a recent evening, taken from East Ave boat launch:

A classic mass gull/bird takeoff, usually resulting from a passing raptor. In the shots above & below, the bird in the upper middle right appears to be a GBH, but the bird on the far middle right could be a Bald Eagle, maybe:

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Finally, by popular demand & even more exciting than an eclipse, it’s Turkey Vulture eating gull droppings x Great Black-backed Gull on North Pier:

Rain turning to wet snow this fine spring morning in Erie County, PA. Please enjoy a snowy Pileated Woodpecker:

Beautiful Wood Ducks are back for the spring in Erie County, PA. Good, easily-accessible places to see Wood Ducks at Presque Isle State Park: Leo’s Landing, Long Pond, & Thompson Circle swamp/pond. These shots at Leo’s Landing.

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Bonus MIF (Mallard in flight) at South Pier:

Variable spring weather continues in Erie County, PA: Sunny on Friday, overcast on Saturday, foggy on Sunday, eventually Sunny on Monday, rainy today. Plenty of bird content on tap; here’s a brief photo essay of morning at East Ave boat launch, on a sunny day last week:

100% guaranteed not an April Fool’s joke. From this past (holiday) Friday at Presque Isle State Park, an amazing sighting of five Purple Sandpiper on the beach adjacent outer Thompson Bay, along the Gull Point Trail. (This is the beach access by where the main/official trail turns at ‘big bend.’) Pictures of the larger group forthcoming; in the meantime: one individual, mostly preening behavior:

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[Photo Editor’s note: tough shooting against the sun = difficult lighting conditions + slightly funky exposure even w/ adjustments. Overly blue water color on some of these shots = artifact from Adobe Lightroom auto-adjustment.]