Birders flocked to Presque Isle State Park this weekend to get a look at a few rarities that dropped in to the now open waters of Presque Isle Bay.

The big draw was a drake Eurasian wigeon, likely visiting from Siberia or Iceland. Suffice it to say, they’re not common around Erie. It was seen off West Pier Saturday, and Sunday from Fry’s Landing and near and north of the channel from the South Pier.

Little gulls, an Icelandic gull, Bonaparte’s gulls and a black-headed gull also were reported. And the bay water off Beach 11 was choked with ducks — buffleheads, common goldeneyes, lesser scaup, red-breasted mergansers, hooded mergansers, American coots, mallards and, off Beach 11, a single pair of common mergansers and four ring-necked ducks. Tundra swans, at least one trumpeter swan and plentiful Canada geese also were evident, along with circling turkey vultures and roadside American robins and American tree sparrows.

Northern shovelers reigned on Horseshoe Pond. At least 15 were on patrol late Saturday, and even after skim ice formed overnight, five were feeding Sunday afternoon. Saturday’s sighting made my life list.

Northern shoveler at Horseshoe Pond on March 17, 2013.

At least one trumpeter swan is taking advantage of the open water on Presque Isle Bay, hanging out in loose relation to the mute swans that occupy the head of the bay.

Trumpeter swans were nearly extinct a century ago, but they’re now realtively common – just not around Erie. They do show up frequently on the western Great Lakes during summer.

Tundra swans also can be found farther east on the bay; they were near Perry Monument Sunday.

The County Y will offer a one-hour beginning and advanced waterfowl hunting tactics workshop Nov. 20 at 7:30 p.m.

Mark Spence, a Pro -Staff member for Final Approach and Foiles Migrators Championship Duck and Goose Calls, will lead a seminar that will touch on duck and goose calls, calling techniques, decoy setups, equipment and more. Spence is an Oil City native.

The seminar will be catered to the level of experience of the audience. A Q&A period will follow.

Registration is required. The seminar is free for Y members and $10 for nonmembers. Call (814) 734-5700.

The County Y is located at 12285 YMCA Drive, Edinboro.

Regular NWPA Outdoors blog readers might remember David Rearick from the weekly waterfowl hunting reports he’s prepared for the past three years.

Avery Outdoors, where Rearick is on the pro staff, honored him with the 2010 Avery Outdoors Appreciation Award for his work in support of the Pennsylvania Waterfowl Heritage Society.

Avery Pro-Staff Atlantic Flyway manager Rusty Hallock, left, presents Avery Pro-Staffer David Rearick with the 2010 Avery Outdoors Appreciation Award.

Ben Martz, owner of Lake Effect Decoy Co. in Meadville, explains duck-hunting opportunities and strategies at Presque Isle State Park.

A band of hunters from Erie scored on the first morning of Pennsylvania early goose season Sept. 1 near Woodcock Lake in Crawford County:

Hunters Nick Burns and, from left, Scott Christie, Todd Will, Paul Krott, Wes Stahl and photographer Andy Roseberry combined for 48 geese.

From the Pennsylvania Game Commission:

“Representatives of waterfowl organizations, interested hunters and the public are invited to attend a briefing on Friday, Aug. 5, sponsored by the Pennsylvania Game Commission, on the status of Atlantic Flyway waterfowl populations and proposed preliminary federal frameworks for the 2011-12 waterfowl hunting seasons.  The briefing will begin at 1 p.m., at Presque Isle State Park, Picnic Shelter # 2, near the Waterworks.

“In addition to reviewing frameworks established by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) for upcoming waterfowl and migratory bird seasons, Game Commission staff will provide updates on current and planned research and management programs, as well as past hunting results.

“Public comments will be accepted at the meeting; or by sending a letter to: Pennsylvania Game Commission, Bureau of Wildlife Management, 2001 Elmerton Avenue, Harrisburg, PA 17110-9797; or via e-mail through waterfowlcomments@state.pa.us.

“Based on public comments, Game Commission staff will prepare and present recommended waterfowl and migratory bird seasons, bag limits and related criteria to the USFWS for final approval.  All migratory bird hunting seasons and bag limits must conform to frameworks set by the USFWS.  States select their hunting seasons within these established frameworks.

“Early migratory bird hunting seasons – including September Canada goose, mourning dove, American woodcock and webless species – will be announced in late July.

“By mid-August, when the final selections are made, the Game Commission will issue a news release on the remaining hunting seasons for migratory birds.  The agency also will print and distribute the annual brochure outlining the seasons and bag limits for waterfowl and migratory bird seasons to U.S. Post Offices, where hunters may purchase their mandatory federal duck stamp.  The annual brochure also will be posted on the Game Commission’s website (www.pgc.state.pa.us).”

If weather or work is keeping you away from Presque Isle Bay, here’s a glimpse of what you’ve missed this week:

Ducks, gulls and other waterfowl made Presque Isle Bay the best theater in town Sunday.

Thousands of ducks — mostly red-breasted mergansers but also ruddy ducks, buffleheads, American coots and more — bobbed and dove through the waves on the bay. Double-crested cormorants came and went from the conjoined flock, and also lined Gull Point. A mute swan searched the bay’s bottom for vegetation, spooked wood ducks were easily flushed from Niagara Pier and a common tern hunted over Horseshoe Pond.

The stars of the show, though, were seven common loons — six adults in breeding colors and one juvenile. They were visible from the first and second parking lots at Presque Isle State Park. Make sure to take a look this week.

If you’re itching to get outdoors this weekend, a great solution is to head to Linesville to check out two important outdoor facilities.

The Linesville State Fish Hatchery open house is scheduled for April 2 from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Hatchery and Visitor Center, 13300 Hartstown Road.

The free event includes demonstrations of the walleye spawning process; filleting and cooking fish; electrofishing; determining fish age; fly tying; live reptiles, amphibians and invertebrates, plus casting and rod-rigging instruction. Also, get a look at a two-story, 10,000-gallon viewing tank stocked with trophy fish.

The Pymatuning Wildlife Learning Center, 12590 Hartstown Road, also will open for the season April 2.

Operating hours are Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. (excluding April 24) through the third week in September.

In addition to wildlife displays and the hunting heritage room, the center has a number of learning stations regarding wildlife and environmental education. The Wildlife Learning Center also has a wheelchair-accessible nature trail.

The center is one of the great places in northwestern Pennsylvania to view American Bald Eagles and other raptors. Thousands of ducks and cormorants also hang there. And there always are the ever-hungry carp a minute away at the Linesville Spillway.