What happened to Spring?

I was on my way down to the Tom Ridge Environmental Center for one of our Bird Festival meetings when a snow blizzard hit. Never fails it seems we get a Spring snow fall every year and now all my daffodils are nearly flat on the ground from the wet heavy snow. If we can get past this week I'm sure we will be well on our way to warmer weather and all the activities coming up on Presque Isle.

Eastern Phoebe sketch

The photo above is the sketch I did for a painting I'm about to begin. Had to show at least one photo because Saturday's Birding class was cold, cold and windy and I didn't get any photos. Since it was so cold our instructor Jerry knew there would not be much action on the trails and one of the trails was washed over with water. So we stayed close to the bay side looking at waterfowl. The most exciting spotting was when Julie spotted two Great White Egrets behind some Phragmites at the Thompson Bay Area. I'm sure next Saturday's class will be warmer with more bird sightings.

So before I give you our list from this week I want to bring to your attention the calendar of events that you will find at the bottom of our page. We will try to keep it up to date but if you know of any activity going on at the park let us know and we will list it. April 18th will be an active day at PI State Park and here are the events for that day. The annual Hawk Watch will be from 9 am till 1 pm at the TREC. The 18th is also the first day of Trout Fishing and there will be a special children's area at the East Waterworks pond on the park. And for the artist in you there is a series of classes with artist Lee Steadman and writer John Repp on interpreting Presque Isle's natural world. Please call the TREC to register for the workshop but no registration is required for the Hawk Watch. For more information on events and programs by the DCNR and the TREC go here.

Our list of birds this week:
Canada Goose—several at various sites
Wood Duck—at least 15 flying over Thompson Bay, and three or four in Horseshoe Pond
Gadwall—a few in Thompson Bay and in Niagara Pond
American Wigeon—single males in Thompson Bay and Misery Bay
Mallard—a few pairs at various sites
Green-winged Teal—three flying out of Horseshoe Pond
Canvasback—many in Thompson Bay
Ring-necked Duck—several in Niagara Pond and a few flying over Thompson Bay
Greater Scaup—several off Niagara boat launch and in Thompson Bay
Lesser Scaup—many at various sites, but most were in Niagara Pond
Bufflehead—a few at various sites
Common Goldeneye—several off Niagara boat launch and off beach 11
Hooded Merganser—a single female in Horseshoe Pond
Common Mergnaser--a pair off Niagara boat launch and flying out of Thompson Bay
Red-breasted Merganser—many everywhere on the bay
Ruddy Duck—three in Thompson Bay
Common Loon—one flying high over Presque Isle Bay off the second parking lot and one flying out to the lake.
Horned Grebe—one in Thompson Bay
Great Blue Heron—one at Niagara Pond
Great Egret—two in Thompson Bay
American Kestrel—one flew past Pine Tree Trail
American Coot—many in Misery Bay and few in Thompson Bay
Bonaparte’s Gull—100’s, mostly off Niagara boat launch, Thompson Bay, Misery Bay, and the channel
Ring-billed Gull—several flying overhead
Herring Gull—several flying overhead and over open water
Great Black-backed Gull—singles off Niagara boat launch, Thompson Bay, and Long Pond
Caspian Tern—about 8 or ten over Thompson Bay and at least one over Misery Bay
Mourning Dove—a couple over beach 11
Belted Kingfisher—two males off the second parking lot
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker—one male at the west pier
Northern Flicker—one at the channel
Eastern Phoebe—one along the road near beach 11 and one near Niagara Pond
Blue Jay—one heard along Long Pond
American Crow—several throughout
Tree Swallow—one at Thompson Bay
American Robin—several at various sites
Eastern Towhee—one or two heard along Pine Tree Trail and Thompson Bay
Song Sparrow—two or three along the road and one singing at the second parking lot
Red-winged Blackbird—many overhead
Common Grackle—many overhead
Brown-headed Cowbird—many overhead

Jerry McWilliams (Instructor)

Spring Migration

Eastern Phoebe

It's that time of year when we can hardly wait to shed our winter coats and bask in the sunshine.
I also love the smell of the earth as she gets washed in Spring rains, the scent of new growth popping up and the buds beginning to swell on the trees. There is a renewed energy in the air as we get outdoors to absorb the sights, smells and sounds of Spring.

And on birding blogs I'm sure you are reading about birds returning to their Summer grounds and some have already begun to incubate their eggs like our Great Horned Owl on the park. Presque Isle is considered one of the major stop overs for many birds migrating North before crossing the Great Lakes. Last Friday after work I treated myself to some trail walking and had a lifer for me. I was on B trail when I came across some Eastern Phoebes. Then Saturday morning began our bird class with Jerry McWilliams. Michele and I consider Jerry our guru of birds. Jerry is also conducting Hawk Watches at the TREC in the parking lot from about 10:00 to 3:00. Stop by and check out the Hawk migration with Jerry. We will have more on the big Hawk Watch coming up in April.

Eastern Phoebe

For the next 8 weeks I will present our list of birds we see each week in class or otherwise. There is a link to a map of the park in our top navigation bar. This is a pdf file you can download and print if you wish. The list will indicate where the birds were sited and now you can find the area on the map.
Note: The waterfowl migrating through will be leaving soon so if you live nearby get out soon before they are gone.
Here is our class list:
Canada Goose—several at various sites
Gadwall—a pair in Niagara Pond
American Wigeon—a pair in Horseshoe Pond
American Black Duck—a pair flying out of Niagara Pond
Mallard—a few pairs at various sites
Northern Shoveler—at least a couple of males in Niagara Pond
Green-winged Teal—brief looks at a male in Niagara Pond
Canvasback—several in Thompson Bay
Redhead—several in Thompson Bay
Ring-necked Duck—many in Niagara Pond
Greater Scaup—several off Niagara boat launch and in Thompson Bay
Lesser Scaup—most common duck on the park, most were in Thompson Bay and Niagara Pond
Bufflehead—a few at various sites
Common Goldeneye—several off Niagara boat launch
Hooded Merganser—a few in Thompson Bay and Horseshoe Pond
Red-breasted Merganser--a few off Niagara boat launch
Wild Turkey—one at beach 11
Horned Grebe—one in Marina Bay
Great Blue Heron—one or two off beach 11 and in Niagara Pond
Bald Eagle—one adult over Misery Bay and later Michele, Julie and I saw one fly over Sommerheim across from Vista 1
American Coot—many off the second parking lot and in Misery Bay
Killdeer—a few at various sites
Bonaparte’s Gull—25 or so over Misery Bay and about 15 over the road near the eagles nest
Ring-billed Gull—several flying overhead
Herring Gull—several flying overhead
Mourning Dove—a couple over Pine Tree Trail
Great Horned Owl—one on the nest near Duck Pond Trail
Downy Woodpecker—a few doing the territorial drumming
Hairy Woodpecker—one at Thompson Circle
Northern Flicker—at least three at various sites
Eastern Phoebe—a couple on B-trail and Pine Tree Trail
Blue Jay—a few along Pine Tree Trail
Wood Duck—two flying over Thompson Bay