Presque Isle, Naturally

Good Friends and Birds

Toni Kelly — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 12:51:33 +0000

Photo by Toni

As I watched the sun come up from my dining room window blue skies began to appear crystal clear and not one cloud to mar its beauty. I could hear Presque Isle beckon me to its shore. I called Michele and made arrangements to catch up with her later mid morning at the park.

What a glorious day as PI state park is just starting to really paint her colors of fall. As I was heading to Fry Landing I saw Brian and pulled off to hook up with him a bit and he joined me on the trail. We entered the trail near the banding station and soon found several Gold Crown Kinglets.

Gold Crown Kinglet by Brian

They flutter so fast between the brush it is hard to get a photo but we persevered and they finally came out into the open. The trail takes you out to the beach 11 parking lot and several pine trees where the Kinglets were easily seen feeding.

Gold Crown feeding by Toni

Gold Crown by Brian

Brian and I then split up and I finally caught up with Michele on the trail and we went to Canoe Portage Trail and Duck Pond Trail. Several Robins gathered in the canopy above as we entered Canoe Portage Trail. This is where I usually find Robins during the winter months. We also saw Swainson Thrushes, Chickadees, and more Kinglets. Michele picked up the call of a Towhee. Bird calls still elude me but I’m slowly improving.

Swainson Thrush by Toni. Not the best photo.

Our last stop was on Duck Pond Trail. At first nothing was showing but you could hear more Kinglets in the brush then finally a Ruby Crown Kinglet was bouncing along the path feeding, stopping long enough for photo opportunities. Perfect way to end the early afternoon with good friends and birds. And for you more photos. Enjoy!

Ruby Crown by Toni

Ruby Crown Kinglet by Toni

Ruby Crown Kinglet by Michele

Bluejay by Brian

Junco by Brian. Migration is nearly done when you start to see Juncos

Yellow-rump Warbler by Brian. Isn't that a cute butt

White-throated Sparrow by Brian

The End!

White throats and yellow rumps!

MicheleRF — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 14:11:56 +0000

White-throated sparrow

Hmmm, white throats and yellow rumps, almost sounds like an affliction. Much to my dismay, I haven’t had the opportunity to get to the park much this month. People have been reporting that it’s pretty slow as far as fall migration this year compared to most, including the banders and that was my experience when I was down there on Tuesday, at least initially. I walked one of my favorite trails, Duck Pond Trail, and while I heard lots of robins and a few chickadees it was otherwise quiet. That is, until I headed back towards my car. Coming back down the trail, not 10 minutes after I had walked up, I heard some calls that sounded to me like a common yellow throat chip note and the very distinct song of the white-throated sparrow. The light was starting to fade but I was able to enjoy a nice show of yellow-rumped warblers and white-throated sparrows as they fed and dashed about in a small tree growing in a marshy area right at the edge of the trail. I also watched a group of robins splish-splashing in the heavily shaded pool under the tree. They would take turns jumping into the water and then jumping out to dry off and preen. Unfortunately, it was too dark to get any shots of the bathing robins so I can only share by telling you that it was an enjoyable show. I did, however, get a few shots of the sparrows and warblers to share with you.

This guy's got a nice white-throat and prominent yellow lores.

Yellow-rumped warbler, non-breeding plumage

Yellow-rumped warbler, the difference in plumage from spring to fall is striking. I actually prefer this muted version:)

Well, I’m heading out to do some more shooting now. I just read a book on close up/macro photography by Bryan Peterson, Understanding Close Up Photography, so I have to go try out some new techniques:) I have several of Bryan Peterson’s books and highly recommend them for anyone wanting to learn more about photography in an entertaining yet educational and easy to follow format.

When the action is slow……

Brian — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 00:20:28 +0000

This is supposed to be Fall Migration here at Presque Isle State Park. Yet the Warbler migration has been extremely slow, at least nothing like the Spring Migration. So what does someone do who is interested in birds and photography. Well, there’s always the Gulls…they always seem to be around. And while looking for them, you never know what else might pop up. So off I went for the day. The Erie Bay gave up this Ring Billed Gull in a very majestic pose. The Ring-Billed Gull is probably the most common gull in the area. This is a second year or a fully matured bird.

Ring-Billed Gull

Another common gull is the Herring Gull which is very similar to the Ring-Billed Gull but larger. The Herring Gull goes through four years of maturity rather than three as the Ring-Billed. The next two pictures are of a 1st year Herring Gull. They were taken at the East Pier while they were feeding.

1st year Herring Gull

The Bonaparte Gull is a petite , almost Ternlike gull. This picture was taken at Misery Bay off the Perry Monument.

Bonaparte Gull

While looking for other species of gulls at Thompson’s Bay, I came across this Caspian Tern dipping into and out of the water.

Caspian Tern

After all is said and done, I guess there was more action out here at the Park than I thought. It just takes a lot of patience(which I have very little of) and some experience as to where to look. One last bird to mention: At quite a distance I noticed what I thought was a duck at first, but as it came closer I recognized it as a Cormorant. The Cormorant is a very large, black, diving bird. I caught it taking off and the picture is not the sharpest, but here it is anyhow….enjoy.

Cormorant

As I look back at all the pictures, I should have titled this blog as waterbirds in flight…..Talk to you again soon.

Bird Banding at Presque Isle

Toni Kelly — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 15:33:03 +0000

The banding table at site #2

The first time I held a bird my heart was just as excited as the bird. What an awesome experience I never would have dreamed of years ago. I had read in our Presque Isle Audubon newsletter that Dr. Sarah Sargent was looking for volunteers to help with bird banding. She had just taken over banding at Presque Isle after longtime bird bander Ron Lieberman retired. So in the fall of 2007 I ventured down to PI at the Niagara boat launch to discover a picnic table tucked away behind trees and shrubs off the main trail and not visible to visitors where Sarah was set and had experienced volunteers helping out. BTW this is where I met Michele and we have been hanging out with the birds ever since.

Dr. Sarah Sargent looking over a Northern Flicker.

That first fall of banding I mostly observed and photographed the birds for reference for painting such as my watercolor ‘All Puffed Up’ which did make it into the PA Audubon newsletter. By the end of the season I was hooked and couldn’t wait till Spring for migration and banding. As a volunteer you are taught first how to record, then how to handle the birds, how to carry them back from the mist nets, and when ready how to retrieve the birds from the mist nets.

Data sheet where band#, weight, wing cord, sex, age and ticks are recorded.

In the fall of 2008 Sarah was able to acquire grant money to hire interns to help with the banding and enter the data collected into a national database to keep track of migration patterns, recaptures, and habitat. Each season brings a new intern and new experiences. I love hearing their stories about their travels and the places they have been and where they are going next. I listen with envy wishing I was fresh out of college acquiring one temp job after another traveling as far as Costa Rica and Jamaica. The interns take on jobs for a season of about three to six months then move onto the next job bird banding, studying wildlife habitat or plants.

Northern Flicker

When I arrived at the banding station on Friday morning Andrea and Linnea, the fall interns, were just coming back from checking the mist nets. Linnea was excited over her capture and so were we when she retrieved a Northern Flicker from the carry bag. Their spotted breast area is so beautiful to look at also the bright yellow shaft of the tail feathers and wings. We saved the Flicker for Sarah’s arrival shortly after and as she was looking over the bird noticed that it was still molting under the wing span.

New feathers emerging from shafts under wing span.

There is always a new experience to view when at the banding station and they welcome visitors anytime after 8am.

Have I peaked your interest yet? Would you like to visit the banding station? There is still plenty of time since they will be banding till the end of October. Here is the schedule.

Erie Bluffs State Park: Thursdays
Frye’s Landing: Mon, Wed, & Fri. Presque Isle State Park
Niagara Boat Launch: Tues. & Sat. Presque Isle State Park

They typically start netting at 7am and continue until about 2pm. This schedule may shift a bit later with the sunrise as we go into October.

Also check out the PI bird banding blog. Presque Isle Bird Banding

Click here if the below slide show doesn’t show up.

Get the flash player here: http://www.adobe.com/flashplayer

Mom always called me a “Bug Artist”

MicheleRF — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 02:53:19 +0000

Really, she did! Of course, she said it when I was being a particularly pesty child (although I prefer to think of it as “inquisitive”). I called her today to see where the term came from (its etymology, not to be confused with entomology) and she told me that she wasn’t sure, but, that her mother used to call her and her siblings bug artists when they were “bugging” her. So apparently the term has been handed down through a generation of notorious “bug artists”. Has anyone else ever heard this term? Surely, none of you were pesty children. So, where was I going with this…Oh, yeah, today’s post is about all the “bugs” we came across during our birding class on Saturday. It was a relatively slow birding day so we had ample opportunity to look down and find some pretty cool creepy crawlies. Toni will be posting about our birding class soon (or may already have) so stay tuned folks. Here are a few shots taken by Toni and myself. I’ll start with the “pretty” ones and work my way down, although I think they are all pretty in their own way (except for maybe the last one:)

A monarch butterfly "puddling" as captured by the monarch queen, Toni!

An eastern American Copper butterfly sunning himself.

A beautiful meadowhawk dragonfly.

A transverse hover fly, a.k.a. Syrphid, enjoys some golden rod nectar.

Toni found this very cool banded garden spider (argiope trifasciata) feasting.

This crane fly is not too bad from a distance.

But up close it's a face only a mother could love;)

Hope I haven’t been too much of a bug artist and you’ve enjoyed the creepier crawlier side of Presque Isle. We encourage you to come on down to the park and check things out for yourself. You know we’re gonna bug you until you do!!

Birding Class and how to entertain yourself…

Toni Kelly — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 02:48:47 +0000

… now why in the world would you need to entertain yourself when you are out looking for migrating birds. The morning started out great as I met two new birding friends, Jim and Terry. Little did they know that Julie, Michele and myself look for just about anything that comes across our path and we are fortunate to have Jerry as our instructor. Not only is he knowledgeable about birds he can name every bug we come across. So Michele will be bringing you the world of bugs soon. But I am getting away from the topic at hand here. Our first stop was the banding station.

Our class.... Photo by Toni

Here we chatted with Andrea, Linnea and Don as they were just finishing banding a Swainson’s Thrush.

Swainson's Thrush having a bad hair day. Photo by Toni

While Terry and Jim were learning more about banding birds I started to photograph Michele and Jerry our instructor.

And naturally Michele had to photograph me! Hey I now have a new profile photo for facebook. Thanks Michele

Before we left the banding station one more round of checking the nets brought us a Hairy Woodpecker.

Linnea extracting the Hairy Woodpecker. Photo by Michele

Linnea getting ready to band the Hairy Woodpecker. Photo by Toni

After about an hour at the station we headed for the trails. It was cloudy with a little bit of a breeze which made for a comfortable walk but unfortunately very little action when it came to the birds. We noted several Turkey Buzzards flying overhead and Jerry remarked that it was late in the season for them to still be here. We also watched on Pine Tree trail a Cooper’s Hawk gracefully swooping around a tree in the distance as it appeared to be trying to flush out his prey from the tree.

Along Beach 11 we scouted for waterfowl and found a raccoon caught in one of the Game Commissions traps they use to catch waterfowl for banding. Then we entered Fry’s Landing and the only thing we managed to photograph was a Downy Woodpecker. Remember I said we do like to entertain… Well Joao just could not help himself getting a better look at what that Downy was pecking at.

Hey Joao did you find some bugs also? Photo by Michele

And Julie came across this little creature. Yes it is natural for her to be picking up dead things and has a whole stash of bones, nests, broken eggs, and such. Jim became quite amused with us finding bugs and dead creatures.

Photo by Toni

Our last stop was Longpond Trail were we caught a glimpse of the ship Niagara sailing around the bay befor we entered the trail.

Flagship Niagara photo by Toni

I’ll leave you with a few more photos to enjoy and remember to stop back for those bugs.

Downy without Joao Photo by Michele

photo by Michele

Our list of birds we saw recorded by our instructor Jerry.

We record the following 34 species of birds on Saturday, September 12:

Canada Goose–many off beach 11 and in Misery Bay
Mute Swan–4 off beach 11
Wood Duck–5 over Long Pond
Mallard–a few at several sites
Blue-winged Teal–7 off beach 11
Ring-necked Duck–2 off beach 11
Great Blue Heron–2 at Long Pond
Green Heron–1 at Lily Pond as we drove past
Turkey Vulture–10 overhead
Cooper’s Hawk–1 south of Pine Tree Trail
Ring-billed Gull–many along beach 11
Herring Gull–several overhead and a few along and off beach 11
Caspian Tern–1 off beach 11
Mourning Dove–a couple on Pine Tree Trail
Downy Woodpecker–1 or 2 along Pine Tree Trail and Fry’s landing
Hairy Woodpecker–1 banded at Niagara boat launch
Northern Flicker–a couple along Pine Tree Trail
Eastern Wood-Pewee–1 probably of this species along Long Pond Trail
Eastern Phoebe–1 along Pine Tree Trail
Blue Jay–a few along Pine Tree Trail and Fry’s landing
Black-capped Chickadee–a few along Pine Tree Trail and Fry’s landing
Red-breasted Nuthatch–1 along Pine Tree Trail
White-breasted Nuthatch–1 on Pine Tree Trail and 1 on Long Pond Trail
Swainson’s Thrush–1 banded at Niagara boat launch
American Robin– a few over Pine Tree Trail and beach 11 parking lot
Gray Catbird–some heard only
European Starling–a couple of flocks flying overhead
Cedar Waxing–several heard at Fry’s landing and Dead Pond Trail
Magnolia Warbler–1 on Pine Tree Trail and 1 at Fry’s landing
Black-throated Blue Warbler–2 on Pine Tree Trail
American Redstart–1 seen briefly on Pine Tree Trail
Wilson’s Warbler–1 at Fry’s landing
Red-winged Blackbird–2 at Long Pond
American Goldfinch–some heard at Pine Tree Trail and several along Long Pond Trail

Blue Heron

Brian — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 23:17:44 +0000

The Blue Heron is more common here at Presque Isle State Park than the Green Heron, but that doesn’t mean she’s easier to get pictures of. You just have to be at the right place , at the right time, in the right light and get close enough to get decent pictures. Twice last week those factions worked in my favor and I was able to come up with the following;Frustrated pose
The classic Heron poseMixed up poseEagle poseItch poseWhen you get too close, it’s the fly away pose……Catch me later with another blog

“Fall” Birding ID Class-An Exercise in Patience

MicheleRF — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 23:45:20 +0000

OK, so it was a warm beautiful day, so far so good for a nice relaxing day of bird watching at Presque Isle; sunny and in the 70s, very little wind, sweet! We, Jerry and Linda, Judy, Joao, Terry, Julie and yours truly, met at our usual spot on Vista 2 at Presque Isle. We did a little what-I-did-on-my-summer-vacation catching up before setting out for a morning full of birds. We started at the banding station where banders, Andrea and Linnea, were just sitting down to process a few birds from their first net run. They had netted a gray-cheeked thrush, a Wilson’s warbler and a gray catbird which they speedily processed to limit the disturbance. Naturally, we had very good looks at these birds as well as a female hummingbird that flew into the net right in front of me. Linnea extracted it from the net and explained that they do not band hummers at PISP because they don’t have the appropriate (very tiny) bands. For more detailed and interesting information about the bird banding being done at Presque Isle visit the Presque Isle State Park Bird Banding blog.

Gray-cheeked thrush

After an enjoyable visit at the banding station where the birds are always easier to see, identify and photograph, we set out for the trails. As Jerry cajoled, “Well, that (the banding station) was the easy part.” Truer words were never spoken. I’ve birded in the summer/fall before, but for some reason the trees and bushes seem fuller this year, and, my nemesis, the mosquitoes, seem more plentiful and THIRSTIER. UUUgh! Maybe it’s the rain? Maybe my imagination.

We did get some nice views of many species but not without a lot of neck and eye work. None were cooperative enough for me to get any usable photographs, sorry! The following is Jerry’s official bird tally for today’s class.

We recorded the following 48 species of birds this morning:

Canada Goose–several heard and seen throughout

Mute Swan–two off beach 11

Tundra Swan–one off beach 11

Mallard–four or five overhead at vista 2

Double-crested Cormorant–many off vista 2

Great Blue Heron–one off beach 11

Green Heron–one heard on Pine Tree Trail

Red-tailed Hawk–one over Fry’s landing

Ring-billed Gull–several, especially off vista 2

Herring Gull–a couple off vista 2 and at Gull Point

Caspian Tern–one heard at Fry’s landing

Ruby-throated Hummingbird–one trapped in the mist net

Belted Kingfisher–one heard at Niagara boat Launch

Downy Woodpecker–two at fry’s landing

Northern Flicker–one heard along Pine Tree Trail

Eastern Wood-Pewee–one heard along Pine Tree Trail

Least Flycatcher–one along Pine Tree Trail

Great Crested Flycatcher–one heard at Beach 11

Warbling Vireo–one heard singing along Pine Tree Trail

Philadelphia Vireo–one at Fry’s landing

Red-eyed Vireo–one heard at Niagara boat launch and three at Fry’s landing

Blue Jay–one heard on Pine Tree Trail and one heard at Fry’s landing

American Crow–one at Gull Point

Purple Martin–several circling overhead

Black-capped Chickadee–one or two along pine tree trail and three or four at Fry’s landing

White-breasted Nuthatch–one at Fry’s landing

House Wren–one heard at Fry’s landing

Gray-cheeked Thrush–one being banded

Swainson’s Thrush–one along Pine Tree Trail and one at Fry’s landing

Wood Thrush–one heard at Fry’s landing

American Robin–several at Fry’slanding

Gray Catbird–at least four throughout the area

Cedar Waxwing–30 to 40, especially in a tree top near Thompson Circle

Nashville Warbler–one at Fry’s landing

Yellow Warbler–at least four at various sites

Chestnut-sided Warbler–a couple at Fry’s landing

Magnolia Warbler–about 6 at various sites

Black-throated Blue–at least four at fry’s landing

Blackburnian Warbler–one at Fry’s landing

American Redstart–several at various sites

Common Yellowthroat–one at Fry’s landing

Wilson’s Warbler–one at the banding station, one on Pine Tree Trail, and three at Fry’s landing

Eastern Towhee–one heard along Pine Tree Trail

Field Sparrow–at least three along Pine Tree Trail

Northern Cardinal–one heard at Niagara boat launch

Rose-breasted Grosbeak–one at Fry’s landing

Red-winged Blackbird–two at Fry’s landing

American Goldfinch–several working on the thistles at the beginning of Pine Tree Trail

Jerry McWilliams

Instructor

After class Julie and I headed down to the foot of Sommerheim to see what we could spot. It’s nice and open there with few trees to obstruct your vision:) and we’re often pretty fortunate and come up with a few species not seen in class. Today was no exception. The first bird we spotted (besides the moorhen family) and the highlight of the day, I think, was a bald eagle fishing in the waters just west of the Erie Yacht Club. Unfortunately, I did not have my long lens on, but was able to get a few distant shots.

We also saw several red-tailed hawks, turkey vultures and a few great blue herons which I’ve not seen a lot of this summer. This guy flew by us as we stood on the floating pier.

There are three more bird identification classes left and they run on Saturday mornings (9/5, 12, 19 and 26th) from 8-noon. We meet at the Vista 2 parking area on Presque Isle State Park. For details about enrolling in the class see page 3 of the Presque Isle Audubon Society’s Tern of Events newsletter or contact us here at Presque Isle, Naturally.

Of Dragons and Damsels

MicheleRF — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 02:50:02 +0000

Well, with the (finally) warmer and drier weather we’ve been experiencing (yes, I started this post awhile back) many more winged creatures have been making the scene at Presque Isle. On the day I shot these, Toni and I withstood the blazing heat for hours on end to bring you, our dear readers, some information about and photographs of some of these winged beauties.

Male Eastern Forktail Damselfly +Photoshop:)

One of the great things about doing this blog is that for many posts, like this one, I do research to present the most accurate and, hopefully, interesting facts. So, much of the time, I am learning right along with you. For instance, did you know that Presque Isle is home to some 89 species of odonata (dragonflies and damselflies) and lepidoptera (butterflies and moths)? Me neither! Worldwide there are some 5,000 individual species of dragonflies. One of my favorite newly learned facts about dragonflies is that one of their primary food sources is mosquitoes. I am NOT a fan of mosquitoes, as Toni can attest, so I hope those dragonflies gourge themselves to their hearts’ content.

Dragonflies spend most of their lives in the larval stage (up to three years!) The flying stage, which lasts only a few weeks is primarily for mating purposes. So, if you see a dragonfly or damselfly flying, it’s toward the end of its life, but, hey, what a way to go:)

Is this not the cutest guy ever? Looks like a little old man to me:)

Speaking of old, dragonflies have lived on the earth for approximately 300 million years. They retain most of the characteristics of their ancestors but have gotten smaller. I’m happy about that:)

Because of its large multifaceted eyes that contain thousands of tiny lenses the adult dragonfly can see nearly 360 degrees around itself. Though many people fear them, dragonflies cause no harm to humans whatsoever. They are often curious toward humans and will fly around you for that reason, but they do not sting or bite. There have been many legends about dragonflies in the past (and present). For example, people used to believe that sleeping outside put you at risk of having your eyes sewn shut by the dragonfly or “darning needle. I remember hearing that one as a kid:) So, no need to fear the dragonfly. He is our friend, and enemy to the blood-sucking mosquito!!

The Original Fire-Breathing Dragon!

Purple Martin Time

Brian — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 19:41:25 +0000

Mom feeding young

Well it’s about that time of the year when the Purple Martins decide to bunch together in preparation for their journey down south…..way down south to South America into Brazil. It wasn’t that long ago that the Martin’s were feeding their young ones at the Martin Roost at the Waterworks Ponds at Presque Isle State Park. If you go there now , you won’t find a single Martin around. They all seem to be spending time feeding and getting strong for their journey. You can view them bunching up at Beach 11 on the telephone wires in the evening….around 5-8PM every night. After that they travel to the two reed islands at the head of Presque Isle Bay to spend the night.. Some time in September, they will begin their travels south to Brazil. By then there will be thousands and thousands….enough to form a large cloud in the sky.

Male Purple Martin

Female Purple Martin

So, above you have two pics of the Male Martin and one of the Female Martin. Of course the male is much better looking and very proud of himself while the female is shouting something at him. All of us guys can relate to that……………………………..have a good day.

Flight over the Cattail Island photo by Michele

Purple Martins gather at Beach 11 before roosting at the Cattail Islands. Photo by Toni