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):
Dateline: 24-26 February 2023
Erie, PA weekend weather: highly variable, with clouds, cold, wind, sun, rain, snow, hail, etc. All Presque Isle State Park trails in typical condition, e.g., mostly decent except where typically flooded, e.g., B Trail. BirdingPI.com expedition to Gull Point on Sunday curtailed due to heavy wind; these shots from the ‘interior’ Friday-Sunday.
In bird news, first Killdeer of the year spotted off Feather Platform (Leo’s Landing)(!):
Ring-necked Ducks in takeoff + flight:
Huge flock of American Crow (40+) passing over Gull Point Trailhead (this is just the tail end):
Budny Beach @ Sunday:
Finally, Gull activity at Beach No. 11.
Coming up soon, more GBH! More Northern Cardinal! More weekend content featuring Tundra Swan, etc.!
Two gulls chasing a third, reasons unknow (#gull_reasons), off Beach No. 11, Presque Isle State Park.
Dateline: February 2023
A selection of recent, nice shots from Millcreek Twp (“Gateway to Presque Isle”):
Bird ID: 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11: Northern Cardinal (m); 2, 4, 6: European Starling; 8: American Robin in Staghorn Sumac; 10: Bald Eagle
Unsettled weather over the weekend – very cold with brief-but-heavy snow Saturday morning, warmer with partial clearing in the afternoon. Cold, cloudy, and windy Sunday morning, sunny/windy by mid-afternoon. Stay tuned for the weekend update, featuring birds. In the meantime, recent shots off Beach No. 11, Presque Isle State Park, featuring “mixed gulls.”
Bonus video:
Millcreek Twp (“Gateway to Presque Isle”): local Red-tailed Hawk caught a critter (rat?) for dinner. Sorry, critter. Not the best quality content due to distance and lighting conditions, but #food_chain
Back to Ring-billed Gull on Marina Lake, Presque Isle State Park. In this instance, a failed/splashy fishing attempt.
Wishing everyone a ‘happy Friday’ and pleasant weekend with a bonus post of American Crow content! (Lots of Crow activity in the greater Erie, PA area every day.) Weekend weather’s slated to be variable but not awful (hopefully).
Dateline: 22-23 February 2023
Back to winter weather Wednesday, with snow later in the morning then rain in the afternoon/evening. Enough cold temps overnight for significant icing on trees, shrubbery, and lawns.
Quick stop at East Ave boat launch for gulls!
