Am I the only one having a hard time remembering whether I’m dealing with a weekday or a weekend? The mid-week Independence Day celebration definitely discombobulated me, but even more disorienting is this gorgeous summer weather. Other Americans may be sweltering. For all I know, Australia is in the midst of a Little Ice Age. But for the moment in Rochester, every day feels like a sweet, sweet Saturday!
This early summer splendor has clearly addled my senses: not only am I having trouble figuring out what day I’m dealing with, but I’m choosing the most banal bird imaginable for my Best Bird of the Weekend. Yesterday, a mixed swarm of birds descended on my lawn. Most of these birds were House Sparrows, one of which must have been the cock of the rock for this flock. The aggressive male, flaunting a prodigious amount of black on his face and chest, was so belligerent that he actually chased off a Common Grackle, which is far from a retiring bird. Very impressive, no? I doubt Corey saw anything nearly as notable as a Herculean House Sparrow.
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.
Seeing as Corey now has Long-tailed Tits on his life list and won’t be teased by my seeing them often, I’ll have to go with the two Common Buzzards I was able to show my son at very short range, near Heidelberg / Germany.
Actually, my best bird of the weekend was my first-of-the-year Pectoral Sandpiper at Jamaica Bay. Not bad…
Best bird for me was Black-cheeked Ant-Tanager during a bird-filled weekend at Esquinas Lodge in southwestern Costa Rica.
Best bird moment for me was when thousands of Glaucous-winged Gulls started flying over the entire town of Port Townsend, screaming simultaneously. I’d never seen anything like it! Wondering if fishing boats had arrived, suddenly I spotted the source of the commotion- a Bald Eagle perched on a wharf piling. Several gulls dive bombed the eagle, alone and in small groups, while the hullabaloo continued. Finally the eagle flew off with great dignity. What had he done? Eaten the eggs or a newborn gull chick?
Best bird for me was a Little Blue Heron (seen on a small lake in Commerce City, Colorado). Second best was a Blue Grosbeak (seen on the South Platte River – 88th & Platte). Was a real blue Sunday…