Birding and wildlife watching can be, as we all know, a solitary activity. And our practices, though familiar to anyone in our phenologically-attuned culture, can seem strange, sometimes even threatening, to the uninitiated. We receive ample, often poignant reminders of what tragedy can befall those who travel alone among those who don’t recognize their ways or understand their motives. So be careful out there, wherever you roam.
I was quite pleased to encounter the American Black Ducklings pictured above and even more pleased to photograph the fuzzy cuties with my hot, new Galaxy S4. Clearly, I need to learn my way around the phone’s camera function! Corey’s Best Bird of the Weekend was actually a whole flock of birds, the Common Terns at the colony at Nickerson Beach, which he visited on Saturday morning.
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 took my American cousin and his family around the Karori Wildlife Sanctuary. We had some great views of great birds, including Takahe, Stitchbirds, Kaka and Kakariki, but the mst special moment was a Saddlback foraging with a begging youngster in tow. Very close views of a great endemic.
I’ve been watching the development of a pair of rambunctious young gulls, on the roof across from mine, all weekend. They are Western/glaucous-winged hybrids, very common in this area. But I’ve never seen wee ones, before.
(Man, my best bird of the weekend is always a total snore, compared to everyone else’s! I have to step up my game!)
@ Mike: The ducklings are sooo cute!
I feel Socar’s pain, as my BBotW is also a gull, sighted at Montrose Beach here in Chicago. However, Herring Gulls aren’t something I see all that often, so this one standing aloof in a crowd of RBGs was a real treat!