December is drawing towards its grand finale as we all work furiously in advance of seemingly endless celebration. Contemplation of one’s Best Bird of the Year seems more appropriate than attention to just one weekend, but December isn’t over yet. Stick with 2012 until the New Year comes rocking in!
Actually, in terms of this weekend, I don’t have much of anything to share. As predicted, I spent my weekend studiously avoiding observation of anything remotely avian. Corey, as usual, saw enough birds for both of us. The lost Le Conte’s Sparrow Corey found himself in Queens is clearly the best bird of his weekend, though it just as easily could have been the Dovekie or the two Short-eared Owls on the Queens count.
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.
Le Conte’s Sparrow by Corey Finger
Well, my best bird of the weekend was probably the Short-eared Owl hunting over the marshes of Parkgate on the Dee Estuary, but a slightly better look might have given the crown to my lifer Eurasian Woodcock near my home.
Best bird of the week is a little harder. Greater Painted Snipe, Chestnut Crowned Babbler, Painted Stork, Black-headed Ibis or Lesser Adjunctant? I can’t decide.
Trumpeter Swans. I’ve nominated them before. But I like them so spent time watching them over my assigned weekend (which had to be late last week – not Saturday or Sunday). I realized that I had in my view 3 swan species: Trumpeter, Tundra and Mute. I stand to be corrected, but I have an idea that there are very few places (3 maybe) in N America where you can see all 3 swan species at once.
More at http://www.mybirdoftheday.ca
Scored 4 Western Meadowlarks in central Idaho.
My best bird of the weekend was a Swamp Sparrow that I found while doing the Reading, PA Christmas Bird Count. Now Swamp Sparrows are certainly not rare in this area but finding one in the city a few blocks from my house was most definitely both unusual and satisfying.