Birding

Best Bird of the Weekend (Second of November 2016)

November 14, 2016 by Mike 4 Comments

Little things, you may have heard, mean a lot. L.M. Montgomery wrote that it’s dreadful what little things lead people to misunderstand each other. That observation hits home this week, but I stand with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, who pointed out that the little things are infinitely the most important, not just in solving mysteries but also in our daily lives. If big things are bumming you out, enjoy the little things.

One small thing that made me happy this weekend was the return of Long-tailed Ducks to our lakeshore. Can Snowy Owls be far behind? Corey could have chosen his first Pine Siskins of the year in New York, a Red-headed Woodpecker, a late Osprey, or a Vesper Sparrow as his Best Bird of the Weekend this weekend. But it was a common bird sitting in good light that he tapped for the honors, a Gray Catbird that cooperated wonderfully in Kissena Park.

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 bird weekend

Written by Mike

Mike is a leading authority in the field of standardized test preparation, but he's also a traveler who fully expects to see every bird in the world. Besides founding 10,000 Birds in 2003, Mike has also created a number of other entertaining but now extirpated nature blog resources, particularly the Nature Blog Network and I and the Bird.

4 Comments

Pat O'Donnell November 14, 2016 at 10:48 am
I can finally report a mega from my weekend- Rufous-crested Coquette at Rancho Naturalista. I was very pleased that the juv. male seen there two weeks ago is still reliable. First documented record of this species in Costa Rica for more than a 100 years! It was also a happy avian trifecta for me- lifer, year bird, and country bird.
Tom Brown November 14, 2016 at 8:27 pm
Wow, Pat, that makes my simple new Lifer kinda trivial…What an incredible find, Congrats! I am still very happy to finally add the Sora to my life list. I was set up photographing Gallinules, when it just swam out on the far side of the marsh.
Pat O'Donnell November 15, 2016 at 7:43 am
@Tom- No lifer is trivial, congrats on the Sora!
Meredith November 16, 2016 at 9:54 am
Let’s make that a lifer trifecta–I heard but didn’t see (or did I?) my lifer Eastern Screech Owl, on a full-moon owl walk from the Wissahickon Environmental Center under the guidance of the estimable BirdPhilly leader Tony Croasdale.
We heard two of them calling for quite a while, which was simply amazing. But before the calling, a few of us glimpsed something small fly silently over our group … too fast and dark to ID, but wouldn’t it be awesome if that was a Screech Owl too?