Were there any birds about this weekend? The only ones that concerned me were Ravens, Falcons, Seahawks, Cardinals, and Eagles. Welcome back, NFL football!
Of course I still kept my eyes out for other types of birds. This time of year is perfect for finding juvenile Eastern Bluebirds, which I was happy to do. Corey’s BBOTW was a Blackburnian Warbler on Saturday in Alley Pond Park in Queens. Fall migration is in full swing!
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.
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.
My best bird of the weekend was a Spotted Creeper but it was a close second and third with a Giant Eagle Owl and an African Golden Oriole, all of which were lifers. I blogged about Birding in Zambia here:
http://birdnerdafrica.wordpress.com/2013/09/09/birding-in-zambia-miombo-woodland/
Best bird of the weekend was a marsh harrier low over the house, best flappy flying thing of the weekend was something far creepier….
http://tai-haku.blogspot.com/2013/09/got-lucky-last-night.html
My best was a Black Tern, in the hand and deceased Grim pictures and the story on my blog at http://www.mybirdotheday.ca
Also migrant Blackpoll , Tennessee, Chestnut-sided Warblers.
Best bird was also a Blackburnian Warbler yesterday in Saratoga County, NY. It was my second one ever. My lifer was on my birthday two years ago. Yesterday was my birthday as well. Blackburnians are a birthday bird for me!
Cape May Warbler at Franke Park in Fort Wayne, IN.
I struck out birding, so my best *birds* were a quintet of DB Cormorants flying at sunset as we stood on a rooftop for Rosh Hashanah prayers.
But, like Tai Haku, my *best* find was a flying, somewhat creepy creature … the first bat I’ve ever found on my own! It was a Little Brown Bat, I think, and well-camoflouged, clinging to a crook at the base of an office building. Made my day!
@Tai: Major congrats on your even huger and creepier find!
@Lindsey: Happy birthday, and how awesome to have a birthday bird!
About a hundred migrating Red-necked Phalaropes near Marrowstone Island and Port Townsend, here on the Olympic Peninsula. They are delightful to watch on the water.
Well, I could put down the Philadelphia Vireo I saw at Alley Pond Park, Queens on Friday morning, a Rosh Hashanah bird. But, the bird that made me the happiest was the Canada Warbler I saw in Prospect Park Sunday morning, a Life Bird for my friend Christina. Christina first spotted it flitting in a low tree by the wood chip pile, and it took me a few minutes to definitely decide that it was indeed a Canada, because the necklace was so faint (darn fall warblers). It then flew to the path, where it picked up grubs for several minutes, giving Christina a nice opportunity to examine it in a Life Bird way.
Oops, forgot the link to the photo: http://flic.kr/p/fNjqsQ
Although I didn’t get out on Saturday or Sunday, best bird from guiding on Friday, Monday, and Tuesday was a Costa Rican Pygmy Owl in high elevation habitats of Poas Volcano. Also had R. Quetzal and Black Guan both days up there but they get trumped by the owl.
http://birdingcraft.com/wordpress/2013/09/11/more-great-birding-in-costa-rica-on-the-poas-varablanca-cinchona-route/