Larry A. Smail's Blog

Cormorant

I haven’t added many posts recently. The program I had used to store and edit my photos went berserk! I would enter the card with the pics as usual and download them onto this program. No biggie. I would  crop and edit as desired on the program. Still no biggie! I could see the results. However, if I chose to place the edited photos onto this site of Facebook the unedited version would appear. Of course this frustrated me. I contacted the company of this photo program twice and nothing they suggested worked. I am currently using a computer-based program to edit until I decide what course of action to do.

Ring-billed Gull

Western Pennsylvania weather has been perfect. A trip to Presque Isle seemed appropriate. We checked out some familiar places and sites. Also, we went into a lighthouse to see the view. The lighthouse we visited internally is known as the Presque Isle Lighthouse. (I wonder how this one received that name.)   The last time we were in the area this site was not opened to the public for the structure, at that time, was privately owned. Much had changed and the lighthouse has been made  accessible for tours.

North Pier Lighthouse

The Presque Isle Lighthouse was erected in 1872-73 and made seventeen feet taller in 1896. The tower is 57 feet high with seventy-eight steps to climb to the small room where the light is stationed.  The light still is used today to aid in navigation.

We, also, visited the North Pier Lighthouse. The original structure  was built in 1830. The one in this photo here was built in 1857. It was moved in 1882-1891 easterly 450 feet. This tower was moved again in 1940.  A long cement pier juts out into Lake Erie to the current site. The North Pier Lighthouse is thirty-four feet high. This tower is still in use today to aid in navigation.

Over 450 ships have been lost in Lake Erie, more ships lost here than the Bermuda Triangle.

Presque isle Lighthouse

Lots of wildlife to see as one watches the water areas and bogs. Turtles exist on logs. I saw several Great-Blue Herons, lots of gulls with the most common gull being the Ring-billed Gull. I saw a group of little birds yet unidentified by me. They are of the plover or sandpiper species. I saw Double-crested Cormorants and Canada Geese.

We enjoyed a picnic lunch on the beach and later spent time bare-footed walking along the beach trying to avoid the waves splashing  all about. That didn’t work for my pants became wet eventually although they were rolled up.

We visited some historical sites, too.

Later we enjoyed some time at the Tom Ridge Environmental Center.

Beautiful little birds

the Huge Rubber Ducky in Erie Harbor

Oliver Hazard Perry Monument

View from the lighthouse

Cormorant in the water

Natural debris