We birders share common cause with farmers in our obsession with seasons, always wondering what new crop of avifauna is coming in. But any time of year is the right time to pay attention to uncommon avian behavior, even from common birds. For example, I saw all kinds of special species this weekend, but nothing impressed me more than displays of the tyranny of tiny birds. First, I witnessed Ruby-throated Hummingbirds haranguing a Cedar Waxwing in suburban Rochester. The next day saw Barn Swallows berating a Sharp-shinned Hawk in rural Potter County, PA.
Corey enjoyed visits to the East Pond of Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge on both Saturday and Sunday. Though no major rarities were around he still enjoyed the shorebirding, especially considering how many juvenile Short-billed Dowitchers were around. Any of those dowitchers, gorgeous in the juvenile plumage, was his Best Bird of the Weekend.
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.
Best for me was a very rare for Costa Rica Aplomado Falcon twitched on Sunday- country bird and year bird!
I had an amazing moment in my garden– first a male Pileated Woodpecker arrived, tapped at the railing on our deck, and went to the suet. Then a female Pileated Woodpecker arrived, also tapped at the railing, and flew a few yards away to the bird bath to drink water. Then a female Downy Woodpecker arrived and landed just a foot away from the male Pileated and waited her turn for the suet. Later when I looked at my photos I saw the female Pileated Woodpecker had a very long tongue sticking out that she may have been using for something (insects?) when tapping at the railing.
Green Sandpiper at Musselburgh.
I spent the weekend in southern Arizona, so the best birds were very good birds: Magnificent Hummingbird, Painted Redstart, Arizona Woodpecker, Violet-crowned Hummingbird, and Lucifer Hummingbird.
Marvellous Spatuletail a type of humming bird. This is a very beautiful little bird observed in Rio Utcumbaba.
Does Friday count as part of the weekend? On my last day in southeast Arizona I saw my lifer Five-striped Sparrow in Montosa Canyon!
I dedicated a couple of days to searching for my unicorn, the San Lucas Robin. No luck there, yet a agin, but I did get a surprise Lifer, a Yellow-billed Cuckoo. Not what I would consider ultra rare for this area, but certainly not very common.