Nemesis No More!

     Most birders have a nemesis bird. A bird you want to find but it always evades you. You go where it was seen to no avail. You study it, learn its field marks and try to turn similar birds into it. You crave to see this bird, because somehow everyone else finds it with seemingly no problem. And they even get photos of it. The heck am I doing wrong?!

     Mine up until today was the Lincoln's Sparrow. Today I found a Lincoln's sparrow on my own, identified it on my own (with some confirmations of my ID by some good friends) AND THEN FOUND A SECOND ONE!

     It was a good morning in Green-Wood Cemetery.

I saw A LOT of chipping sparrows today.
But sorting through them all is what got me some birds that made me smile.

Foraging in the grasses and weeds in just as high of numbers as the chipping sparrows were ruby crowned kinglets.

This bird was first facing me, buffy chest and flanks. VERY fine streaking. Thin malar stripe.
COULD IT BE?!
My lifer Lincoln's Sparrow.
A bird that I have never been able to ID, spot, and forget photo, ever.
This was a very rewarding sight and moment.

Can you believe I used to try turning song sparrows into Lincoln's sparrows?!
To be fair, this is not a good example of a song sparrow that will make you look twice. This one is heavily smudgy and dark.

I never get upset to see a field sparrow.
Especially one that can choose a perch that compliments its color and tone.

According to the eBird filters, I counted too many of these.
I saw 4 blue-headed vireo's today.
And they were nice and low to enjoy!

Fall colors and fall birds.
Ruby Crowned Kinglet.

I'm still riding my high from that Lincoln's AND THEN I FOUND A SECOND BIRD.
Look at those field marks, how the hell was I turning other birds into this?!

And then it went on to do Lincoln's Sparrow things, like sit in grass, hide in the brush and under leaves.

I had an apple turnover from Baked in Brooklyn across 5th ave from the Cemetery in celebration. It was good.

This juvie Black-crowned night heron and myself, we both scared the crap out of each other.
I didn't realize it was in a tree I was under, watching a phoebe. And then with a loud woosh of its wings and a jump-launch into the air, I startled just as much as it had startled.

At the Dell Water, I sifted again through Chipping Sparrows.
And gave a scowl at the photographers using bright flash photography in broad daylight for birds.
Anyway, standing around did me good...

I was rewarded with a Nashville Warbler!

Birds are weird. What is its body doing?!

What a picture perfect little buddy!
Took a lot of patience and reject shots for this alright one.

The buckeyes I am seeing lately just look more and more worn. Hope you make it to your destination little pal.

I was looking at chipping sparrows flocking into the lower parts of this tree. Then I found a yellow-bellied sapsucker in a yellow-leaved tree stashing away a berry on a mossy limb that perfectly matches the coloration and patterns on its back.

Also, lots of palm warblers. Has anyone else ever noticed how the bottoms of their feets are yellow?! How cute!

A chipping sparrow was foraging on the ground not too far from me. Scanned over a bit and found this little field sparrow foraging right next to it.
Quite possibly the cutest sparrow, I believe I have even seen "cute" used in books and field guides to describe this bird.
I mean, they are not wrong.