Everybody's Heard About the Blurd...

     In the world of birding today, it is SO EASY to find things thanks to social media. When a rare bird shows up, Twitter literally tweets about birds and their locations. I will say, finding something on your own, is far more rewarding-- but to get a bird on your life or year list, I praise the world of Twitter.
     I also curse Twitter, as tweets come in about birds while I am at work. It's pure torture when it is something you REALLY want to see. It makes me look forward to retirement in however million years that may be.
     Today's bird of the day is a Swainson's warbler, showing up in the Midwood of Prospect Park. The first official record for Kings County with questionable records last in the 1950's. And honestly who knows how many times this bird was missed because... well, you'll see...

Do you se it? No?
Low light, underbrush, and a typically skulky, brown bird will make it hard, let's just zoom in...

A blurd! A Swainson's warbler, good enough as an ID photo for eBird. This bird breeds well South of New York- so the birding world goes ape $#!t crazy when one shows up. Thankfully he stuck around so I could finish up work like a responsible adult and go to see him... a brown bird, on a brown ground under brown logs and brown twigs.
Its loud, ringing song- clear despite the view is what gave him up, and how it was originally found.
After a few decent views through binoculars and now dirty shins and knees, sometimes getting low gave the best views, I decided to enjoy the park before dinner.

A Swainson's Thrush behind the lower pool. These aren't the Swainson's you are looking for.
Maybe you are, but probably not today.

A punk rock wood duck.

A raccoon floof ball in a tree going up the Maryland Monument steps.

Glad my friend Molly hung up on me, as I was on the phone spying these guys.. and glad I was able to snap some pictures! I originally thought I saw blue grosbeak, but upon inspection, especially of that far less heavy beak- I found 3 indigo buntings! I love how he is hiding under the leaf, but still needing to spy my way,

The look before dropping down and disappearing into the butterfly meadow.

A robin in the last light over the meadow.

An Eastern kingbird gives us a little bitty peek of the rouge crest that males sport.

A grainy, low-light photo of a Canada Warbler... One day I will get a crisp photo of this beautiful species.

A blurry Eastern cottontail, I mostly took this picture for my sister, who really likes bunnies.