what was your bird of the day ? (2 Viewers)

[briddo13]

Most times I go birding with my mates or with a group I often ask afterwards what was the bird of the Day ? Sometimes its a new lifer , sometimes it,s a common bird but in top plumage , or just a bird which gave great views or showed unusual behaviour .
today my bird was a juvenile Merlin , not rare here in the USA where I currently am, but it sat well enough on a dead tree to let me scope it and watch it for more than 15 minutes. Normally it,s hard to get great views of some species so this one was todays treat for me.

 

[gordon g]

Blackcap - a garden first. I see them from time to time in my local park, which is only 400yrds or so away, but never in the garden before.

 

[joannec]

I went to Cuckmere Haven, one of my favourite places on the Sussex coast on Tuesday. Am I allowed two birds of the day? First was a merlin; it was great.... so low and fast, sent up a flock of goldfinch but didn't get one. The second was rock pipit, a scarce bird and I saw 5. Here's a picture of one of them:

 

[Drumming Sniper]

I spent Tuesday morning at Symonds Yat Rock which is one of my favourite raptor-watching spots. Bird of the day was the juvenile female Goshawk which I initially picked up circling in the middle distance (the bird was circling, not me). As I watched, the bird suddenly powered straight towards me before veering to the right, circling twice in front of the cliff faces where the Peregrines nest and finally diving into the trees with talons outstretched. This last action caused a Sparrowhawk to come barrelling out of the trees and fly straight over my head. Great views of a great bird, fantastic weather and scenery and a refreshing absence of the numpties who sometimes descend upon the place.

DS

 

[briddo13]

wow sounds like you all had some good moments. Todays bird was a Gray Flycatcher good views through the scope and a lifer to boot !!!
i almost forgot a close second yesterday was the male tarantula spider which ambled across the path in front of me !! wish i had taken my camera !!

 

[Larry Lade]

My "bird of the day" was a Black-throated Green Warbler, which we netted, processed, banded and sent on its way to continue its flight to southern climes!

 

[Pete Mella]

Seeing a flock of bee-eaters in Pefkos in Rhodes the other day probably counts as my bird of the year, let alone day!

 

[matt green]

Not long got back from a walk across the village common, where I saw a Barn Owl flying over the rough pasture ~ not a great rarity but always a pleasure to see these in the local area seemingly doing so well.

Matt

 

[gordon g]

Today on one feeder in the garden we had goldfinch, greenfinch chaffinch and nuthatch all at the same time. One of the other feeders was collecting Tit species - great, blue and coal tits simultaneously. Light too dull for photos though!

 

[Atricapilla]

Well after a long discussion on here yesterday, it has to be the Reed warbler in the garden which is a lifer for me,with red backed shrike and Spotted flycatcher so far this morning .

 

[cnybirder]

A Marbled Godwit would be my bird of yesterday (haven't seen anything yet today).

 

[Macswede]

A Red-backed Shrike.
See the report here:
http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=97051

 

[JRE]

Bogey bird #1 Grasshopper Warbler. Stunning views of it in the hand.

 

[On-Firecrest]

my first ever manx shearwater was a bit of a suprise shearing close into the beach off titchwell. my dad was glad as he'd risked starting world war 3 by seeing one i couldnt get on too. Also seen with about 3 sum plum red throated divers, gannets, fulmars, moulting eiders and razorbills and guillemots. Sanderlings along the sea shore were entertaining, brambling on the feeders was a year tick and the long billed dowitcher was nice if a bit brief.

 

[Larry Lade]

Yesterday on a birding field trip here in the Saint Joseph, Missouri, area we were treated to the view of several American Avocets. They were certainly my "bird(s) of the day", and probably the same for most (if not all) of the others in the group

 

[canadagurl123]

a Palm warbler at Swan Lake Nature Sanctuary in the pouring rain. Saw it twitvch it's tail. they're very rare around here.

 

[Gashead]

A common starling at Dubai pivot fields last night, first of the winter.

 

[kittykat23uk]

A beautiful grey wagtail on my local patch on a bit of a grey afternoon, his colourful chest and vent really brightened the place up. There was also a kingfisher which gave some fleeting views as he zuzzed up and down the river.

 

[Davidbr]

A very confiding drake Lesser Scaup at Blagdon Lake, Somerset, swimming with a group of Tufted Ducks only about thirty feet from the reservoir bank|8)|

I've got a bit of a soft spot for wildfowl anyway, but this one had already moulted into its full breeding plumage and really was a very smart looking bird. Anyone who happens to be around that way, I'd thoroughly recommend paying him a visit:t:

 

[Larry Lade]

My bird of the day was a lone Lapland Longspur (Bunting) which somehow got separated from the flock of about 100 birds which flew up, up and away. I was able to watch it in a disced crop field for about ten minutes. I was about 25 feet away from it and it tried to hide behind some corn stubble in the field at first. Later it began moving about and feeding. I was able to see it quite well for those extended minutes.