Erie birder McWilliams flocks to Presque Isle State Park for nearly 50 years of tracking birds

Presque Isle State Park attracts tens of thousands of visitors each week from Memorial Day through Labor Day, but the park doesn't close when summer ends. This is the first in a monthly series about activities and events at Presque Isle in the fall, winter and spring.

A steady stream of sunshine shown through the trees that lined each side of Presque Isle State Park's Pine Tree Trail, and a light breeze blew from the south.

In other words, it was bad birding weather, according to Jerry McWilliams.

Migratory birds are heading south for the winter, so they prefer a wind from the north to give them a boost, said McWilliams, who has been tracking birds on the peninsula for almost 50 years. A southerly wind is more likely to keep them perched and hidden from view.

"And while it's a gorgeous day, birders prefer it right before a storm or during the beginning of a storm," said McWilliams, 70. "Birds try to stay ahead of the front, but it usually catches them and puts them down. ... Sometimes the trees drip with so many birds that they are like Christmas decorations, especially the warblers that are so colorful."

Bird watching is a year-round activity at Presque Isle, one of the top birding spots in the country, according to BirdWatching magazine. The peninsula sits along a main migratory path and birds tend to follow shorelines, and sometimes get delayed by the peninsula's unique coast, McWilliams said.

More than 350 species of birds have been spotted on the peninsula over the past 50 years.

Though mid- to late May is considered peak birding season, when up to 100 birders a day may flock to Presque Isle, McWilliams said there are interesting birds to see almost every month of the year.

"Maybe in June or July some of the birders grab their clubs and head out to the golf courses, but there almost is always something to see on the peninsula," McWilliams said. "People love going out in the winter to see the snowy owls."

McWilliams recalled heading out birding one winter in the late 1970s or early 1980s with his friend, Sam Stull — the son of well-known local birder and Presque Isle Audubon Society founder Jean Stull Cunningham.

The pair walked to Gull Point when a snowstorn suddenly developed.

"We couldn't see as far as across that road," McWilliams, said, pointing to a spot less than 20 yards away. "We weren't even sure whether we were standing on ground or frozen lake. So we stayed put until we could see and get our bearings. We didn't want to find out we were a mile off shore."

From 'Doc' Ainsworth to James Thompson: 15 names to know in Presque Isle State Park history

First-time birder? Here is what you need

Getting started as a bird watcher is easy, McWilliams said. All you need are comfortable shoes and a good pair of binoculars, though it's also smart to have a camera and your smartphone.

If you don't want to bird watch alone, the Erie Bird Observatory sponsors guided bird walks on Saturdays and Sundays in October. To register, visit www.eriebirdobservatory.org/birdwalks.

McWilliams, who cowrote the book "Birds of Pennsylvania" in 2000, arrives on the peninsula around sunrise nearly every day this time of year. He starts his day with a waterfowl survey, where he goes to Sunset Point near Beach 10 and looks out over Lake Erie for up to four hours.

He spots a lot of ducks and geese, but sometimes he sees something unique to the Great Lakes region.

"One time I spotted a gannet, a seabird usually found along the Atlantic coast," McWilliams said. "Why was it here? That's anyone's guess. But they are so distinctive with their really long wings, neck and tail. They look almost prehistoric with their seven-foot wingspan."

Spotting rare birds is often the goal

Spotting a rare bird is the goal of almost every veteran bird watcher, McWilliams said. Many of them keep annual or lifetime lists of all the types of birds they have seen.

When a rare bird is spotted and identified, the birder usually enters the information into eBird, an online database of bird observations created by the Cornell Lab of Orinthology. Birders often have the eBird app open on their smartphone while they are bird watching. McWilliams said.

"Once a rare bird sighting is posted, you might see local birders show up to the location within 10, 15 minutes," McWilliams said. "Others who live out of town will get right in their cars and drive six, eight hours to get here. They all want to add the bird to their list."

McWilliams even remembers the date he saw a rare bird at Gull Point.

"It was Aug. 16, 1979," McWilliams said. "I was at Gull Point when a storm had forced some birds to the ground. There was a surf bird, which is usually found on the Pacific Coast. I didn't have my camera, so I wrote it and sketched it. It was accepted and (famous ornithologist and illustrator) Roger Tory Peterson published it in one of his editions of 'Birds of North America' as a side note."

No rare birds were seen during a recent walk with McWilliams along Pine Tree Trail and Dead Pond Trail, only some yellow-bellied sapsuckers, yellow-rumped warblers, grey catbirds and a lonely crow sitting atop a tall pine tree.

There are no guarantees in bird watching, McWilliams said.

"The fun in birding is the challenge," he said while searching nearby trees for birds. "You have to keep plugging away. You'll have some good days and some bad days, but even on a bad day you're out here."

Contact David Bruce at dbruce@timesnews.com. Follow him on Twitter @ETNBruce.

This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Jerry McWilliams shares 50 years of birding stories about Presque Isle