Exciting happenings out at Gull Point yesterday – stay tuned for tomorrow’s post. (Spoiler alert: dodgy photography featuring Snow Bunting and guests!) In the meantime, more Common Raven content from Timber Camp Recreation Site north of Globe, AZ, from August. Amazing and beautiful birds! Hard to photograph/exposure.
Bonus video clip (background noise: nearby highway):
Elsewhen, a trio of Common Raven at San Pedro House:
Dateline: 5 November 2022
Very windy, mostly cloudy, + unusually warm Saturday at Presque Isle State Park. Seemed like a weather system coming in from the south. Rain overnight, patchy sun/windy as of Sunday morning.
All reported locations, relatively light bird activity – Blue Jay, kinglet, Canada Geese, woodpecker, GBH, and gulls.
Of note, these shots @ 500mm from Thompson Bay of a flock of lovely Bonaparte’s Gull, high in the sky battling the wind. (See bottom for ID info.)
Switching over to wide angle, looking up/south on the back bay (Presque Isle Bay), by East Pier:
Bonaparte’s Gull: bird on the bottom probably non-breeding adult. Note the white tail, black wing tips, dark bill, and dark spot to the rear of the eye. Bird on top, probably juvenile or first winter. Note the same dark bill and dark spot, + black tail tip and dark coloration along the forewings and wing backs (“M pattern“).
Little Gull is another possibility, but seems unlikely based on location.
Dateline: October 2022
Looks like fall migration’s mostly over for warblers, so time to celebrate the amazing number of Yellow-rumped Warbler that passed through Presque Isle State Park this season.
[Editor’s Note to staff: “Rump Shaker”?!? Please change before publication.]
Quick outing on a cloudy day from a few weeks ago, near Feather Observation Platform, Presque Isle State Park.
Wishing everyone a nice weekend. Forecast for Erie: partly sunny, mild, windy. Should be ok for birds! #nature
All shots Canada Goose, 30 October 2022, Graveyard Pond (“Lagoon”) @ Presque Isle State Park.
[Editor’s Note: Best bird photography blog post title ever? The answer is ‘yes.’]
Dateline: 30 October 2022
Fairly slow weekend at Presque Isle State Park for bird activity. But no one expects the Spanish Inquisition (!) – in this case an amazing Rusty Blackbird (nonbreeding male) spotted along the Graveyard Pond Trail (“Lagoon” trail). Cross one off the BirdingPI.com “top 10 birds we want to see at Presque Isle” list! Bonus points for nice photographs.
Thought this was a Grackle at first, then a Starling. But note the eye color, rusty highlights, dark beak, white eyebrow, and dark under-eye. Beautiful bird!
Bonus Graveyard Pond Trail content:
Dateline: 23 October 2022, Presque Isle State Park
With the arrival of 1 November, ‘nesting season’ is over = all of Gull Point once again open for nature/hiking/birding. “Rope corridor” to the observation platform is already ‘down for the winter’ as of a couple weeks ago:
Sunday before last, relatively little bird activity other than amazing numbers of Double-crested Cormorant – hanging out on the east beach, with flocks periodically heading in from the north and out either south over the bay/mainland or west along the water line.
Nikon video clips:
Shots from along the beach:
iPhone video clips:
Stay tuned: tomorrow, Canada Geese? Warblers? Definitely birds of some sort. More bird!
[Editor’s Note: Happy Halloween!]
Dateline: 29 October 2022
Beautiful fall day Saturday at Presque Isle State Park. Cool, sunny, light/minimal wind. Bird activity relatively subdued: mostly Golden-crowned Kinglet, gulls, GBH, Canada Geese, & Black-capped Chickadee. Pictures to follow in the ‘weekend update.’
In the meantime, a special report from BirdingPI.com’s Bird Vocalization Department, from Saturday along the Dead Pond Trail. (Specifically, east of the B Trail junction before the woods transition to sand/pine/meadow.) Plus bonus foliage shots for environmental context.
Very little bird activity from the A Trail then east on the Dead Pond Trail – kinglet and Blue Jay. Suddenly, surprised to hear, rather than see (at least initially), a Cooper’s Hawk. Recorded calls, with Blue Jay (and other misc bird) in background:
It seemed to be moving about the woods; these calls recorded at different locations near the trail. Finally, a kerfuffle with a Blue Jay, and then the Cooper’s Hawk emerged to fly east through the trees. Moving too fast for photos, but a confirmed sighting based on overall appearance, coloration, and flared white coverlets.
Always great to see a Cooper’s Hawk, but rather special to hear one so clearly/distinctly. Lugging around the boom mic and reel-to-reel recorder pays off!
All BirdingPI.com staff dispatched to Presque Isle State Park to take advantage of a nice fall Saturday. #nature. Time enough for a black coffee and a quick post of square-format White-throated Sparrow from last Sunday along the Gull Point outer old trail. Lots of sparrows, lots of Yellow-rumped Warbler! (Stay tuned for the latter.)
Wishing everyone a nice weekend!