If you’re reading this, you’ve survived what may have been a very busy weekend of shopping, prepping, and partying. Hopefully you didn’t overextend yourself… the holiday season is just now beginning!
I can’t recall a less birdy weekend than the one I just had. My only avian observation of note is how much easier the Red-tailed Hawks that stalk our suburban streets are to see now that the trees are bare. Corey, on whom we can always depend for quality weekend birding, picked up a worthy Best Bird of the Weekend™ in the form of a natty Northern Shrike at Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn.
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 found a first count record of Great-tailed Grackle for the Auburn California CBC. Not mind-blowing but definitely cool to add for the count.
I think it was three fluffy Stitchbird chicks all huddled together, being fed occasionally by mama Stichbird.
@Duncan: Stitchbird? You’re making that up. Oh, wait,no you’re not.
Shouldn’t Duncan be disqualified from BBotW? He’s got it too easy in New Zealand.
I’ve had a classic Christmas weekend, with best birds being house sparrows, domestic pigeons, carrion crows and day dreams of Steller’s sea eagles and king eiders.
Greater White-fronted Goose on Friday, Ipswich Sparrows and 115 American Oystercatchers on Saturday.
I spent yesterday doing the first of the three Christmas Bird Counts that I plan to do this year. My territory for this one is all within the small city where I live and I don’t usually find anything very exciting or unexpected. I got a surprise though – a Common Raven that silently glided by right overhead.
I did the CBC on Saturday so there were a lot of birds to choose from as the BBotW, but my pick was the Hairy Woodpecker seen at my grandmother’s feeders. You can read about my CBC at my blog http://prairiebirder.wordpress.com/2011/12/18/christmas-bird-count-results/
Dipped on the Snowy Owl that’s been seen in Chicago … after the Sun-Times ran a front-page picture of it and hordes of civilians showed up to crowd and chase the thing, I’m told. Poor bird.
So my best bird would be a female Goldeneye who was keeping her distance from the Red-breasted Mergansers in Montrose Harbor.
In other news, that mystery Oak Park hummingbird has been DNA-IDed as a female Rufuous hummer. So, that was a lifer for me! (and a very pretty one at that!)
I finally found the Hume’s Leaf Warbler that I dipped on last weekend. It showed itself very nicely and let out its characteristic bisyllabic call every so often, to announce to the world that it was most definitely not a Yellow-browed Warbler. Incredible to think that such a tiny bird (about the size of a Goldcrest) could have come from so far ( Central Asia-Holland = more than 4000 miles…)!
Did the Montezuma NWR area CBC yesterday and our best bird had to be a very brave Ruffed Grouse sitting in the grass contemplating crossing the road. We eased the car forward next to him and he proceeded to show off his feathery legs and big feet before he turning, ruffling his neck feathers and raising his crest, as he casually sauntering by into the forest. Awesome!
Snowy Owl at the Minneapolis/St. Paul airport.