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:
Back over to Thompson Bay, Presque Isle State Park, on Sunday. Swans and ducks. Bonus post of GBH at this same spot, coming up soon.
View north (Lake Erie in background) from Beach No. 11, Tundra Swan @ Osprey platform (far right):
Closer view from the beach access by the Thompson Bay swamp/pond:
Then it was time to ‘sneak’ over to the Osprey platform via the Gull Point trail. The Common Mergansers startled, then the Canvasbacks startled, then the Tundra Swans (most of them) startled. So much for stealth.
Tundra Swans fighting through the wind:
Canvasbacks returning for landing @ Thompson Bay:
Mostly clear in Erie Thursday night, with a hard frost. Cold, with localized fog Friday morning; rain forecast to begin in the afternoon, possibility of light snow. Rain/unsettled weather on Saturday, but supposedly sunny later on Sunday. ‘Fingers crossed’ for good birding/nature weather (eventually)!
Dateline: 26 February 2023
Bonus post on an interesting sighting from Sunday, high above Long Pond, Presque Isle State Park: a light adult Rough-legged Hawk.
Thank goodness for a long lens + cropping/enlargement. Also for a decent shot of its underside:
Note the strong demarcation between a dark wing lining and white on the primaries/secondaries, plus a dark trailing edge and wingtips; also a white tail with very dark/slightly banded tailtip.
Rainy days: good for bird activity. Mondays: just another day for enjoying birds and nature. Rainy Mondays: double win! (Sorry, Carpenters.)
All shots Millcreek Twp (“Gateway to Presque Isle”) this past (rainy) Monday.
Wet European Starling:
Wet American Robin:
With the rain, a surprising number of Common Grackle, at least six or seven. Here, four Common Grackle at a “deer feeding station” + one Red-winged Blackbird (lower lefthand corner):
