Summer birding gets a bad rap, especially around here, but July offers one highlight. The further north of the equator one travels, the more interesting the arrival of shorebirds tends to be. Frankly, I have no idea what happens in July far south of the equator, but hope it’s more interesting than shorebirds!
Corey find shorebirds fascinating and thrilled to his FOY Stilt Sandpiper this weekend. I saw a few shorebirds myself this weekend, but was more amused by a House Sparrow. Yes, for the second weekend in a row, my BBOTW is that invasive LBJ we love to loathe, but one little chick got my attention. It all started when I proctored a practice ACT exam at a local library. As soon as the test began, so did the monotonous cheeping. I tracked the call to an obstructed corner of the room and encouraged the kids to tune out the endless plaintive cry of what I guessed to be a juvenile House Sparrow. My conjecture was confirmed three hours into the test when that streaky little bugger hopped out into the open. At an auspicious time, I enlisted the test takers to help me corral the critter, which I then summarily ejected from the premises.
I blame Baby Bird 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.
We were canoeing on the Rondout Creek, Ulster County, NY and finally got to see the bird that was making all the racket… an immature bald eagle.
didn’t get a chance to go out but did about 40 minutes of urban feeder watching at a barbecue….saw a crimson red male cardinal with the sharpest crest I’ve ever seen!
Didnt get the chance to go birding but it was nice to hear the crazy-sounding duet of Gray-necked Wood-Rails calling from a stream a few blocks from the house. In accurately describing their song as sounding like “drunken chickens”, the Garrigues and Dean field guide for Costa Rica hints at the wacky noises conjured up by those common forest rails.
Went on a DFO (Denver Field Ornithologists)field trip to the foothills southwest of Denver on Saturday. We were on a Woodpecker hunt. It was a very warm day (96 degrees) in the Hayman fire area (2002). Found the Rednaped Sapsucker, Lewis Woodpecker and the Redheaded Woodpecker. Was unable to locate the Three toed Woodpecker. Good Woodpecker day…
My BBOTW wasn’t a bird I actually saw in person. Instead, I’ve been following the antics of the birds on Hog Island, Maine through Audubon’s puffin and osprey webcams. (The chicks will be gone soon, sigh!)
@Mike: Awwwwww! (Though mighty annoying, I’m sure.)
@Mark N Denver: Will be heading to the Glenwood Springs area next week … do you know anywhere in particular that’s best for birding around there, or is it all good?
Went camping/birding in Sauk Co, WI this weekend. After months of failed searching in Central Illinois, I was finally able to find my life Pileated Woodpecker.
Cycling and twitching my way around South America. Middle of winter in Uruguay, but there are some decent birds about. Favourite this weekend was a relatively confiding Rufous-browed Peppershrike. He never let me get a decent shot of all of him though – always part of a bill or body hidden away!
While photographing a Clear-wing Hummingbird Moth in my Bee Balm patch I had a Scarlet Tanager, a Great-crested Flycatcher, an Eastern Wood Pewee, a Wood Thrush and a Yellow-billed Cuckoo all singing in the woods behind my house in Branchton Ontario Canada.
Hi, I am so so very new @birding. Studying 4a cert I found myself evaluating everyone , not good. I fell in love with a few cardinals living in my back yard.all of a sudden I was hooked. My best sighting was a redwinged blackbird & this past weekend I had a black & white warbler come to me while calling an american redstart. So Cool. I also have grey catbirds hanging around. I live in pa, a quarter mi from the schuykill river. Ive got fine birding grounds so im learning as fast as I can.