Sports lovers enjoyed a veritable smorgasbord of superior athletic entertainment this weekend, at least in the United States. Then again, birding culture offered a surprising slate of events as well. From The Big Sit to Focus on Diversity II to the general madness of fall migration, the last few days had something for everyone.
I must not be getting out enough, because I was thrilled to find a flock of Yellow-rumped Warblers: usually butter-butts are distractions, not attractions. Corey’s Best Bird of the Weekend was a more interesting species of warbler, likely the last Northern Parula he’ll find in Queens this fall.
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.
A Little Curlew in the park right near our home. It landed as I cycled by on 10th and it is still there all alone feeding on the grass. One day it will go and look to see where the rest are!
My best bird in southern Delaware was a First of Fall White-crowned Sparrow. Nate, another writer at Thermal Birding, saw an immature Rufous Hummingbird in Pennsylvania!
http://www.thermalbirding.com/2012/10/rufous-hummingbird-in-lycoming-co/
While I didnt get a chance to do a Big Sit, I connected with a major mega in the form of Unspotted Saw-whet Owl. This most enigmatic and difficult of Costa Rican birds was seen by myself and a few other lucky birders in high elevation habitat on Turrialba Volcano Saturday evening thanks to Erenesto Carman.
Local guide and one of the founders of the local Cerulean Warbler project, these were the first Unspotted Saw-whets he came across after looking for the past 5 years! I am not sure but I suspect that this species has been seen by less than 100 birders.
Long-billed Hermit, feeding on Heliconia, at the Hagia Sophia flower sanctuary in Huatulco, Mexico.
Question: why do Peterson/Chalif (1973) and Edwards (1998) call this Long-TAILED Hermit? Then when checking online (e.g. Cornell Lab website) I find Long-TAILED as being found only in S. America whereas Long-BILLED is found in Pacific Mexico (where I am) and other parts of Central America. Checking Corey’s World List and posts for his Honduras birds gave me the confidence to name my sighting as above. Are my field guides too old? Thanks!
It was pouring rain most of the weekend, but on Sunday afternoon it paused for a bit so I went out for a run.
As I passed a local park with a forested bit, I heard some jays and crows squawking away. I figured if both jays and crows were carrying on like that, they weren’t just fooling around, like crows do quite often. So I went into the woods and after a minute I spotted a dark-brown bird huddled against a dark-brown tree trunk: a Barred Owl.
As for Long-billed versus Long-tailed Hermit, if I recall correctly there was a split which took place a few years ago. Round about 2003 I would guess. (The split was kind of confusing because only the Long-billed variety is found in North America, so the way the AOU wrote it up, it looked like a name change.)
Anyway the short answer is yes, your field guides are too old!
My first Brown Creeper of the season, making his way up a tree on the Northwestern University campus in Evanston, IL. So cute!
Mine was a Winter Wren working the edges of a creek deep in an old Hemlock forest in southern Ontario, near Lake Erie. It was dodging in and out of the old overgrown and mossy logs and overhangs along the creek. I located evidence of Winter Wrens breeding here last summer, I’d like to think Saturday’s was one of the parents or maybe their offspring. Cool little birds with an outsize song. I wrote about it and more on my blog at http://www.mybirdoftheday.ca
Wood Sandpiper, Marsh Meadows Wildlife Preserve, Jamestown, Rhode Island, http://flic.kr/p/dk6Vtv/
One of the best things about this twitch was watching many older birders march cheerfully through the marsh, which was pretty wet due to a new moon tide, to see a life bird. Except for one 90-year old gent, who was celebrating his birthday by viewing an ABA bird, having seen Wood Sandpiper previously in India!
Thank you much, Paul!
Got a very close up look to a Barred Owl. Although common was our best this week.
Hi there. Well our best bird of the past weekend was a Northern Saw-Whet Owl. I and my wife, Jean, live in Toronto, Ontario, and this past Friday, we headed into the bush looking for birds. Lady luck truly was shining on us. We came upon an adult Saw-Whet Owl sitting about 5 feet up in a tree, at around 4pm. This was the first time as birders that we had ever seen a Saw-Whet Owl. Fortunately, we had our camera with us and got some good pictures and video. We have posted them for anyone interested at: http://frametoframe.ca/photo-essay-northern-saw-whet-owl-sighting