When did birding become so intimately intertwined with technology? Obviously, those who seek the best views often aspire to the best optics, which we can all agree are modern miracles of science. But beyond space age gear and technical fabrics, birding also seems to demand a strong, unbroken connection to the internet. When you can’t search reports, compile lists, or (as I’m struggling to do right now) post birding blogs without waiting for hours for pages to load, everything feels less efficient, which means less time to do what you wanted to do in the first place: seek the best views of birds.
For once in a long while, Corey and I share the same Best Bird of the Weekend. While we’ve seen more than 150 amazing species in our first 48 hours attending the 3rd African Birding Expo and the pre-Expo familiarity tour of Uganda, one species stands as first among equals. Nothing beats a Shoebill, which we were so, so fortunate to observe closely at legendary Mabamba Swamp.
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.
Rufous-Browed Peppershrike