How was your weekend? Any good birds? Tell us about your best bird.
My best bird of this weekend was the American Crow; whether reading about this common corvid in Lyanda Lynn Haupt’s fascinating Crow Planet or helping my daughter make sense of the “black pigeons,” I’m finding a new appreciation for an oft unwelcome bird. Charlie found favor with Mediterranean Gulls at Radipole Lake in Dorset while birding with a gentleman that most North American birders are quite familiar with. However, Corey really brought home a winner, a Roseate Spoonbill at the Brigantine Division of the Edward B. Forsythe NWR in New Jersey. This lovely pink wader was a lifer for Corey, so offer him a hearty congratulations when he publishes his full account.
What was your best bird of the weekend? Tell us about the rarest, loveliest, or most interesting bird you observed in the comments section. Plus, if you’ve blogged about your weekend experience, I invite you to include the link in your comment.
three lifers this last few days: Reddish Egret, Royal Tern and Wood Duck. Not bad for some casual birding…
http://www.chuqui.com/2009/10/oc-birding-pics-and-a-flock-of-western-kingbirds/
Great (White) Egret Ardea alba alba in the south of Worcestershire, UK.
An Amsterdam Albatros circling over Heidelberg/Germany.
Well, it might have been just another Common Buzzard, but you know, “hope is the thing with feathers”.
A yellow-bellied sapsucker at Ft. Worth Botanic Gardens, and two peeps of some kind at my local State park.
3 Great Skua,s at the Hondsbosche zeewering Noord-Holland, the Netherlands
I was 0 for 2 on both birds I chased this weekend.
My best bird of the weekend was a leucistic house sparrow and you can see my husband’s photos of it here: http://ascattering.blogspot.com/2009/10/mystery-solved.html
Thanks again Mike for leading us down the path to correct identification.
My best was a Marbled Godwit at Stone Harbor – a life bird, and one I wasn’t expecting.
A Belted Kingfisher struggling to eat a fish that was just too big for him, illustrated in a very quick sketch at my blog.
The kingfisher in itself wasn’t all that special, though I always enjoy seeing them. But seeing him struggle with the fish, and trying to get it down on paper at the same time, was really rewarding. Eastern Phoebes were the other stars of the day, also illustrated in same sketch.
NW Indiana – I sighted a lovely bird in my yard – silver or white & gold over entire head nad body – smaller than crow. Would you have any idea what specie it would be? Thank you.
Bell Miners in Melbourne Botanical Gardens.
Here in Regina, Saskatchewan we only just put out a feeder with black oil sunflower seeds over the weekend. We already have our favourite red-breasted nuthatches coming by, but also chickadees which are surprisingly not that common in our neighbourhood. The biggest surprise though, is the pair of white-breasted nuthatches, not typically seen here, and chock full of attitude! Also getting some migrating juncos and assorted sparrows.
Red tailed hawk, not so unusual, but it was perched on a lamp post on busy olympic blvd in central los angeles. Closest view I have had, and it was right here in the city.
Oct 5th, 2009 at 4:20 pm
Green Bay, Wisconsin USA
An adult female Sharp-shinned Hawk buzzed my bird feeders in the back yard.
My best bird was the Ruffed Grouse and was a lifer for me. The Grouse crossed in front of my car on the Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National park.
Best bird of the weekend was a lifer ladder-backed woodpecker and a California towhee at the Indian Canyons Preserve in Palm Springs. But more phenomenal was the visit to Nature Conservancy’s Big Morongo Park.