Hot enough for you? If you’re suffering through a sweltering patch of record summer heat, you may feel much as Ralph Waldo Emerson did when he penned this line: “When summer opens, I see how fast it matures, and fear it will be short; but after the heats of July and August, I am reconciled, like one who has had his swing, to the cool of autumn.”
But is it ever too hot or too cold to get out and look at some birds?
My Best Bird(s) of the Weekend were a trio of cranes, presumably Sandhills, crossing high above the interstate as I drove out of Michigan. Corey’s Best Bird of the Weekend was his second Purple Martin ever in Queens. David Ringer, who recently moved to New York City, spotted it and was immediately confused by the jubilation this common bird caused in the Queens birders with whom he was birding. Just so you know, Purple Martin is not an easy bird in Queens.
How about you? 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.
Of course I really ought to call the fab Woodchat Shrike (see post) my BBotW, but frankly it probably isn’t. After finding the shrike, I visited an area that I knew held a few pairs of River Warblers. Now, this is a very elusive species and during my 12 years living at the Baltic coast, where it is common, I only once managed to see one that was not constantly singing. People often joke that the River Warbler actually lives in a different dimension and only enters ours to sing – you just don’t find River Warblers unless they are singing. You just don’t.
Well, I did.
The arrival of my first Pied Oystercatcher chicks for 2012-all three of them! 🙂
It is too hot in Dallas to do any birding except from my air-conditioned house, but I did see 5 (yes, FIVE!) green Painted Buntings at one time at my feeders this weekend. They seem to appreciate the water bowl I refill every morning when it is only a cool 85 degrees.
Two herons in flight at dusk would normally be the best. But I’ll have to go with the lowly Northern Mockingbird at the edge of the Hudson River in NYC’s Riverside Park, simply because back in Chicago, mockingbirds are few and far between, so it’s a rare treat to see one.
A lovely dark blue Steller’s Jay that was noisily cracking open hazelnuts on a tree branch in our yard.
Love that R.W. Emerson line. During a day of guiding around Cinchona and Volcan Poas in Costa Rica, a beautiful White Hawk that soared against a backdrop of rainforest green was pretty nice.
I managed to get myself to Jamaica Bay WR to enjoy the American Avocet that has been hanging out there for a few days. No, not as rare a bird for Queens as a Purple Martin, but much easier to photograph: http://www.flickr.com/photos/queensgirl/7727365840/
A pair of adult Baltimore Orioles that continue to visit my backyard jelly feeder. I heard the male let out a brief call this afternoon, reminding me he is still in the neighborhood. Hearing his melodic call sure made me smile likd it was May all over again.
My best bird of the week were 3 Bristle-thigh Curlew at South Point on the Big Island of Hawai’i.
with friends from denver’s field ornithologist’s , we hiked up gregory canyon in boulder,co. i feel like the best sighting was a virginia’s warbler