October in already on the wane, so you should begin bracing yourself for winter (or summer) birding. Once migration tails off, all you’ll be left with are seasonal residents. For now, though, surprises still abound. Seen any? Step right up and share your best bird of the weekend.

As I mentioned last week, Corey and I met for some long overdue avian ogling. We worked Riis Park and Fort Tilden on a severely gusty morning, but still came up with some terrific birds. My favorite was a Blackpoll Warbler which Corey identified in its fall plumage with admirable aplomb. His best bird, on the other hand, ended up being a self-found Yellow-breasted Chat at Fort Tilden, his first ever in Queens.  The sighting was made all the sweeter both because it was marvelously cooperative and because he never expected such a good bird would show a day after he and I scoured the same territory! Charlie, as predicted, stayed home to edit his latest podcast.


Accursed chat…

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.