10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 16, 2012

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! Corey, as usual, saw enough birds for both of us. What was your best bird of the weekend? How about you?

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2012 Sparrows Birds Owls 109

10,000 Birds

APRIL 5, 2022

Thank you, goddess of birding luck and text group people).* My inner self felt stuck in an area between disbelief and total joy and the voices near me were echoing this state of mind: “Oh My God,” “I never thought I would see this bird,” “Look at that bill!” “How did that bird get here?”

Birds 255

Birds Compassion Eagles Science 255

10,000 Birds

JULY 5, 2022

In 2007 I was working in a university building that was just begging for bird feeders. This was where I set up my bird feeders, just one at first, then expanding as everyone expressed delight in seeing the Carolina Chickadees, Dark-eyed Juncos, and Downy Woodpeckers. There were no dead birds for weeks. ©2012 Donna L.

New York City 247

New York City Birds Illinois Science 247

10,000 Birds

APRIL 10, 2020

I don’t have a proper post ready for you today, meaning there’s no customary Birds and Booze story and review for now. No, I haven’t lost track of the calendar — though that’s quickly becoming a more common experience in our new reality — but occasionally life gets in the way of blogging, which is what happened this week.

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Collecting Connecticut New York Industry 263

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 12, 2012

I found the experience of authentically aggressive heat rather refreshing, but much prefer my moderate New York summers! My best bird of the weekend was Western Wood-Pewee … actually, no, that was Nate’s best bird for reasons that may never be adequately explained. What was your best bird of the weekend?

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2012 United States New York Birds 169

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 1, 2012

My best bird this weekend was a spry little Red-breasted Nuthatch consorting with its larger White-breasted kin. Corey’s Best Bird of the Weekend was his only year bird that crossed his path, a nice Clay-colored Sparrow at Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn. What was your best bird of the weekend? How about you?

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2012 Birds Sparrows Experience 168

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 23, 2012

With enough observation and experience, we notice slight variations and how those aberrations sometimes ripple throughout ecosystems. My Best Bird of the Weekend was probably a perched American Kestrel , a paltry predator I never tire of seeing. Birding is a healer. What was your best bird of the weekend? How about you?

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2012 New York Birds Suffering 163

10,000 Birds

JUNE 25, 2012

An interesting–or perhaps enervating–aspect of this time of year is how birding tends to run feast or famine. Corey and I both pondered birds that are extremely ordinary for us. What was your best bird of the weekend? Tell us in the comments section about the rarest, loveliest, or most fascinating bird you observed.

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2012 Birds Experience Experiments 172

10,000 Birds

JULY 1, 2012

Summer can be boring from a birding standpoint or it can be very, very interesting. Corey’s Best Bird of the Weekend was Cliff Swallow, a number of which are nesting in a shopping center in Ulster, NY. What was your best bird of the weekend? How has yours been so far?

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2012 Birds Experience Experiments 170

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 2, 2012

My Best Bird of the Weekend was a Peregrine Falcon gracing an enjoyable Rochester barbecue; good food, good company, and good birds make a powerful combination. But my extended weekend may hold even better birds once I hit Montezuma NWR. What was your best bird of the weekend? How about you?

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2012 Falcons Birds Owls 160

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 16, 2012

Believe it or not, the usual birds on the brain are not what calls this frenzy of activity to mind. Corey’s Best Bird of the Weekend was a Pomarine Jaeger , his first ever in New York State and only his second ever. What was your best bird of the weekend? He was also pleased to add his third and fourth Pomarine Jaegers.

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2012 Pennsylvania New York Birds 171

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 5, 2012

” But is it ever too hot or too cold to get out and look at some birds? My Best Bird(s) of the Weekend were a trio of cranes, presumably Sandhills , crossing high above the interstate as I drove out of Michigan. Corey’s Best Bird of the Weekend was his second Purple Martin ever in Queens. How about you?

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New York City 2012 Michigan New York 171

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 14, 2012

Then again, birding culture offered a surprising slate of events as well. Corey’s Best Bird of the Weekend was a more interesting species of warbler, likely the last Northern Parula he’ll find in Queens this fall. What was your best bird of the weekend? How about you?

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2012 United States Birds Experience 159

10,000 Birds

APRIL 8, 2012

Corey’s Best Bird of the Weekend was actually two birds, a pair of Northern Ravens performing an aerial ballet while Corey and his family were out for a walk on Saturday. What was your best bird of the weekend? What was your best bird of the weekend?

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2012 Birds Eggs Hunting 179

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 5, 2012

This weekend, however, I didn’t see any special birds, unless you count the bird M.I.A. Corey, on the other hand, birded like a boss; his Best Bird of the Weekend™ was either of the two Snowy Owls at Breezy Point in Queens. What was your best bird of the weekend?

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2012 Owls New York Birds 161

10,000 Birds

JUNE 10, 2012

Let me be honest… I have no idea what my best bird of the weekend was. I mean, of course now that the weekend is over, I have a firm grasp of which birds tickled me most over the past few days. What was your best bird of the weekend?

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2012 Birds Experience Experiments 165

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 9, 2012

Corey had an embarrassment of riches to choose from this weekend for his Best Bird of the Weekend but he settled on his sighting of Buff-breasted Sandpipers while he birded the sod farms on eastern Long Island, a flock of five that flushed at a distance and then settled, for some inexplicable reason, twenty meters in front of him.

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2012 Falcons Birds Farming 163

10,000 Birds

MAY 6, 2012

Have the birds really started moving where you live? I was in Chicago (actually, I might even still be here by the time this post goes up considering my first flight was cancelled and my second has already been delayed once) and managed to sneak an awesome morning’s birding in the Chevalier Woods Forest Preserve.

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2012 Chicago Florida Birds 167

10,000 Birds

MARCH 25, 2012

Corey’s Best Bird of the Weekend was an American Oystercatcher , one of several he saw along the shore of Queens’s Rockaway Peninsula. It’s not a rare bird but it is a fun bird to watch. What was your best bird of the weekend?

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Barn Owls 2012 Owls New York 176

10,000 Birds

JULY 22, 2012

In fact, I’m about ready to drop from exhaustion because of the 14th annual Chicken Inferno; here’s why… Details about the event will come later in the week, but for now I’ll tag Eastern Meadowlark as my Best Bird of the Weekend. What was your best bird of the weekend? How about you?

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New York City 2012 Chickens New York 171

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 2, 2012

The summer span of school-free days from late June to early September always seemed to me to be an experience all United States students held in common. Then again, my position is based on my personal experience and preferences. I’ll be driving from one Great Lake to another this weekend and will have to settle for highway birds.

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Kentucky 2012 Michigan United States 159

10,000 Birds

JUNE 4, 2012

My best birds of the weekend were all part of a huge swarm of Chimney Swifts circling around what I surmise was their chimney dwelling. No bird says summer to me like those flying cigars. What was your best bird of the weekend? Tell us in the comments section about the rarest, loveliest, or most fascinating bird you observed.

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Cape Verde 2012 New York Birds 170

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 7, 2012

As thrilling as this time is in the United States for fans of both America’s Pasttime and America’s favorite sport (football, obviously), this month matters even more to sports fans fond of birds. What was your best bird of the weekend? How about you?

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2012 United States America Birds 157

10,000 Birds

MARCH 4, 2012

I found little inspiration in the usual birds, so I turned to the great Herman Melville for some grand avian allegory: And there is a Catskill eagle in some souls that can alike dive down into the blackest gorges, and soar out of them again and become invisible in the sunny spaces. What was your best bird of the weekend?

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2012 Eagles Birds Experience 176

10,000 Birds

MAY 27, 2012

This means that if you see any amazing birds today, you can count them as your best birds of the weekend. The best birds of my undistinguished weekend must be American Goldfinches in their full canary finery. What was your best bird of the weekend? A three-day weekend, of course, unless you can swing four or more!

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2012 United States Birds Experience 162

10,000 Birds

APRIL 29, 2012

My best bird this weekend has to be the Hermit Thrush that’s been hanging around my backyard for the last week. Corey’s Best Bird of the Weekend could have been a Bell’s Vireo that was reported in Forest Park but the bird was not refound after the initial sighting. What was your best bird of the weekend?

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2012 Birds Experience Experiments 169

10,000 Birds

APRIL 15, 2012

Corey had a hard time choosing his Best Bird of the Weekend, but picked his first New York Blue-gray Gnatcatchers of the year, which he saw in Alley Pond Park in Queens. What was your best bird of the weekend? Tell us in the comments section about the rarest, loveliest, or most fascinating bird you observed.

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2012 United States Fox New York 169

10,000 Birds

MARCH 18, 2012

My weekend was devoted to a seemingly endless celebration of my son’s 8th birthday, which meant that my best bird was bound to be a backyard species. Corey’s Best Bird of the Weekend was his first Osprey in New York State this year, seen perched on a nesting platform at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge in early morning fog on Saturday.

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2012 Jamaica New York Birds 171

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 29, 2012

Do you get out birding much? If you’re checking in here on a Monday morning, chances are you have a bird tale to tell. Then again, maybe like me you simply enjoy hearing about the avian observations of others even when you can’t make time for your own bird chases. What was your best bird of the weekend?

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2012 Birds Medical Owls 162

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 27, 2012

My best bird of the weekend was heard, not seen: I thrilled to the haunting whinny of an Eastern Screech-Owl somewhere in my neighborhood. Corey’s BBOTW was a Hooded Crow , the last bird he saw before flying out of Germany early Saturday morning. What was your best bird of the weekend? Perhaps it has already begun!

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2012 Germany Birds Owls 154

10,000 Birds

JUNE 17, 2012

Just to keep that sweet paternal vibe going, I’m going to award double points to anyone whose best bird of the weekend was seen in the company of a dad or by a dad with his child. What was your best bird of the weekend? Tell us in the comments section about the rarest, loveliest, or most fascinating bird you observed.

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Hungary 2012 Miami United States 166

10,000 Birds

JULY 29, 2012

We haven’t seen many birds yet, but did enjoy the sight of a juvenile Peregrine Falcon unruffled by a mob of belligerent Blue Jays. Corey’s best bird of the weekend was a Common Raven that flew over his apartment on Saturday afternoon. What was your best bird of the weekend? How about you?

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2012 Michigan Falcons Birds 158

10,000 Birds

MAY 4, 2021

Louisiana is a magical place to bird. At the same time I was ogling Scissor-tailed Flycatchers and Upland Sandpipers, Marybeth Lima was also birding Louisiana. The book focuses on two listing events: her 2012 Louisiana Big Year and her 2016 Louisiana 300 Year. ’ What was left to write about? ” I wondered.

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Louisiana Species Mississippi Alabama 264

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 22, 2012

Are we going to talk birds here or discuss how awesome it is that the NY Giants are going to the Super Bowl? Oh, birds? My Best Bird of the Weekend™ was a Blue Jay celebrating a rare Rochester snowfall by running through its entire routine of croaks, creaks, and squeaks. What was your best bird of the weekend?

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2012 Iceland New York Birds 162

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 11, 2015

A pelagic trip yesterday put Corey in a quandary over what to choose as his Best Bird of the Weekend. Even better was that these were the first Corey had seen since 2012. What was your best bird of the weekend? Tell us in the comments section about the rarest, loveliest, or most fascinating bird you observed.

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2015 2012 Birds Experience 160

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 15, 2012

Oh, you’d rather talk about birds? As usual, Corey took down a killer bird this weekend, one that any reader would love to add to a life or year list; his Best Bird of the Weekend™ was an American Bittern that he inadvertently flushed at Orient State Park on the east end of Long Island’s north fork.

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2012 Birds Experience Experiments 163

10,000 Birds

MARCH 11, 2012

Or join in… Corey’s Best Bird of the Weekend was, what else, his first Red-headed Woodpecker in Queens ! I had my share of best birds while visiting Wild Wings at Mendon Ponds Park. What was your best bird of the weekend? If you’ve blogged about your weekend experience, you should include a link in your comment.

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2012 ALA Woodpeckers Birds 163