Dateline: 16 January 2022
Sunday the 16th, conditions were a “go” — moderately cold but sunny — for heading back out to Presque Isle State Park for more winter birding.
Surprisingly, recent storm damage (downed trees, etc.) had already been cleared on the Pine Tree Trail. Many thanks to the PA DCNR crew! Not a lot of activity, but sightings included White-breasted Nuthatch and Downy Woodpecker.
With the back bay (Thompson Bay and Presque Isle Bay) being mostly frozen over, Lake Erie (still mostly unfrozen) seemed like a better bet for bird activity. Plus, Gull Point!
Parked at Budny Beach and headed east along the beach. Frozen conditions (baby ice dunes) along the shore, but easily passable.
Can’t be a bad day if your Gull Point hike starts with Bald Eagles. This mature pair was initially circling (more or less) very high above the lake just to the north of Budny Beach. After a while, they flew east along the shore line towards Gull Point. (Stay tuned for a return appearance of the eagles once we get to Gull Point.)
Definitely ice/slush out on the lake, but it was open and unfrozen by the lake shore. A tremendous amount of duck activity from just past the end of Budny Beach all the way to Gull Point.
First up, Common Goldeneye:
That’s not a particularly noteworthy photo, but including it for ID purposes. Note the white back, black head, eye color, and, especially, the round, white cheek patch – all indicative of breeding male Common Goldeneye:
Meanwhile, the eagles were slowly flying east:
Further along the beach, some unobstructed long views of Gull Point, just to give a sense of scale/perspective:
Soon came across a perched immature Bald Eagle along the beach:
Which took flight almost immediately:
And then alighted in a distant tree. Note the second immature Bald Eagle in the tree to the right:
While peering at ducks, very surprised to suddenly hear a loud ‘whirring’ sound overhead, like a prop plane or noisy kite (the flying device, not the bird). Turns out it was the sound of an overhead flock of ducks decelerating for a water landing. Totally amazing – never experienced anything like it before, but heard it several times throughout the day. Really gives you a sense of the air-braking aerodynamics.
[This is the end of Duckmania!, but James Bond will return in Duckmania 2!]