May brings birds in a big way. Have you seen any good ones? One sure way to heighten the pleasure of a special bird sighting is to brag about it later. Step right up and share your best bird of the weekend.
I saw 22 different warbler species at the Biggest Week in American Birding this weekend but if I have to pick my favorite, then Cape May Warbler wins for the endlessly amazing looks offered. One doesn’t expect brown-cheeks to be so beautiful. Corey’s best bird of the weekend was a Ruby-throated Hummingbird, his first of the year, at the Forest Park waterhole. It narrowly beat out two Pectoral Sandpipers at Flushing Airport, a more rare bird in spring but, really, what is nicer than one’s first hummingbird of the year?
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 had a decent day photographing and birding on Friday morning. My best birds probably were a nice male Cape May Warbler as well, plus a pair of Veerys that were doing a little bit of courtship display complete with poses with raised bills and wing fluttering.
Some photos from Friday morning from Finger Lakes National Forest can be seen on my blog in the two posts:
Environmental Portraits
Featured Photo: Northern Parula
We had a Snowy Plover just outside of Boise this weekend! It was a life bird and real treat!
http://www.idahobirdingblog.com/2010/05/snowy-plover-rare-bird-alert-for-idaho.html
had a hooded warbler here in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Quite uncommon (we are on the northern limit of their range). A very special bird for my wife and I (we met by finding one in the backyard we were sharing)
A male Costa’s hummingbird along Del Puerto Canyon Road at the owl rocks was nice. Charlie knows the spot.
First bobolinks I have seen in quite a few years, and the second hummingbird using the feeders. (Saugerties ny)
a pair of Black oystercxatchers. I’m adding a bunch of new birds to my life list during my week at a conference on the west side of Vancouver island.
I photographed a Yellow-Crowned Night Heron in Astoria (Queens).
I went to 5 parks on Saturday and Sunday. The highlights were Common Loon, Western Grebe, Clark’s Grebe, White-faced Ibis, Loggerhead Shrike, Wilson’s Phalarope, Forster’s Tern. Click on link to see photos.
@John Murphy: Nice find! Where in Astoria?
After three years of chasing the most tropical looking bird around here and a car break down on mothers day i came face to face with my illusive western tanager! what a beauty!
Hey Corey
1st time I’ve seen a Yellow-Crowned too. Had to check my Peterson when I got home…
Western Shore of Steinway Creek.
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=steinway%20creek&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wl
I have seen so many Good Birds this past week in so many wonderful places! The best has to be the Scarlet Tanager at Chincoteague NWR on the QCBC DelMarVa trip. First of all, it was a beautiful bird (see photo on my Flickr site, other photos of trip to follow). Second, I found the bird all by myself–heard it, pished for it, got it! (It is fun and convenient to have other eyes and ears around, but sometimes you need the satisfaction of doing it on your own.) Third, I was able to then call the group back and share the bird with them. (Because, birding is also sharing.) Fourth, SCTA is listed as “occasional – seen only a few times during a season” on the Chincoteague checklist, so this was a Very Good Bird for the refuge.