Summer birding gets a bad rap, especially around here, but July offers one highlight. The further north of the equator one travels, the more interesting the arrival of shorebirds tends to be. Frankly, I have no idea what happens in July far south of the equator, but hope it’s more interesting than shorebirds!

Corey find shorebirds fascinating and thrilled to his FOY Stilt Sandpiper this weekend. I saw a few shorebirds myself this weekend, but was more amused by a House Sparrow. Yes, for the second weekend in a row, my BBOTW is that invasive LBJ we love to loathe, but one little chick got my attention. It all started when I proctored a practice ACT exam at a local library. As soon as the test began, so did the monotonous cheeping. I tracked the call to an obstructed corner of the room and encouraged the kids to tune out the endless plaintive cry of what I guessed to be a juvenile House Sparrow. My conjecture was confirmed three hours into the test when that streaky little bugger hopped out into the open. At an auspicious time, I enlisted the test takers to help me corral the critter, which I then summarily ejected from the premises.

I blame Baby Bird 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.

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.