Presque Isle, Naturally

The Cattail Beds at Sommerheim: An Aquatic Labyrinth

By MicheleRF, on August 16th, 2010

At the furthest point west on Presque Isle Bay is a cattail bed that is designated an Important Bird Area (IBA). It has been granted that status because for a few weeks in late summer, before they make their migratory flight south, tens of thousands of Purple Martins from far and wide congregate and roost here each evening. Unbeknownst to many are the number of other diverse creatures to which the beds play host. The cattail beds provide a lush and watery labyrinth; channels with inlets and outlets throughout the beds for the secretive meanderings of the least bittern, pied-billed grebe, common moorhens, wood ducks, American coots and red-winged blackbirds, and many others. Among the other creatures sharing the space with our feathered friends are the muskrat, dragons and damsel flies, and many fish. Sitting in a kayak just outside the aquatic labyrinth one is amazed at the many different sounds emanating from within. At times it sounds like a jungle in there! Click this link to hear the call of a pied-billed grebe. If you are fortunate enough to sneak a peek at one of its more stealthy inhabitants, it’s worth the wait.

To see a larger version of an image, click once and then again in the next page.

A family of wood ducks skirts the edge of the far shore. They can often also be heard within the cattail bed.

Can you find the grebe?! He hopes not.

Here he is!

A pair of American Coots can often be seen swimming along the reeds at the west side of the cattail bed.

A lone common moorhen. Not so common in this area, but with broods observed this year and last at the cattail beds.

A hungry muskrat on a float of cattails munches some roots. The muskrats can often be seen swimming from shore to reed bed and back.

A curious painted turtle looks at me looking at him:)

A bee emerges after collecting pollen from a waterlily. There are many bees out on the water at this time of year helping to pollinate the aquatic plants like the water lilies and pickerel weed.

Oh, yeah. The Mute Swan family is also still around.

Stay tuned for my upcoming post…the hunting herons of Presque Isle.

Check out the Babes at the Beach:)

By MicheleRF, on June 16th, 2010

Ha! Now that I’ve piqued your interest…here is a post dedicated to the little ones popping up all over Presque Isle lately. I went in search of Baltimore Oriole nests which are usually fairly accessible for photographs but no luck. All the oriole nests I’ve found are fairly high up. According to Peterson’s Field Guide to Eastern Birds’ Nests, they can range anywehere from 6-60 feet about the ground! The orioles should be fledging very soon based on last year’s schedule. Baltimore Orioles only have one brood a year so since I can’t show any from this year I’ve included one from last year.

Papa oriole takes his turn feeding the babes.

The following photograph is of a pair of approximately two day old red-winged black bird chicks and their unhatched sibling. Red-winged blackbirds usually lay 3-4 eggs and often have two broods per year. Some male red-winged blackbirds are polygamous, having 2-3 mates. Can you say, Big Love. Thanks to Brian for pointing this nest out. Yes, I still have to get out there and show you the cedar waxwing nests.

FEED ME!!!

One bird that you can always count on to build watchable nests at Presque Isle are the plentiful American Robins. I found this nest while watching the cedar waxwings fly along Leo’s Landing. These babes were quite vociferous each time mama or papa flew in with yummy bugs and worms. Robins produce 2-3 broods a year, each an average of 4 offspring. That’s 12 young a season!! No wonder they are so plentiful (and mom is looking so haggard in this photo:(

FEED US!!!

While out on the kayak getting a few more shots of the growing mute swan cygnets, I happened across this female wood duck and her youngsters. I couldn’t count them all they were so well-camouflaged against the reeds.

Look carefully, the babes are mostly visible in the left side of the photo; mom is on the right.

Speaking of the mute swan family. The family is down to 4 cygnets. Impossible to say what happened to the 5th. I like to think it was recruited to appear in some fairy tale or fable. Think: The Ugly Duckling.

Two of the 4 remaining cygnets.

The four remaining mute swans and a parent.

Younger mute swan mating pairs produce one brood of 5-7 cygnets per year while older couples average anywhere from 9-12 eggs. The cygnets are usually gray, like 3 of the 4 in the photo above. Some are more white, like the second from last in the photo above.

I hope to get back out onto the water tomorrow morning. Things are looking promising for a beautiful day. I remain in search of some decent shots of the common moorhen family. Brian has had some luck as the male of the pair gets used to him being around. Maybe he’ll post some shots of the moorhens and the green heron for us soon:)

Mute Swan Family at Presque Isle

By MicheleRF, on June 8th, 2010

(Click any image to see Full Size.)

Well, I finally got my kayak into the water with much appreciated help from my awesome hubby who had to specially design and install my roof rack. Also, thanks much to Brian B., one of my PI, N co-bloggers, for the lessons and news on hot spots (including where to find this featured family of Mute Swans). One of the first spots I put in was at the foot of Sommerheim Drive. I met Brian and Don out on the water. They had already been out about 3 hours by the time I got there at 9:00 a.m. and had probably taken several hundred photos of the swan family.

Watching over the clutch. The cygnets were never from from their parents.

Even so, Brian helped me out by playing shepard to the swans as I drifted just close enough to get a few pics while not disturbing the family unit. Mute swans are known for their sometimes aggressive behavior as they defend their territory and young but this pair were very calm and approachable. Maybe if we had been Canada geese they’d have been less understanding. Although the light was harsh I was able to get a few half way decent pics. I had lots of duds too owing to my first time shooting from the kayak:)

They seem to be loving and attentive parents.

The family dines on aquatic plants, a staple in their diet, that are plentiful in this part of the bay.

Mute swans are not uncommon to Presque Isle, but because they are a non-native species (and can be aggressive as mentioned) having been introduced in the US from Europe, they are not always fondly embraced. I’m not certain when the last time a successful clutch of mute swans lived at Presque Isle but I’m glad they made it. I look forward to watching them grow and hopefully thrive along the beautiful shore of Presque Isle Bay.

More Spring Birding!

By MicheleRF, on May 2nd, 2010

Well, spring migration has finally taken wing and how happy we are that Presque Isle State Park plays host to such a wide variety of winged “guests” this time of year. I attended Jerry McWilliams birding identification class this past Saturday as well as the one prior and WOW! what a difference a week can make. Last week we recorded 53 species of birds which included one warbler, the yellow rumped. This Saturday we had 72 species including 10 species of warbler: Blue-Winged, Nashville, Yellow, Magnolia, Common Yellowthroat, Yellow-Rumped, Black-Throated Green, Black-and-White, Pine and Palm. We also got 3 vireos: blue-headed, white-eyed and warbling. As any of you who photograph birds know, it’s no easy task to capture a warbler or other small passerine in the foliage. I’ve included some shots I’ve taken over the years because yesterday I got NONE!

The predominant warbler species this weekend were palms, like this handsome gent (Fry's Landing (PISP) 04/30/10) and...

this equally handsome gent, the yellow-rumped warbler! (Fry's Landing 04/30/10)

The first warbler I ever “shot” with my 500 mm lens was a black-throated green. They were much more cooperative last year, or I was just more fortunate to be in the right place at the right time.

Black-throated green warbler, male, spring 2009 in Fry's Landing PISP

Even smaller and just as elusive in the foliage as the warblers is the blue gray gnatcatcher, pictured below working a tree for, you guessed it, gnats!

Male blue-gray gnatcatcher, Lily Pond Trail 04/30/10

Scarlet Tanager, male, Fry's Landing 04/30/10

Looking at all these pictures, I can’t wait to get out to the park again!!! You should come down too because, the 3rd Annual Festival of the Birds will take place this coming weekend, May 7-9th. We still have a few slots open, so come on down and register for a weekend full of all things bird! Here is a link to a schedule of festival events. On the afternoon of Sunday the 9th Sue DeArment from Tamarack Wildlife Rehabilitation and Education Center will be there with the center’s education raptors. See a full article about the wonderful work the center is doing in today’s Erie Times News or at GOErie.com. We will also have craft and education opportunities for the community on Sunday afternoon so come on down!!!

Year long residents at Presque Isle are this great horned owl and her mate (who must be off fetching lunch:)

Spring Birding Class 2!

By MicheleRF, on April 14th, 2010

Canoe Portage Trail head.

Unfortunately, due to prior commitments, I was not able to attend class 2 with Jerry and the group:( Here, however, is Jerry’s report of sightings for the day as well as some pictures I’ve taken of some of the species sighted taken on different days. If you are interested in joining in on the fun, contact Jerry McWilliams for details!!

Timing was right again this Saturday with decent weather though it could have been a few degrees warmer. Yesterday it snowed and tomorrow it is supposed to rain in the morning, so we lucked out.

Joining me this morning was Julie Leonard, Jean Joyce, Joao and Delores Tavares, Pat Howell, Nancy Baker, Janet Price, Bob and Diane McLaughlin. We had a few things at Vista one including a Hairy Woodpecker, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Common Loon, Pied-billed Grebe, and Brown Thrasher. A brief stop at the Great Horned nest tree yielded the female on the nest, though you could only see the ear tufts and a tiny bit of the head. We searched for saw-whets along B-trail and Dead Pond Trail, but found none. However, we had cracking views of a male Purple Finch singing from the top of a pine tree. Beach 11 gave us nice looks at an Osprey as it dropped down and caught a fish. We had a nice variety of ducks in Thompson Bay and we saw the first Caspian Tern of the season. There were a couple of singing titmice and Winter Wrens along Pine Tree Trail. We also had nice looks at a Northern Harrier feeding over the marsh and a distant American Kestrel perched in a tree. Fry’s landing was rather quiet with not much of note.

We recorded the following 54 species of birds this morning:

Canada Goose—several throughout

Mute Swan—one off Vista 2 and five in Misery Bay including one immature

Tundra Swan–two in Thompson Bay

Gadwall—at least a couple of pairs in Thompson Bay

American Wigeon—8 to 10 in Thompson Bay

Mallard—a few around with a nest containing ten eggs along Pine Tree Trail

Redhead—one male caught in a PGC trap

Ring-necked Duck—two on log in Niagara Pond

Lesser Scaup–several off beach 11 and off Vista 2

Bufflehead—several off beach 11 and Vista 2

Red-breasted Merganser—a few thousand in Presque Isle Bay and off Beach 11

Yes, that is what they are doing;)

Ruddy Duck—five near the rangers station and 5 in Thompson Bay

Common Loon—at least a couple in the bay

Pied-billed Grebe—4 or 5 off Vista 2

Pied-billed grebe, one of my favs:)

Double-crested Cormorant—several small flocks flying overhead

Great Blue Heron—one at the head of the bay

Osprey–one over Thompson Bay catching a fish

Northern Harrier—one along Pine Tree Trail

Sharp-shinned Hawk—one or two overhead along Pine Tree Trail

Cooper’s Hawk—one over Pine Tree Trail

Red-tailed Hawk—one seen flying away from us at Niagara Pond

American Kestrel—one perched in a tree along Pine Tree Trail

American Coot—many off Vista 2

Killdeer—a couple in Beach 10 parking lot and one along Gull Point

Bonaparte’s Gull—a few hundred off Beach 11

Bonaparte's gull in flight near the marina.

Ring-billed Gull–a few off Beach 11

Herring Gull–a few over Presque Isle Bay and off Beach 11

Mourning Dove–singles at various places on the park

Great Horned Owl–one on the nest

Great Horned Owl along Duck Pond Trail

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker—one at Vista 2 and one or two along Pine tree trail

Downy Woodpecker–one heard drumming off Pine Tree Trail

Northern Flicker—singles at various sites

American Crow–several throughout

Tree Swallow–several overhead at all sites

Black-capped Chickadee—singles at various sites

Tufted Titmouse—two along Pine Tree trail

Winter Wren—one or two heard singing along Pine Tree Trail

Golden-crowned Kinglet—a couple along Pine Tree Trail

Ruby-crowned Kinglet—one along Pine Tree Trail

Roby-crowned kinglet along Duck Pond Trail

Hermit Thrush–one off B-trail

I saw many Hermit Thrush's along Canoe Portage Trail on Tuesday.

American Robin–several everywhere

Brown Thrasher—one seen at Vista 2

Brown Thrasher along Dead Pond

European Starling– a few overhead

Yellow-rumped Warbler–one or two along Pine Tree Trail

Eastern Towhee– a few heard calling along the trails

Chipping Sparrow—a couple heard singing

Song Sparrow–several throughout

Swamp Sparrow—two or three heard singing in Niagara Pond

Dark-eyed Junco—a couple in the pines

Red-winged Blackbird–many migrants overhead

Common Grackle—a few migrants overhead

Brown-headed Cowbirds—a few with the blackbird flocks

Purple Finch—one singing male

American Goldfinch—one female at Vista 2

~Jerry McWilliams (Instructor)

There is another class this Saturday and every Saturday through the 22nd of May. Also, this Saturday the 17th is the Presque Isle HawkWatch family event. It will be held in the Tom Ridge Environmental Center parking lot from 9:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. and if that isn’t enough, the Presque Isle Audubon Society is holding their monthly meeting on Friday the 16th at 7:00 p.m. in the TREC, room 112. The presentation this month is “The Eagle” with falconer and educator, Michael Kuriga. He will be bringing a live bald eagle and discussing his experiences with eagles and other birds of prey. For more information about these and other events at Presque Isle check out the PIAS website!

Let the Pilgrimage Begin!

By MicheleRF, on April 5th, 2010

When April with his showers sweet with fruit
The drought of March has pierced unto the root
And bathed each vein with liquor that has power
To generate therein and sire the flower;
When Zephyr also has, with his sweet breath,
Quickened again, in every holt and heath,
The tender shoots and buds, and the young sun
Into the Ram one half his course has run,
And many little birds make melody
That sleep through all the night with open eye
(So Nature pricks them on to ramp and rage)-
Then do folk long to go on pilgrimage,
And palmers to go seeking out strange strands,
To distant shrines well known in sundry lands.

Chaucer~The Canterbury Tales-Prologue

Finally, we can climb out of our caves, stretch our aching minds and bodies and revel in nature’s splendor on our pilgrimage through Presque Isle! Yes, I’m mixing metaphors, convention be damned. But, as so often happens, I digress…

Saturday, April 3rd was the first day of bird ID classes at PISP:) and what a beautiful day it was! While our morning started with a little chill in the wind, it wasn’t long before we were all taking of f our jackets and rolling up our sleeves. The following is an excerpt from Jerry’s report on the days’ sightings and observations:

The nice warm southerly wind and temperatures in the 70′s made for a perfect day for bird migration. Participating in the class today were Marcy, Joao and Delores, Linda, Jean, and Michele, Blackbirds were streaming overhead as well as Turkey Vultures. Our first stop was the Great Horned Owls nest where we saw one of the birds sitting down inside the cavity of the tree with just the top of its head showing. We walked B-trail in search of saw-whets and long-eareds but found none, though we did have decent looks at a Hermit Thrush. Pine Tree Trail had some activity where we saw a Brown Snake and our first Golden-crowned Kinglets and Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers for the day. In fact we ended up seeing many sapsuckers, both male and female. There were lots of Brown Creepers as well, especially at Fry’s landing where we found a Fox Sparrow scratching on the ground. Beach 11 was kind of quiet though we did witness vultures flying across Thompson Bay inlet from Gull Point to get back to the mainland by crossing the channel. Since we saw several sharp-shinned Hawks overhead we decided it was time to head for the hawkwatch where we immediately saw vultures and hawks streaming by on their way north.

This week was peak migration for Yellow Bellied Sapsuckers (Don't ya love that name)!

We recorded the following 53 species of birds this morning:

Canada Goose–a couple off beach 11

Mute Swan– a pair off vista 1

Tundra Swan–two in Thompson Bay

Wood Duck–we flushed a pair out of a tree off B-trail

Mallard–a couple of quacking birds heard

Northern Pintail–two females flying over Thompson Bay

Ring-necked Duck– a handful of distant birds in the back of Thompson Bay

Great Scaup–several off beach 11

Lesser Scaup–several off beach 11

Bufflehead–a few off beach 11

Red-breasted Merganser–a few at beach 11 with a few small flocks overhead

Wild Turkey–Michele saw one not far from Peninsula Drive

Double-crested Cormorant– a small flying flock past the owl nest site and a flock flying past the hawkwatch

Turkey Vulture–all you had to do was look up to see these big birds

Osprey–one over the hawkwatch

Northern Harrier–a couple over the hawkwatch

Sharp-shinned Hawk–many overhead on the park and at the hawkwatch

Cooper’s Hawk–two or three overhead on the park and at the hawkwatch

Red-tailed Hawk–several over the hawkwatch

Rough-legged Hawk–one over the hawkwatch

American Kestrel–a couple over the hawkwatch

Killdeer–one over beach 11 and a couple over the hawkwatch

American Woodcock–one flushed from Fry’s landing

Bonaparte’s Gull–about eight over Thompson Bay

Ring-billed Gull–a few at various places

Herring Gull–a few over the bay off vista 2 and off beach 11 and the hawkwatch

Great Black-backed Gull–a dozen or so off vista 1 and beach 11

Mourning Dove–singles at various places on the park

Great Horned Owl–one on the nest

Belted Kingfisher–one over beach 11

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker–at least 10 from three sites, Pine Tree and Dead Pond trails, and Fry’s landing

Downy Woodpecker–one at Fry’s landing

Northern Flicker–several throughout

Eastern Phoebe–singles at Fry’s landing and Dead Pond Trail

Blue Jay–a couple on Pine Tree Trail

American Crow–several throughout

Tree Swallow–several overhead at all sites

Black-capped Chickadee–two or three at Fry’s landing

Brown Creeper–several along all trails

One of many brown creepers we saw all over the park.

Golden-crowned Kinglet–several along the trails

Hermit Thrush–one off B-trail and one at Fry’s landing

American Robin–many everywhere

European Starling– a few overhead

Yellow-rumped Warbler–one seen briefly at Fry’s landing

Eastern Towhee– a few heard calling along the trails

Chipping Sparrow–one in the beach 11 parking lot

A handsome chipping sparrow framed in pine.

Fox Sparrow–one at Fry’s landing

Song Sparrow–several throughout

Dark-eyed Junco–many along the trails, especially at Fry’s landing

Red-winged Blackbird–many migrants overhead

Common Grackle–many migrants overhead

Brown-headed Cowbirds–mainly mixed in with the blackbird flocks

American Goldfinch– a couple overhead at the hawkwatch

~~Jerry McWilliams (Instructor)

A male Downy Woodpecker. Check out the band on his leg.

Speaking of banding…bird banding will begin on the park in mid-April. Check out the PI Bird Banding blog for details about the upcoming season and how to volunteer or just stop by and observe.

Another shot of a male yellow-bellied sapsucker. Note the red on his throat, which distinguishes him from the female whose throat is generally white.

More Winter Fun @ PI

By Toni Kelly, on January 15th, 2010

My husband Don snowshoeing at PI

Last year my husband surprised me with snowshoes for Christmas. At first I wasn’t sure I cared for this gift. I don’t know why, after all I used to cross country ski. But after trying them out I knew it was just what I needed to hit the trails at Presque Isle in winter after a good amount of snowfall which we have been getting. We started out near the Light House on the Sidewalk trail then turned onto Dead Pond trail which I had not been on for awhile. The snow was just right for our snowshoes as we walked beside the cross country ski tracks and not on them to prevent making ruts for the skiers.

A trail

This is A trail one of the side trails off of Dead Pond trail. It takes you to the Pine Beach area of the park.

Toni at Pine Tree beach area

Here at Pine Tree beach we walked out to view the lake and its massive ice dunes. They are awesome to see but dangerous to walk on. Amazing how the waves become frozen in peaks but they are not solid underneath.

Frozen Ice Dunes

Deer rubbings

All along the trails are signs of wildlife living on the park. You will see tracks everywhere and places where the deer are rubbing their antlers and have bedded down for the night.

Snowshoes Don made in class at Presque Isle State Park

The park is always offering classes and few years ago Don took a class making snowshoes. And yes as you can see they are usable and not just for hanging on the wall. He did an awesome job making these and I believe they still offer classes on snowshoes. If you are interested you will have to call the TREC for a class schedule.

I tried to photograph birds but it was difficult. We mostly saw downy woodpeckers. At one point we saw a hairy and a downy next to each other. This was a first for my husband and you could really see the difference between the two. Sorry couldn’t get a good shot of them. we also saw and heard several chickadees, titmouse, and on one area of Dead Pond trail we always find several Tree Sparrows feeding off the dried grasses.

Downy Woodpecker

Tree Sparrow

And lastly I love photographing the milkweed in winter with the seed puffs frozen in time.

Kite Skiing at the Park

By Brian, on January 8th, 2010

Most people aren’t aware of the winter sport called Kite Skiing . While I was taking one of my many rides around the Park , I came across an old friend of mine at Sunset Point Beach. Except he wasn’t swimming or sunning himself like most people do at the Beach. But that’s because this was the middle of December with four to six in. of snow on the ground. He was using his power kite to propell him around on skis over the snow at the Beach. In a couple of weeks, he’ll be on the frozen Bay, but for now he takes advantage of any oppurtunity to get out with the wind. This can be done on the water also, but is usually done with a board instead of skis. This is one of the many winter sports that take place out here at Presque Isle State Park during the winter.

Banking to his right.

Banking to his left.

Come and visit, you never know what’s available out here unless you come and see for yourself

The Great Backyard Bird Count-2010

By MicheleRF, on January 7th, 2010

Yes, the Great Backyard Bird Count for 2010 is soon approaching! I encourage everyone to get out there, on your decks, in your yards, your local parks or even out your windows and count those birds. Don’t just count them though, enjoy them, because for the vast majority of us, that’s what it’s all about…enjoying the beauty of nature in all its splendor. The Presque Isle Audubon Society is hosting a GBBC event on Saturday February 13th at the Stull Interpretive Center. The event will be held from 9:00 a.m. until noon and will include informational/educational programming, a craft activity for all ages, a nature walk (weather permitting), and light refreshments. So bring your binos, or use the few pairs we have, and get down to the Stull Center and help us count 8 ‘ ).

I was jonesin’ for a trip to Presque Isle last week after a way too long hiatus so I headed down despite the less than ideal weather. There were plenty of swans and other waterfowl off Beach 11 but most were pretty far off. Soon after I took these I learned my camera shutter was about to fail. I traded it in for an upgraded model which should be here by Monday:)