Erie Bird Observatory

Be still, our bird-loving hearts. 🥹

Another gem from Rosemary Mosco / Bird and Moon Comics!

Due to today’s weather, we’re‼️RESCHEDULING‼️our LEAF - Lake Erie Arboretum Guided Bird Walk to *NEXT* Saturday, June 21st at 9am. See you there!

🚨‼️ RARE BIRD ALERT ‼️🚨

From EBO Board Member and friend, Brian Miller:
“I got to enjoy the majesty of a White-tailed Kite (Elanus leucurus) today out at Miller’s Ponds (SGL 14) with some very cool birder friends! White-tailed Kite first found by Brooke Goodman last evening at the same location. Photos taken from the SGL214 parking lot on Route 285, Crawford County, Pennsylvania.”

This White-tailed Kite is not only a county record, it’s also the very 🎉 FIRST RECORD EVER! 🎉 of this species for all of Pennsylvania!!! While White-tailed Kites only have a tiny range in the U.S., they are fairly widely distributed throughout Central and South America, even breeding as far south as Chile / Argentina! Needless to say, this is an incredible find!
Way to go, Brooke Goodman! 🙌🏻

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📸: White-tailed Kite ©️Brian JK Miller

Happy !

Great Crested Flycatchers (GCFL):

☑️ Are the only eastern flycatcher that nest in cavities.

☑️ Despite boasting an impressive insect shovel for a bill, a GCFL’s diet actually consists of a decent amount of fruit. Not only that, but they eat the fruit whole, regurgitate the pits back out (often several at a time), creating a weird little seed hailstorm no one wants to be caught in. 🥑☂️😅

☑️ A true canopy dweller, GCFL hate being on the ground. They don’t hop or walk and so should they find themselves in such an unfortunate situation, they’ll simply fly from one spot to the next.

Perhaps the best of all though-

☑️ Great Crested Flycatchers weave shed snakeskin into their nests!! 🐍🪡🪹

And while this might be something you’ve heard us mention during banding demos, we’ve never actually seen them do this- that is until EBO Staff Naturalist, Katie Andersen, captured this incredible moment on film — A female GCFL collecting snakeskin roughly THREE TIMES her size to use in nest building.🤩

Birds are amazing! 🙌🏻

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📸: Great Crested Flycatcher by K. Andersen

🎉 Back by Popular Demand 🎉
Erie Bird Observatory is pleased to announce we will once again be offering free guided birding tours of Presque Isle State Park, PA marshes with local marsh bird expert and EBO Lead Marshbird Monitor, Chris H. Lundberg!

Let Chris be your guide as you paddle out along the official EBO marsh bird survey routes where he’ll be sure to point out all the fun and exciting birds, plants, & other assorted marsh "goodies." You may even get to hear or catch glimpses of some of our more secretive study species like Least Bitterns, Common Gallinules, or Virginia Rails, oh my! All in all, an amazing adventure to be had! 🛶🌿🪷🦆

So— Don’t Delay, Register Today! And may the bitterns be ever in your favor! www.eriebirdobservatory.org/birding-by-kayak-calendar

All EBO Birding by Kayak events are:
✅ BYOK- ***Bring Your Own Kayak***
✅ Open to all, Free of charge
✅ Registration Required
More info: www.eriebirdobservatory.org/birding-by-kayak

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🔷 **Event Alert** 🔷

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🪶 Guided Bird Walk 🪶
w/ EBO and LEAF
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You just read about her in the paper, now join EBO’s new Executive Director, Holley Short, for a Guided Bird Walk this coming SATURDAY, June 14th! This beginners walk is open to everyone, free of charge, and will start at the LEAF Education Center at 9AM. You’ll watch, observe, and learn about birds as you walk through the park, ending at the Open Market at 10am. Bring your binoculars if you have them, but if not, no worries, as LEAF will have some extras on hand.

Birding is a JOY that’s meant to be shared and We hope you can join us this Saturday! 🤗

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📸: young blackbird; Barred owlet; Little Wood Satyr all by K. Andersen; H. Short portrait ©️Erie Times-News

And a baby Barred Owl makes 99! 🎉

Though the Piping Hot Plovers may have dipped on a few expected species out on Presque Isle State Park, PA this afternoon, the powerhouse team of Ripley Kindervater, Malcolm Kurtz, and captain Katie Andersen have already snagged 99 species with plenty of hours still remaining in the day! Plus being treated to spectacular views of Ruby-throated Hummingbirds feeding from irises and Osprey fishing is not too shabby a way to spend one’s afternoon. 🤩

Support the EBO Piping Hot Plovers here: https://www.breedingbirdblitz.org/piping-hot-plovers

that in 2022, Erie Bird Observatory’s blitz team documented Black-throated Blue Warblers breeding in Erie County- a FIRST EVER COUNTY RECORD! 🎉

A main reason the Pennsylvania Society for Ornithology (PSO) is held annually in June is to help document breeding bird populations across the state and our team’s observation of a female Black-throated Blue carrying food to a nest further emphasizes the conservational value of birding NW Pennsylvania.

: On their Caribbean wintering grounds Black-throated Blue males and females use different habitats- Males prefer lower to mid-elevation forests, whilst females prefer the shrubbier habitat found at higher elevations.

And perhaps the best fun fact of all is that the real blitz ‘winners’ are the as all funds raised go towards supporting important avian research and conservation efforts across PA. 🙌🏻

Learn More & Show your Support for the EBO Piping Hot Plovers here: https://www.breedingbirdblitz.org/piping-hot-plovers

77 species as our team heads north to the place USA Today recently named to its ‘Most Treasured Views in America 2025’ list — Presque Isle State Park, PA! 🤩

Learn More and Support the EBO Piping Hot Plovers here: https://www.breedingbirdblitz.org/piping-hot-plovers

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Pennsylvania Society for Ornithology (PSO)

First stop and a Least Bittern scored!
32 species as of 5:45am
First owl of day: Great-horned flying across road
6:08am - CONNECTICUT WARBLER!!!!
Chat! New for blitz!
55 species as of 7:24am!

🎶 “Oh yeah! It was electric. So perfectly hectic… it turned into a [birding] blitz” 🎶

EBO’s Piping Hot Plovers- Ripley Kindervater, Malcolm Kurtz, and captain Katie Andersen- are currently racing around Erie County, binoculars in hand, attempting to defend our 2024 ‘PA Peerless’ title (earned by observing a whopping 130 species in one day!) all while raising money for important avian conservation efforts across PA.

Learn more & show your support for EBO’s team here: https://www.breedingbirdblitz.org/piping-hot-plovers

Pennsylvania Society for Ornithology (PSO)

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📸: Connecticut Warbler & Yellow-breasted Chat by M.Kurtz

Crawford County friends!
Pymatuning State Park is looking for volunteers to help with their Purple Martin colonies. This is a great way to get involved with bird conservation efforts in NWPA.