Here in the United States, we celebrate our labors by taking a break from them, at least for a long weekend. Any longer than that may mean unemployment, a state that afflicts far too many across this country and the wider world. The world economic conditions may seem bleak at times, as may your own microeconomic outlook. Give yourself a well-deserved break from all that doom and gloom and brag about something fun, like your best bird of the weekend…
My best bird was a Northern Harrier hunting moles in my father-in-law’s fields on a windy day. In a similar vein, Charlie thrilled to three Hobbies together over the garden yesterday. Corey’s best bird of the weekend, on the other hand, was a Pileated Woodpecker at Onteora Lake… then the two in his parents’ yard… then the two at Vosburgh Marsh… then the one at Ramshorn-Livingston Sanctuary! It seems that once Corey encounters a Pileated Woodpecker, he can no longer avoid them.
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.
Distant Northern Harrier harrying rodents
Not much birding, so I guess it was the two Red Kites I saw on the motorway.
My favorite bird,Cedar Waxwings at Ramshorn Sanctuary in Catskill. Thanks , Corey!
No problem, Aunt Bonnie. It was a pleasure.
I’d have to say watching a group of three (lifer) northern parulas as they bathed along the shore of a creek (at a distance of about 5 feet).
Considering I live in Montana, many of our birds have headed out (it’s been threatening snow for a while now) but I got to see a late Common Nighthawk this weekend and a small group of Sandhill Cranes. I nearly stopped in the middle of the road to watch the nighthawk (PAY ATTENTION JENN!) and backing up to see the sandhills I walked into a pole, so business as usual.
The goal of the birdwalk this month was to see the pretty little Ruby-throated Hummingbirds pictured @ the top of this page, but alas, with the remnant gusts from Hurricane Earl they were nowhere to be found.
So after spotting a bunch of the usual suspects (gulls, shorebirds, the resident Osprey) the best bird of the walk went like this:
Fellow birder: You know, there haven’t been any Baltimore Orioles around in a long time. Maybe I’m just missing them. Did they migrate already?
Me: Me too! I haven’t seen the pair that nests at the local lake since May. What’s up with that?
Not three minutes later, as we were trudging along the path to the parking lot, what swoops across my field of vision and lands *right at the crest* of the tallest tree in the field?! Seeing that bright orange blazing in morning sunlight is one of the best experiences I’ve had birding.
B/t/w, love the Harrier photo, Mike!
My best two birds of the weekend were Red-necked Phalaropes and Black Guillemots in Admiralty Inlet (and Baillarge Bay)
The Black Skimmer colony at Sandy Hook, NJ. This is the first time since 1985 that skimmers have nested at the Hook. I see Skimmers regularly on Long Island and Cape May, but this was the first time I’ve seen juvies! Even better, I was birding with a group of young birders (in age and experience) for whom the Skimmers and Oystercatchers were Lifebirds. That was great, listening to their excitement and helping them sort out which was which.
“Here in the United States, we celebrate our labors by taking a break from them, at least for a long weekend.” Seems ironic, since Labor Day was declared to celebrate the DIGNITY of work!
Palm Springs CA was hovering around 117 over the weekend so we decided to take our friends from Bloomington IN up the mountain to Idylwild, a steep climb. And we were met with temps a good 30 degrees lower. Stopping at the Idylwild Nature Center we were treated to a lively and noisy family of Pygmy Nuthatches at the water feature. Not a bird of the desert!