March Madness is sweeping the American sports scene while the rest of the populace here tries to figure out when spring will really, truly arrive. The insanity of March Madness makes me wonder if any other country has a comparable phenomenon, meaning an annual event or period where college sports dominate discussion. Can anyone share a similar scenario?
This was one of those weekends where I was so busy writing about birds — in this case a presentation on my adventures in avitourism throughout Central America — that I couldn’t actually look at any new ones. I am enjoying myriad memories of motmots though! Corey’s Best Bird of the Weekend was a brilliantly yellow singing male Pine Warbler at Hempstead Lake State Park in Nassau County. How could it be anything but his first singing wood-warbler of spring?
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.
Our first Spotted Harrier for the year-bird 315.
I saw a pair of wood ducks! In a pond or lake? Nope. Right underneath my apartment in Washington, DC! I live near Rock Creek Park, and the two had settled briefly on the limbs of a tree right underneath my window. I had a great view of them from above before they took off again!
We have a very severe winter here in Germany, it is snowing at the end of March! Aaand it doesn’t happen very often that you encounter a Brambling and a singing Blackcap in the same Heidelberg backyard. Which makes this due my best bird of the weekend.
The good news is that we are heading into summer soon, which means the snow will be warmer.
My FOY Chimney Swift, fluttering and diving over the semi-busy streets of Niles, IL. They’re ba-ack!
@Erika Z: I remember my first Wood Ducks too — they’re always fun to see. Love your Tumblr, too!
My best bird this weekend was still the pair of American Kestrels nesting in a neighbor’s palm tree. I doubt that we will ever get tired of watching them.
An unexpected visit to Cape Town brought over 100 best birds of the weekend. If I had to choose it would probably be a really close up look at a Southern Double-collared Sunbird.
http://redgannet.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/a-quick-hit-for-cape-town.html
Jochen is correct regarding the continuing winter weather here in Germany. I had Brambling show up for the first time at my feeders this weekend along with a Dunnock. Additionally, I counted 14 other species at the feeders over the course of the weekend.
Kind of hard to pick one out of the 140 plus species identified during Saturday guiding at Carara but I will go with a Streak-chested Antpitta that gave close, prolonged views.
My best bird of the weekend would have to be a Great Grey Owl that let me and my friend watch from incredibly close range while it made a number of unsuccessful hunting attempts. While not a FOY bird for me, and not even a “first good view” bird, it’s one who will inspire awe and great memories for years to come. Who says you need to bait owls to get good photos?
http://flic.kr/s/aHsjEu1pF5
Bald Eagle. It is only my 3rd ever in Massachusetts and it is still such a thrill.
Hoary Redpoll at my local park: a first for my area!
Bald Eagle eaglets. Yes baby eagles! Seeing 2 scrawny-necked newly hatched eagles eclipsed everything else this cold weekend. The recovery of Bald Eagles continues, now finally a pair has hatched 2 (maybe more , we don’t yet know) on the north shore of Lake Ontario. More at http://www.mybirdoftheday.ca
A pair of pygmy nuthatches nesting in a venerable oak in the San Francisco area. I birded here in my youth, 40 years ago, but don’t remember if I ever saw nuthatches. And I saw a red-breasted nuthatch just one day before the pygmies.
I’m starting my third week of grandma duty here in a suburb of Seattle, but I got yesterday off and went birding at the landfill in the shadow of of Huskies stadium. I got a couple more lifers, a nice little video of a marsh wren showing off, saw a couple Anna’s hummers chasing each other, and a great look at a bald eagle. Now back to poopy diapers. 🙂
Best bird for me was a rare White-cheeked Pintail at Pelican Island NWR in Florida. The bird has been seen off and on there for several weeks and I had made three other trips there to look for it and dipped each time. Fourth time was a charm.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/cavuken/8594261028/in/photostream/
Back in California for a visit, saw my first spotted towhee in the pin oak and scrub, Walnut Creek.