Birding

Best Bird of the Weekend (Last of October 2011)

October 31, 2011 by Mike 12 Comments

Happy Halloween! See how I assume you celebrate Halloween no matter where in the world you live? Must be the way you’re dressed…

The best bird of my weekend was Tufted Titmouse, which has become more prominent here as we approach winter. I forgot how much bigger these birds are than the other species like chickadees they pal around with. Corey’s Best Bird of the Weekend™ was one of the many American Pipits that were moving along the coast. This particular pipit paused in its migration to forage with its flock mates and Corey caught it in the act of dispatching a particularly large grub. Yum!

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.

12 Comments

Corey October 31, 2011 at 7:48 am
Wow, when did I get Best Bird of the Weekend trademarked?
Audrey October 31, 2011 at 7:57 am
I saw about 150 cattle egrets on a side hill picking away. Quite an impressive sight.
Mike October 31, 2011 at 8:30 am
First comes the trademark, then comes merchandise. Can BBOTW trading cards and action figures be far behind?
Peter McEwan October 31, 2011 at 10:35 am
Juv. Pallid Harrier, Ayrshire Scotland was first class.
Patrick O'Donnell October 31, 2011 at 11:16 am
Looking forward to the action figures! On another, less exciting note, I pick Hooded Warbler for my best bird of the weekend. The beautiful male seen near La Selva, Costa Rica beat out Green Thorntail and Red-headed Barbet seen near Cinchona.
Meredith October 31, 2011 at 12:15 pm
What you *really* need is a BBOTW badge for Foursquare etc. 🙂
Now then, my own BBOTW. Two words: Sage Thrasher. !!!! The full rundown’s here: http://blog5b.com/2011/10/31/lazy-birders-of-the-world-unite-and-yawn-eh-maybe-later/
Ubermoogle October 31, 2011 at 12:38 pm
That’s such a hard decision. We had a juvenile White-winged Crossbill curiously checking out our little group from about 5-10 feet away, a Pacific Loon in the Glenmore Reservoir on its way south, and a few straggling Golden Eagles soaring over the Rockies on Sunday. I think the Crossbill would be my favourite though. Got some very close shots that show off the crossed bill very well.
Mark October 31, 2011 at 4:50 pm
Two dark-eyed juncos, the first of the fall. They appeared the afternoon after our first frost (and freak October snowstorm).
Myles November 2, 2011 at 9:24 am
I headed up to Putnam County to check out a portion of ‘The Great Swamp’ in hopes of seeing a Virginia Rail. I couldn’t find any Rails, but upon arrival I did see 5 different species of Woodpeckers, including a Pileated. Also small flocks of Eastern Bluebirds flitted by in an adjacent field periodically.
Hank November 2, 2011 at 4:35 pm
With 10 inches of fresh snow the only hope for a good bird would be a passing penguin which didn not happen.
Meredith: How on earth did you find a Sage Thrasher in Chicago? I had a better chance of seeing a penguin in Westchester than a Sage Thrasher in Illinois.
Meredith November 2, 2011 at 4:47 pm
@Hank: File this one under The Gods Must Be Crazy, I guess. (Probably the same gods that brought an American White Pelican to Jamaica Bay last year!)
Chas Moonie November 9, 2011 at 5:05 am
Pallid Harrier at Irvine was wonderful, I watched it for a week or so, top bird! One of my photos below, Cheers, Chas
http://www.birdguides.com/picture?f=324078