Tree Swallow in January? and others from Presque Isle

At 4:30 am this morning Drew Weber, Nate Fronk, and I started our drive to Presque Isle State Park to bird for the day. Highlights of the day were a Tree Swallow, Trumpeter Swan, Hermit Thrush, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Greater Black-backed Gull, Glaucous Gull, Yellow-rumped Warblers (all Myrtle), and flyover Common Redpolls. We ended the day with 43 total species.

In the morning, there were a decent amount of Bonaparte Gulls in the open water off of the Public Dock, but when we stopped by in the late afternoon there were very few and that is when we spotted the Glaucous Gull. The Glaucous Gull was not present in the morning when we checked the same spot of open water.

When Drew spotted the Tree Swallow, we thought wow, this bird shouldn't be here. We noticed how it's flight wasn't too powerful as it flew over the minimal open water. The swallow was in Fry's Landing for a while and then flew to where we couldn't see it. The bird managed to stick around for a few good photos.

Tree Swallow at Presque Isle SP (1/17/2011)

Tree Swallow at Presque Isle SP (1/17/2011)

Tree Swallow at Presque Isle SP (1/17/2011)

Yellow-rumped Warbler (left) and Tree Swallow (left) at Presque Isle SP (1/17/2011)

Here is a complete list of species and individual numbers from today followed by some photos.

Location:     Presque Isle SP (IBA)
Observation date:     1/17/11
Number of species:     43

Canada Goose - Branta canadensis     75
Trumpeter Swan - Cygnus buccinator     1
Tundra Swan - Cygnus columbianus     25
American Black Duck - Anas rubripes     2
Mallard - Anas platyrhynchos     67
Canvasback - Aythya valisineria     6
Redhead - Aythya americana     2
Greater Scaup - Aythya marila     2
Bufflehead - Bucephala albeola     5
Common Goldeneye - Bucephala clangula     32
Common Merganser - Mergus merganser     20
Bald Eagle - Haliaeetus leucocephalus     5
Red-tailed Hawk - Buteo jamaicensis     1
American Coot - Fulica americana     7
Bonaparte's Gull - Chroicocephalus philadelphia     45
Ring-billed Gull - Larus delawarensis     35
Herring Gull - Larus argentatus     125
Lesser Black-backed Gull - Larus fuscus     1
Glaucous Gull - Larus hyperboreus     1
Great Black-backed Gull - Larus marinus     5
Rock Pigeon - Columba livia     30
Mourning Dove - Zenaida macroura     1
Downy Woodpecker - Picoides pubescens     9
Hairy Woodpecker - Picoides villosus     1
Blue Jay - Cyanocitta cristata     3
American Crow - Corvus brachyrhynchos     11
Tree Swallow - Tachycineta bicolor     1
Black-capped Chickadee - Poecile atricapillus     12
Tufted Titmouse - Baeolophus bicolor     2
White-breasted Nuthatch - Sitta carolinensis     6
Hermit Thrush - Catharus guttatus     1
American Robin - Turdus migratorius     49
European Starling - Sturnus vulgaris     6
Yellow-rumped Warbler - Dendroica coronata     24
American Tree Sparrow - Spizella arborea     11
Song Sparrow - Melospiza melodia     1
Swamp Sparrow - Melospiza georgiana     1
White-throated Sparrow - Zonotrichia albicollis     4
Dark-eyed Junco - Junco hyemalis     4
Northern Cardinal - Cardinalis cardinalis     4
Common Redpoll - Acanthis flammea     5
American Goldfinch - Spinus tristis     2
House Sparrow - Passer domesticus     25

This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)

Great Black-backed Gull at Presque Isle SP (1/17/2011)

Downy Woodpecker at Presque Isle SP (1/17/2011)