Did you find your weekend restful? Hope so, because the rest of the year tends to race to the finish line. We’ve all got a lot of eating, shopping, giving, receiving, traveling, celebrating, and giving thanks ahead of us. Hope you’re ready!
Corey’s Best Bird of the Weekend was an incredibly cooperative Northern Fulmar photographed from the back of the boat during the pelagic trip he enjoyed on Saturday. Considering the constant clicking of camera shutters it is undoubtedly the most photographed fulmar in the history of New York State. My most remarkable bird sighting of the weekend was a Northern Mockingbird perched less than a foot from a much larger Red-tailed Hawk, presumably mocking the unflappable raptor.
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.
Those are gorgeous photos of the Northern Fulmar! I was in Santa Cruz, CA and saw a hundred Brown Pelicans flying in formation low over the water, diving for anchovies, and standing on rocks by the lighthouse. The Brown Pelican is one of my favorite birds, and I’d never seen so many in one place before. Thank you, anchovies!
No birding for me this past weekend but I did see the ghostly shape of an owl fly near the backyard. It was either a Striped or a Barn but didn’t call nor come back so my 5 year old daughter and I used the scope to look at Jupiter instead.
Best bird by far in Tucson, AZ (Pima Co) was a female BLACK SCOTER. Lots of other great stuff was around too. See http://azbirdbrain.blogspot.com for more.
I admit to bailing on birding this week, even though I had lots of time, because it was just too bone-chatteringly cold and windy for November and I’m taking extreme pains to keep my skin from drying out.
But, on the way up to a friend’s house near the Wisconsin border to watch “Doctor Who,” I did spy a Kestrel banking along the highway and veering back around to chase down some lunch. (There were some birds in “Doctor Who” too, but they were distant with an unfamiliar call and I’m not entirely convinced they weren’t CGI.)
We birded Selva El Ocote on Saturday and were treated to very close and prolonged views of a Royal Flycatcher among the typically very diverse assortment possible at El Ocote. For instance, we found a Highland Guan there as well, not far away and at the same altitude. Such is the mixture of highland and lowland species at El Ocote, there are always surprises!