By the second weekend of December, you may not know what you’re getting for the holidays, but you probably know which Christmas Bird Counts you’re participating in. That’s right… the 116th Christmas Bird Count begins today! Unless your count was held earlier than normal, as is done in Costa Rica, most CBC celebrants spent this weekend scouting, which should make for excellent Best Birds of the Weekend.
I found myself enjoying extremely warm weather in the Southern Tier; fortunately, our beloved snowbirds Dark-eyed Juncos appeared despite the absence of snow. Corey’s Best Bird of the Weekend was any of the trio of Blue-winged Teal that he spotted at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge while scouting for next Sunday’s Queens County Christmas Bird Count. They are very late already but here’s hoping they stick around one more week!
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.
I managed to spot some wintering White Storks on a train from Frankfurt to Heidelberg. Did not expect that!
When do they normally leave by?
That’s a question for Jochen, but most European migrants to Africa are usually well on their way their by October. Apparently some are now wintering here.
Was fortunate to encounter some Wild Turkey (the feathered kind, not the throat-burning kind) at a friend’s house in Katonah, NY. (And was happy/amazed/supremely jealous to hear about the Pileated Woodpecker they were able to watch from their patio a few weeks back.)
Aw, Meredith, I’m hoping you see a Pileated soon. If it makes you feel better, I only heard one today but didn’t see it!
@Mike: I believe that is the very definition of “cold comfort.” (I just console myself with the fact that unlike you, I can see Carolina Chickadees anytime I want.)
@Meredith, I can see Black-capped Chickadees, so we’re even 😉
Best for me was a Black-and-white Hawk-Eagle seen just after arrival at El Tapir. Although this rare bird can show up there at any time, I hadn’t seen it at that site for many years.