10,000 Birds

JULY 11, 2021

Hope Cemetery was much improved by a number of Chipping Sparrows and a single errant baby Snapping Turtle. If you’ve blogged about your weekend experience, you should include a link in your comment. As grumpy as these daily 30-degree temperature swings are making me, you have to wonder how the birds are reacting.

United States 264

United States Turtles 2010 Birds 264

10,000 Birds

JULY 24, 2019

It’s a rush any new birder experiences: that of every species being a lifer. Once you’ve been around the birding block a few years, your appreciation for the lifer experience deepens greatly. Which is why we all eventually turn to the one way to combine old-birder experience with new-birder opportunities: travel.

Spain 192

Spain Europe Sparrows Mexico 192

10,000 Birds

JUNE 6, 2021

eBird) had it that the best place to find Clay-colored Sparrow is a particular conifer plantation on a particular farm road in the rural western portion of the county. The rumors were delightfully true, as that buzzy call from a spruce bough drew my attention to what must be the most boring sparrow on the planet. Rumor (i.e.

Sparrows 218

Sparrows Farming Birds Experience 218

10,000 Birds

APRIL 25, 2021

White-throated Sparrows don’t generally stand out unless they turn up at my feeder in sharp plumage, which they did on Sunday. If you’ve blogged about your weekend experience, you should include a link in your comment. At least my summers are mild. What was your best bird of the weekend?

Birds 224

Birds Sparrows Experience Experiments 224

10,000 Birds

MAY 20, 2020

But my experience suggests there is a fair amount of geographical overlap between the two ranges in my area. Its insect-like buzz reminds me most of the Grasshopper’s Sparrow’s song. Yellow Warblers are altitudinal migrants within the state of Michoacán, wintering in the lowlands and summering in the highlands.

Honduras 334

Honduras Mexico South America America 334

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 3, 2011

If Mexico City itself was not high enough, the mountains to the south rise above 12,300 feet and I was there looking for a Sierra Madre Sparrow to confirm a sighting of this rare and local sparrow from 15 years ago. Just to let you know, the sparrow did not show and I had to make do with some specialty Mexican warblers instead.

Costa Rica 201

Costa Rica Taiwan Mexico Honduras 201

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 24, 2014

In honor of fall, and of the Chipping Sparrow that just smacked itself (thankfully not too hard) against my balcony window, here’s a blast from the past: Oct. Or was I, like so many birders, doomed to eternal restlessness, always investing somewhere else with the glamor of new birds and new experiences? Could I go home again?

San Diego 172

San Diego Sparrows Breeders 2009 172

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 3, 2021

But, of them all, his Best Bird of the Weekend was a new one for him for Ulster County, a Lincoln’s Sparrow. If you’ve blogged about your weekend experience, you should include a link in your comment. How about you? What was your best bird of the weekend?

Blackbirds 204

Blackbirds Birds Sparrows Wildlife 204

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 27, 2020

On Friday morning he unsuccessfully chased a LeConte’s Sparrow and a Connecticut Warbler in Queens but had his second ever encounter with Virginia Rail in Queens as well as a Yellow-breasted Chat. If you’ve blogged about your weekend experience, you should include a link in your comment. What was your best bird of the weekend?

2020 218

2020 Connecticut Virginia New York 218

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 2, 2011

So much for my weekend… Unless you like House Sparrows more than I do, you won’t be impressed by my best bird of the weekend. Corey, on the other hand, pulled a Philadelphia Vireo that Will Raup spotted at the Coxsackie Creek Grasslands Preserve while Corey was busy looking at a Song Sparrow.

Philadelphia 169

Philadelphia 2011 Sparrows Birds 169

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 31, 2014

Hordes of House Sparrows and Rock Pigeons are more than willing to push you around rather then let you have that choice morsel you just found. Still, the experience of seeing birds so close is hard to match. I sure appreciated this Swamp Sparrow. Once you’ve landed though, you are in a bizarre situation. And the noise!

New York City 211

New York City New York Birds Sparrows 211

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 28, 2013

Corey’s Best Bird of the Weekend was a Clay-colored Sparrow at Jacob Riis Park in coastal Queens, the only really noteworthy find among the hordes of sparrows that were around on Saturday morning. If you’ve blogged about your weekend experience, you should include a link in your comment. How about you?

2013 163

2013 Sparrows Birds Experience 163

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 14, 2012

My most recent outing netted me three new species for my Hudson County list – Nelson’s Sparrow , Blackpoll Warbler , and Golden-crowned Kinglet. Nelson’s Sparrow - two of them! Nelson’s Sparrow is a worthy addition to any county list. I did appreciate this Song Sparrow though.

New Jersey 167

New Jersey Sparrows Birds Species 167

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 11, 2013

The Best Bird of my weekend was a partially leucistic House Sparrow that added some flavor to an otherwise drab feeding flock. A February Grasshopper Sparrow in New York is, if not unprecedented, really, really unusual. If you’ve blogged about your weekend experience, you should include a link in your comment. How about you?

2013 158

2013 United States Sparrows New York 158

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 5, 2014

From atop a terrific sledding hill, I enjoyed watching American Tree Sparrows lend class and native charm to flocks of House Sparrows. If you’ve blogged about your weekend experience, you should include a link in your comment. Hope you enjoyed at least part of the excitement! What was your best bird of the weekend?

2014 161

2014 Sparrows Birds Experience 161

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 10, 2014

If you read my weekly posts bookending theweekend birding experience, you know that I pay close attention to phenology. The way the ebb and flow of each season impacts out experience of the natural world must inform our efforts to observe avifauna if we want to optimize our experience. How about you?

2014 167

2014 New York California Birds 167

10,000 Birds

APRIL 17, 2011

My experience of just half of the Week Competition of this year’s gtbc utterly drained me. However, even that didn’t stop me from noticing that the American Tree Sparrows at my mother-in-law’s feeders have given way to cute little chippies; a Chipping Sparrow here signals spring even when the weather still says winter!

2011 145

2011 Laws Sparrows Birds 145

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 1, 2012

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. If you’ve blogged about your weekend experience, you should include a link in your comment. How about you? What was your best bird of the weekend?

2012 169

2012 Sparrows Birds Experience 169

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 14, 2014

In this first installment, I will focus on my impressions and experiences in the highlands portion of our tour. The experience of seeing a pair feeding and calling in the mountains of Honduras felt like a much more genuine birding experience to me. Trips Honduran birding La Tigra motmot'

Honduras 211

Honduras El Salvador Costa Rica Arizona 211

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 12, 2012

I found the experience of authentically aggressive heat rather refreshing, but much prefer my moderate New York summers! Corey’s best bird of the weekend was a Lark Sparrow , highly unusual at his current coordinates. If you’ve blogged about your weekend experience, you should include a link in your comment. How about you?

2012 169

2012 United States New York Birds 169

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 8, 2011

A wonderful Audubon magazine article on birds’ bills (“ Pecking Order “) notes that individual Great Tits in England experience a change in bill shape between summer and winter as their primary food sources shift. These are neither sparrows, nor finches, but tanagers.

2003 209

2003 South America Sparrows Family 209

10,000 Birds

JUNE 28, 2015

Instead, the Seaside Sparrows at Gardiner County Park, one of which is above, is Corey’s Best Bird of the Weekend because cooperative Ammodramus sparrows are awesome. If you’ve blogged about your weekend experience, you should include a link in your comment. How about you? What was your best bird of the weekend?

Pennsylvania 158

Pennsylvania 2015 Sparrows Birds 158

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 31, 2021

He added several goodies over the weekend, but none were better than a self-found Lark Sparrow at Fort Tilden, which was easily his Best Bird of the Weekend. If you’ve blogged about your weekend experience, you should include a link in your comment. How about you? What was your best bird of the weekend?

Birds 194

Birds Sparrows Experiments Experience 194

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 2, 2014

A juvenile White-crowned Sparrow is an expected bird in late fall in New York State but it is always nice when one sits still for a digiscoping session. If you’ve blogged about your weekend experience, you should include a link in your comment. How did you fare? What was your best bird of the weekend? Birding best bird weekend'

2014 168

2014 Bats New York Sparrows 168

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 9, 2011

Corey can’t choose between three choice sparrows spotted in Queens. Then again, anyone would struggle selecting from Lark , Vesper , and Nelson’s Sparrow. If you’ve blogged about your weekend experience, you should include a link in your comment. What was your best bird of the weekend?

2011 150

2011 Sparrows Birds Family 150

10,000 Birds

MAY 1, 2011

If you’ve blogged about your weekend experience, you should include a link in your comment. On the other hand, a woefully brief glimpse of a Hook-billed Kite at Bentsen State Park was all it took to move it from my world list to my ABA list. While pondering that, also share your best bird of the weekend!

2011 157

2011 Mississippi ALA Sparrows 157

10,000 Birds

APRIL 15, 2012

Luckily, swarms of songbirds arrived on time, including one very handsome Fox Sparrow. If you’ve blogged about your weekend experience, you should include a link in your comment. As promised, I finally made it up to Owl Woods and the Braddock Bay area. Too bad the hawks and owls couldn’t make it too!

2012 170

2012 United States Fox New York 170

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 20, 2013

Though Corey originally picked a Field Sparrow at Edgemere Preserve (like the one pictured above) as his Best Bird of the Weekend, an afternoon outing with his family back to Edgemere Preserve so Desi could chase after crickets and grasshoppers led to his revised Best Bird of the Weekend, a fortuitous find. How about you?

St. Louis 166

St. Louis 2013 United States Arizona 166

10,000 Birds

MAY 1, 2012

Birding the Dry Tortugas in late April has always been high on my bucket-list of the best birding experiences in North America. Day-trips to the Dry Tortugas are of course possible but the best way to experience the islands is on an extended 3-day guided tour. That means I used to be very young. Almost infantile.

Florida 243

Florida Kentucky France North America 243

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 25, 2011

He can’t decide between Connecticut Warbler and Clay-colored Sparrow for best bird for the weekend, since both are new Queens birds for him. They beat out Yellow-billed Cuckoo , Blue Grosbeak , Ring-necked Pheasant , Lark Sparrow , and Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. That makes for 283 on ye olde Queens life list.

Connecticut 157

Connecticut 2011 Sparrows Birds 157

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 18, 2015

But of all the species he spotted he felt either of the two Grasshopper Sparrows at Kissena Park in Queens was his Best Bird of the Weekend. After all, the two birds doubled his total number of Grasshopper Sparrow sightings in his home borough! How about you? What was your best bird of the weekend?

New York City 150

New York City 2015 New York Sparrows 150

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 9, 2019

An expanse of habitat as vast as Murchison Falls NP in Uganda, as excessively generous in beauty and biodiversity, permits endless ways to experience both its birds and animals. Plus, the food, service, and accommodations meet the highest standards. Mind boggling, I answer! Beaudouin’s Snake-Eagle … wow!!

Uganda 183

Uganda Senegal Africa Game 183

10,000 Birds

MARCH 13, 2012

I had just arrived at the water hole at Forest Park and was sitting on a log watching White-throated Sparrows forage in the leaves when the wren flew in and landed next to the log to my right. But that was just the start of my experience with this wonderful little wren.

2008 168

2008 Sparrows Rights Experiments 168

10,000 Birds

JULY 15, 2012

I saw a few shorebirds myself this weekend, but was more amused by a House Sparrow. 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. It all started when I proctored a practice ACT exam at a local library.

2012 158

2012 Sparrows Birds Experiments 158

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 22, 2013

Corey’s Best Bird of the Weekend was a very sharp Lincoln’s Sparrow at Edgemere Preserve in Queens. If you’ve blogged about your weekend experience, you should include a link in your comment. How about you? What was your best bird of the weekend? Birding best bird weekend'

2013 157

2013 Sparrows Birds Experience 157

10,000 Birds

MAY 10, 2020

For me, these birds add a bit of mystique and mystery to the overall experience. Why do Lark Sparrows always show up in September in Miami and then vanish? Lark Sparrow is one of many western species that regularly migrates through or winters in South Florida in small numbers. They especially like live oaks.

Florida 252

Florida Miami Falcons Birds 252

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 5, 2014

Around this time of year, I keep an eye out for White-throated Sparrows landing around my home… they were right on time! If you’ve blogged about your weekend experience, you should include a link in your comment. Nature lovers can’t help but get out and enjoy one of the most crisp and colorful times of year.

2014 167

2014 Sparrows Birds Family 167