Willow Ptarmigan in Pennsylvania! ~ June 22, 2026

As I was driving to a Father's Day party yesterday, Jason Horn called me and told me that a Willow Ptarmigan had been photographed by Roger Dunn at Presque Isle State Park near Erie and that some local birders were out searching for it. I went to the party and didn't hear anything new about it until after 7:00 PM when I got a text from Jason stating that the bird had been refound by Dave Wilton! Since it's about a 6-hour drive to Presque Isle, he and three others were heading out there at 10:30 PM so they could be there at first light. Unfortunately, their car was full, so I was going to have to drive out there myself. I got my gear, drinks, and snacks together and headed off at around 11:00 PM.

Since I didn't get any sleep, I knew I was going to have to stop at a rest area somewhere along the way. I drove four of the six hours and stopped at the Brookville rest area, took a 45-minute nap, and then drove the rest of the way there. The expected rain started as I headed up I-79 and got worse the closer I got to Erie. When I entered the park, it was a torrential downpour. Just after I parked by 'Beach 10', Ian Baldock pulled up and parked behind me, so we both started the 20-minute walk out along the beach towards "Gull Point". Luckily, that was when the rain subsided for a little while. That's also when Jason called me and told me that they had refound the bird. We hoofed it out to them where I stood amazed that I was looking at a Willow Ptarmigan in Pennsylvania! I was very happy how my photos turned out given that they were taken in the early morning light under very poor conditions.

Willow Ptarmigan

After feeding on seedheads, it eventually walked over to a slot in the grass and went to sleep.

Willow Ptarmigan

I'm constantly astounded at the interesting birds that have shown up in our state during my 50+ years of birding. This tundra species, another first record for Pennsylvania, ranks somewhere up near the top. Another photo of the bird, taken back on the 16th at 'Beach 6' by Nate Aulenbacher, has recently surfaced, so the bird has been at the park for at least a week. According to eBird, there are only six other records from the eastern United States, all in the Northeast (one in northern NY, two in VT, two in ME, and one in MA). There are several records from the Canadian side of the Great Lakes.

The rain wasn't letting up at all, so I decided to head back to the car and start the long drive back home. I made two stops, one for a quick breakfast and another at a rest area where I took a 2-hour nap. I got back home around 4:00 PM, 760 miles later.

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