From earlier in January, a lone Red-breasted Merganser (m) on Presque Isle Bay. Overcast and somewhat backlit = erratic exposure, but still fun to see this bird on the back bay. (More often seen out on Lake Erie proper.)

Probably BirdingPI.com’s last major coverage of Great Black-backed Gull for the season, absent the unexpected. First up, random gulls!

Gloom/overcast notwithstanding, pretty cool video featuring noisy GB-bG – both adult and juvenile (1st/2nd winter):

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Bonus video:

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It’s “bonus bad goose video” Friday! Wow.

Taking a break from the gull coverage with recent shots of a male Downy Woodpecker along the access trail to boat landing #4, Long Pond, Presque Isle State Park.

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Overcast, cold, and snowy in the greater Erie, PA area since Tuesday; looks like it will continue into next week. Wishing everyone a nice weekend! #more_gull #more_waterfowl

Ring-billed Gull @ Marina Lake, from last Saturday:

Eagle v. Goose (?)

More Great Black-backed Gull and gull friends from the other Saturday, Presque Isle State Park, Beach 11.

Great Black-backed Gull adults on the right:

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Mixed gulls – Great Black-backed Gull right rear (adult and juvenile), Ring-billed Gull front corner right, the others include Herring Gull:

Mixed gulls – good size comparison between GB-bG (center) and Ring-billed Gull (center foreground):

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Large gull on left – Great Black-backed Gull juvenile, 1st/2nd winter:

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More GB-bG:

In flight, lower right:

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Bonus video content!

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Good news! More GB-bG content to come from this past weekend, including ‘gull sounds’ and carrion scavenging! Wow.

Dateline: 21-22 January 2023.

Bad weather in the Erie, PA area this weekend – overcast with periodic light frozen rain/hail on Saturday, light/moderate but substantial snow starting 12 noon on Sunday. Still, plenty of interesting avian activity at Presque Isle State Park; BirdingPI.com personnel deployed as usual for bird photography. #hot_coffee #more_bird

Following shots from Saturday:

Below, Common Merganser over Presque Isle Bay. Hill in far distance (looking south) in upper right corner is the Waste Management “Lake View” dump.

Tundra Swan on Presque Isle Bay. Middle/left background: Ferncliff Beach; middle right: Erie Yacht Club.

Off Long Pond, an American Tree Sparrow:

Beautiful Red-tailed Hawk, in the trees on the inland side between Saw Mill and Short Jetty:

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Moving on to Sunday. Ring-billed Gull in snow @ Marina Lake:

Canada Geese/Marina Lake/snow:

Thanks to a kindly birder passerby on Saturday, heard a rumour of an Iceland Gull at Presque Isle. Iceland Gull = very uncommon; like a Ring-billed Gull or Herring Gull but with white or gray wingtips. BirdingPI.com wishes everyone good luck in finding the Iceland Gull!

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Gull ID tip: hopefully obvious, but in case not, wing tips in flight shown in top view below. Wing tips on land/water shown in lower view below (red arrows):

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Coming up this week: more Great Black-backed Gull, including “amazing” video! Also more gull fishing! Plus Red-breasted Merganser, and Canada Goose vs. Bald Eagle (?)! #more_bird!

Overcast and cold weekend in the greater Erie area. Before getting back to gull coverage, time for a ‘ray of sunshine’ with these shots of Eastern Bluebird from last Monday near Pymatuning Reservoir:

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Elsewhere, in Millcreek Twp (“Gateway to Presque Isle”):

Dateline: 14 January 2023

Finally delivering on the promised Great Black-backed Gull content from last Saturday, along with some “misc nature.”

Here’s our cute Pekin friend with accompanying Mallard ducks. Might recall this bird was spotted on Lake Erie off Budny Beach on Sunday – it gets around! (Or, there could be more than one.)

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Great Black-backed Gulls. They’re big, they’re black (partially), they’re great!

Distant view, Lake Erie, mixed gulls on sandbar off Beach 11:

Front a distance, distinctive due to very dark (black) wings:

Several views, from further to closer:

Adult Great Black-backed Gull ID tips: (i) large size: compare the GB-bG adult center right to the Ring-billed Gull just off center left; (ii) very dark wings; (iii) white head, throat, and breast, yellow bill and red spot on lower bill; and (iv) pink-ish legs. (Lesser Black-backed Gull = gray wings and yellow legs.)

In the following crop, adult is center. Bird on the right probably a first- or second-winter Great Black-backed Gull. Note the size, dark bill, sort of mottled head/breast, and checkered black/gray wings. (More shots of this bird next time.) Bird on left could be juvenile Herring Gull.

An uncommon treat to get some reasonably nice shots of GB-bG in flight:

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Currently having a spell of bad weather in Erie County – rain, more rain, mixed rain/snow, more rain, wind, overcast. Wishing everyone a nice weekend nevertheless! And in any event, coming up soon: more Great Black-backed Gull!