Birding

Best Bird of the Weekend (Second of December 2015)

December 14, 2015 by Mike 8 Comments

By the second weekend of December, you may not know what you’re getting for the holidays, but you probably know which Christmas Bird Counts you’re participating in. That’s right… the 116th Christmas Bird Count begins today! Unless your count was held earlier than normal, as is done in Costa Rica, most CBC celebrants spent this weekend scouting, which should make for excellent Best Birds of the Weekend.

I found myself enjoying extremely warm weather in the Southern Tier; fortunately, our beloved snowbirds Dark-eyed Juncos appeared despite the absence of snow. Corey’s Best Bird of the Weekend was any of the trio of Blue-winged Teal that he spotted at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge while scouting for next Sunday’s Queens County Christmas Bird Count. They are very late already but here’s hoping they stick around one more week!

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.

best bird weekend

Written by Mike

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.

8 Comments

Duncan December 14, 2015 at 3:08 am

I managed to spot some wintering White Storks on a train from Frankfurt to Heidelberg. Did not expect that!
Corey December 14, 2015 at 7:58 am

When do they normally leave by?
Duncan December 14, 2015 at 10:29 am

That’s a question for Jochen, but most European migrants to Africa are usually well on their way their by October. Apparently some are now wintering here.
Meredith December 14, 2015 at 12:34 pm

Was fortunate to encounter some Wild Turkey (the feathered kind, not the throat-burning kind) at a friend’s house in Katonah, NY. (And was happy/amazed/supremely jealous to hear about the Pileated Woodpecker they were able to watch from their patio a few weeks back.)
Mike December 14, 2015 at 12:37 pm

Aw, Meredith, I’m hoping you see a Pileated soon. If it makes you feel better, I only heard one today but didn’t see it!
Meredith December 14, 2015 at 1:05 pm

@Mike: I believe that is the very definition of “cold comfort.” (I just console myself with the fact that unlike you, I can see Carolina Chickadees anytime I want.)
Mike December 14, 2015 at 1:06 pm

@Meredith, I can see Black-capped Chickadees, so we’re even 😉
Patrick O'Donnell December 14, 2015 at 3:24 pm

Best for me was a Black-and-white Hawk-Eagle seen just after arrival at El Tapir. Although this rare bird can show up there at any time, I hadn’t seen it at that site for many years.