After one totally disappointing day of birding this week, I have had a Bird watcher's Bonanza Weekend! In less than 4 hours of active birding, I have added two new birds to my life list and an additional three new birds to my Newfoundland list. Far greater than the joy of adding any bird to a list was the excitement of seeing a Chaffinch, Common Moorhen and Downy Woodpecker up close.
With a snowstorm pending, I decided to go out and check several feeders around town today to see what I might find. It is funny how that works but birds seem to race to feeders before and during bad weather. I was not disappointed today.
My first stop was the site where the Northern Mockingbird had been spotted earlier this week. On my first pass I didn't see it but after I turned around and headed out of the neighborhood, there it was. Someone had left a piece of citrus fruit on the side of the road and he was right in the middle of it.
I pulled off to the side of the road and it flew up onto the power line above my car. I took the chance of opening my sunroof and for the second time in one week, I was able to use it as a porthole to photography. The Northern Mockingbird sat just feet above me, looking very calm and in charge.
After about ten minutes it flew back to the other side of the road and landed on a power line where it struck its very familiar pose. Had to include this shot for that reason.
This summer I must have seen over 100 Northern Mockingbirds but none as close as this one. The Northern Mockingbird is the state bird for Arkansas, Florida, Mississippi, Tennessee and Texas. It is a full-time resident of much of the U.S. and can breed as far north as Maine or New Brunswick. This one is somewhat off track as it is supposed to be enjoying the warmth of the South. Perhaps it got wind of the storms stretching across the deep south and thought "What the heck, I may as well check out Newfoundland."
After one totally disappointing day of birding this week, I have had a Bird watcher's Bonanza Weekend! In less than 4 hours of active birding, I have added two new birds to my life list and an additional three new birds to my Newfoundland list. Far greater than the joy of adding any bird to a list was the excitement of seeing a Chaffinch, Common Moorhen and Downy Woodpecker up close.
