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.
