Birding

Best Bird of the Weekend (Fourth of August 2014)

August 25, 2014 by Mike 4 Comments

Henry James knew all about how transcendent this time of year can be, at least up here in the northern temperate zone: “Summer afternoon—summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language.” Beautiful indeed.

I enjoyed exquisite weather while criss-crossing Central New York to no avail in search of a Red Crossbill, but enjoyed a Common Nighthawk closer to home as a consolation prize. Corey had a bunch of birds to choose from for his Best Bird of the Weekend after having a marvelous time birding Jamaica Bay’s East Pond on Sunday morning with David. But despite the allure of the variety of shorebirds he spotted he still chose a bird that he saw from his balcony, the second American Kestrel he has ever seen there, as his Best Bird of the Weekend.

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.

4 Comments

peter Thoem August 25, 2014 at 7:44 am
I walked around a long and varied circuit, much of which is favoured by families with children and grandparents. I needed the leg stretch and wanted to see if many migrants (birds not families) were moving through. It was not exciting but two juvenile Bald Eagles made it interesting,. Yep, they would be my best birds of the weekend.
Carolyn H. August 25, 2014 at 8:34 am
I went in search of nighthawks but had no joy there. Instead I had 2 flocks of cedar waxwings, who were all very content to hang out in the tops of two trees right next to where I was searching for nighthawks. We shared the same space for a good 20 minutes. So cedar waxwings are my best birds of the weekend.
Meredith Matthews August 25, 2014 at 10:29 pm
Beautiful Mute Swans ruling the roost of the Swan Pond (naturally) at Morris Arboretum in Philadelphia.
@Corey: Queens Kestrel?! Out of sight! Great snapshot too.
Pat O'Donnell August 25, 2014 at 11:13 pm
Just got back from guiding at Luna Lodge, a remote yet comfortable ecolodge in the Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica. Best bird was probably Marbled Wood-Quail although the endemic Black-cheeked Ant-Tanager was a close runner up.