Birding

Best Bird of the Weekend (First of February 2013)

February 4, 2013 by Mike 7 Comments

February is rather undistinguished in terms of weather, but accrues interest both for its distinctive duration and distracting pronunciation. What really makes February interesting, at least in the United States, is all those holidays. February boasts more special days than Delaware has tolls, which is saying a lot. This month really kicks off with a bang, when all eyes are on that groundhog nonsense and Corey’s Facebook page (for portents of winter and birthday wishes, respectively.) And now that Super Bowl Sunday is little more than confetti on the floor of the Superdome, February has lost much of its luster. Don’t you agree?

Obviously, I was mostly focused on Ravens this weekend, but was pleased to see American Goldfinches back at my feeder after a long absence. Corey again had a host of good birds to choose from for his Best Bird of the Weekend after a full day of birding bequeathed to him for this birthday. Razorbill, Barrow’s Goldeneye, Black-headed Gull, White-winged Crossbill, Ross’s Goose, or any of twelve sparrow species could easily have been his Best Bird of the Weekend. But he chose one of the two Iceland Gulls he spotted in Montauk on the east end of Long Island. What’s not to like about a young Iceland Gull, like the one pictured above?

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.

best bird weekend

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.

7 Comments

Jochen February 4, 2013 at 7:30 am
An early Serin in Heidelberg. Not a Barrow’s Goldeneye, but if you look at a Serin and squint, the resemblance is striking.
Duncan February 4, 2013 at 1:25 pm
A Silvereye, for no other reason than it was the first bird I saw through my new Leica Ultravids….
Pat O'Donnell February 4, 2013 at 1:30 pm
Mangrove Hummingbird near Dominical, Costa Rica. Seeing this endangered endemic was the cherry on top of an already productive morning of birding.
Clare and Grant-Broome Western Australia February 4, 2013 at 7:35 pm
@ Duncan-great choice of binoculars! 🙂
Clare and Grant-Broome Western Australia February 4, 2013 at 7:36 pm
Radjah Shelduck at the Broome Poo Ponds-bird 148!
Shimon Haber February 5, 2013 at 12:43 pm
Few Eastern Bluebirds flew around my neighborhood this morning. Too bad I didn’t have my camera with me at the moment. – Shimon Haber
Socar February 6, 2013 at 4:21 pm
I finally started getting Anna’s hummingbirds on my balcony, this weekend, so that was nice. I’ve also been seeing a huge influx of Canada geese. Well, more HEARING them than seeing them, but I’ve spotted a couple wandering the streets, as well. (Seriously; they hang out in the little cobbled areas around my building, just waddling about on their great goosey feet; it’s ridiculous!)
I didn’t see anything terribly unusual over the weekend, though. There was a golden eagle (my second eagle of the year! Yay!), but that was last week.