An interesting–or perhaps enervating–aspect of this time of year is how birding tends to run feast or famine. That is to say that, at least in the temperate regions, those of us who aren’t traveling somewhere special have to make do with the same old same old.

Corey and I both pondered birds that are extremely ordinary for us. I enjoyed chattering Chimney Swifts while taking in tremendous bands at the Rochester International Jazz Festival. Corey had several good species to choose from this weekend but most appreciated trying to get decent shots of alternate-plumaged Herring Gulls in bright sunlight. Not an easy task! How do you think he did?

What was your best bird of the weekend? Tell us in the comments section about the rarest, loveliest, or most fascinating bird you observed. If you’ve blogged about your weekend experience, you should include a link in your comment.

Written by Mike
Mike is a leading authority in the field of standardized test preparation, but he's also a traveler who fully expects to see every bird in the world. Besides founding 10,000 Birds in 2003, Mike has also created a number of other entertaining but now extirpated nature blog resources, particularly the Nature Blog Network and I and the Bird.