Best Bird of the Weekend (Fourth of December 2018)

The priorities of serious birders stand in stark contrast to those of our less avian-enamored neighbors at most times of year, but never more so than around late December. Others may be rushing around to finish up holiday shopping or to indulge in a little Yuletide cheer. We do that stuff too, but typically in-between participating in Christmas counts and chasing down year list stragglers. Gotta love late December!

I tried to uncover something interesting in Rochester’s winter wonderland, but the best I could muster was a single White-winged Scoter among hundreds of Long-tailed Ducks. yes, scoters do deserve some interest, but this particular species is a seasonal regular in Lake Ontario. Corey spent time both Saturday and Sunday morning combing Queens, looking for a few last year birds. His efforts paid off when he found himself a Saw-whet Owl sitting on prey on Sunday morning at an undisclosed location. That’s a nice year bird for what will likely be his last of the year and an excellent Best Bird of the Weekend!

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.