With October in full-flower, you should begin bracing yourself for winter (or summer) birding. Soon enough, migration will tail off and you’ll be left with your seasonal residents. For now, though, surprises still abound. Seen any? Step right up and share your best bird of the weekend.
A full day of golfing got me lots of fine fall birds, but I was most impressed by a flock of literally unflappable Canada Geese hunkered down in one of the fairways; these birds ignored drives that would surely have ended them had the balls been any lower. Corey’s best bird was a Vesper Sparrow at Kissena Corridor Park on Saturday morning. Year bird!
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.
Without doubt the triple tick (patch, county and life) Red-flanked Bluetail, one of three on the English East Coast in a weekend that has been brimming with quality and quantity. Stood beside the finder as it was found but sadly looking at a different bush; a stunning, classic and once almost mythical migrant.
Looking out of the living room window of my new appartment in Rohrbach/Heidelberg onto a neighbour’s tree with a blue tit in it at very close range was my most memorable birding moment.
Ferruginous Ducks at Chew – yay!
A Cooper’s hawk visited our yard, hoping for some action at the bird feeder. He left without a meal.
I set out to see a Painted Bunting. I may have glimpsed one, but as a novice birder I’m not really sure. My best birds were a paid of Northern Cardinals (male and female) that seemed to be courting. I blogged about my birding debacle here: http://blog.whatschirping.com/2010/10/castellow-hammock-park.html
Whole bunch of mystery birds heard/seen while running that I was unable to ID. But the weekend was saved when, sitting on the couch waiting to get in and start laundry, I heard a few shrieks outside. No Blue Jay, that!
I darted over to the window and by craning my neck upwards was just able to see a pair of immature Red-tailed Hawks circling above my apartment building. Breathtaking.
Best bird for me was a migrant Yellow-billed Cuckoo hanging out at the University for Peace, Costa Rica with a mixed bunch of birds that included Rufous-browed Peppershrike, Masked Tityra, Swainsons Thrush, Rufous-naped Wrens, and others.
A Sooty Falcon (6th record for Kuwait) unexpectedly seen at Jahra Pools Reserve; almost 6-years to the day of the last confirmed sighting of this species.
Hermit Thrush, Central Park, Friday. Why? It was spotted by my 7-year old nephew. The boy has distinct possibilities.