10,000 Birds

MARCH 6, 2011

All the local avian characters have been extra-antsy despite the weather, all contending for best bird of the weekend. What was your best bird of the weekend? Tell us in the comments section about the rarest, loveliest, or most fascinating bird you observed. Where Are You Birding This First Weekend of March 2011?

2011 156

2011 New York Deer Birds 156

10,000 Birds

MARCH 11, 2011

Which, naturally, got me to thinking about the newly erected order Suliformes, a development I mentioned in my December column, 2010′s Top 10 Developments in Bird Taxonomy and Systematics , but which I thought deserved further examination, for it’s one of those stories that defines the era in which we are living and birding.

2011 155

2011 Pelicans Papua New Guinea Birds 155

10,000 Birds

MARCH 13, 2011

Moved by an unseasonable bout of optimism, I went owl-chasing this weekend and actually encountered what has been a true nemesis bird for me: Northern Saw-whet Owl ! For Corey, this was a weekend without a single standout species but with many birds that were pretty darn neat. What was your best bird of the weekend?

2011 133

2011 Deer Birds Owls 133