Well, from a bird photography standpoint we’re on the highway to heck with more Red-winged Blackbird shots, but so be it. Only so much to be done in late winter, Erie, PA. (Friday morning weather: wind and heavy rain.) These shots from South Pier earlier in the week.
With a sunny Wednesday, it was back to watching water drip in Erie County, PA. Behold the magic of fast shutter speeds, burst shooting, & large memory cards! [Edit: also, gravity.] [Edit: also, surface tension.]
Return to clear weather Wednesday in Erie, PA, albeit cold @ approx. -3.5 deg C. And with the weather out of the way, time for oddly-exposed GIF (Goose in flight) coverage @ Thompson Bay, Presque Isle State Park, from this past Sunday:
More poorly lit duck/etc. shots from this past Sunday afternoon at Presque Isle State Park. Starting with beautiful American Black Duck @ Niagara Pond – always a pleasure:
Male (l) – note yellow bill; female (r) – note olive coloured billAmerican Black Duck duo
Following shots on Misery Bay. Nice to see a few Ruddy Ducks again!
Ruddy Ducks trioOne Ruddy DuckPreening behaviorPair of Common Loon (non-breeding plumage)Common Loon (l)/Red-breasted Merganser (r)Loony detail
Pair of Horned Grebe (non-breeding plumage):
Grebe duo 1Grebe duo 2
Always pays to check Lake Erie by Budny Beach. Here, interesting sighting of juvenile Long-tailed Duck:
A return to normal seasonal conditions this weekend with cold temps, light snowfall, and snow on the ground. No BirdingPI.com field operations Saturday due to the snow. Sunday, overcast, cold, periodic light snow; Presque Isle State Park roads in good shape. Trails generally passable except localized mud/flooding where typical.
Lots of waterfowl, etc. activity on the ponds, bay, and Lake Erie. First up, ducks on Marina Lake. Following shots all Ring-necked Duck:
Male (r); Female (l)Bufflehead @ Marina Lake
Next over to Long Pond with more Ring-necked Duck! (+ Canada Gooose)
Bonus video @ Long Pond:
Finally, some gloomy but pleasant content of ducks (mostly Ring-necked Duck and Scaup) on Presque Isle Bay:
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.
American Robin/snowNorthern Cardinal (f)Snow singin’European Starling/backlitScratch/branchRobin/snow/Staghorn SumacMore American RobinCommon Grackle/peekabooRobin againStaghorn Sumac snowfallCardinal (m)/snowRobin/snowWinter landscape
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!)
Female on left, males on right
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!