I feel as if I've been neglecting the blog lately - haven't had as much time to bird as I like given the time of the year, and so haven't had much to blog about. But this weekend is a bit different.
It started yesterday after work, where I attended a presentation by Scott Weidensaul (author of the Pulitzer Prize nominated "Living on the Wind" as well as many other books) about migratory birds, and to support the Birds & Beans project which encourages coffee-drinkers to drink shade-grown bird-friendly coffee. Some of you more faithful readers (actually, are there any?) may recall that back in the beginning of March, I blogged about attending a few presentations by Kenn Kaufman on the same subject. I'm glad that I did, because although the end message is the same (and one which I fully subscribe to and encourage you to also) Scott is another fantastic speaker. Good sense of humor, engaging topics, very well spoken, etc. If you have a chance to see him speak, by all means, get it on your calendar and go. My only regret is that it fell on the same night as the Brookline Bird Club meeting (of which I am a board member) so I did have to duck out a few minutes early in order to get over to Harvard's Museum of Comparative Zoology building to help set-up. Our speaker for the club meeting was Peter Alden, a previous president of the club, a long-time New England birder and naturalist, as well as being the author of the National Audubon Society's Field Guide to New England (among many others.) The meeting was excellent, and our outgoing president (and close friend) Laura made note of the fact that myself and our webmaster, Jason both blog and Twitter, and that she recently joined it herself, and sees great potential for it in our birding community- so if anybody had questions about it to come and talk to us. It was encouraging to see that there were a few people that had heard of it and were interested in more. (Incidentally, Jason twitters here for himself AND here for the club.) It was a long but very satisfying evening from a social-birder aspect.
This morning though it was down to the business of birding. Reports of our early migrants had started rolling in, and I was determined to see a few warblers today. One bird that hit the radar, then sightings spread like wildfire was a Townsend's Warbler that was spotted at the Chestnut Hill Reservoir, and had continued for several days. For those that don't have a range map handy, this is a warbler seen primarily west of the Rockies. Mind you it does show up in the east occasionally - in fact, I saw my life one two winter's back when one spent the better part of the winter in somebody's backyard in Cambridge, just two block from Pamela's apartment. So for some reason when I woke up I thought, "I don't need to go chasing that bird, I'll just go to Mt. Auburn Cemetery and see what's around." Mind you, choosing to go to Mt.A to go birding is never a bad choice, and especially not in spring, but... what the heck was I thinking?!? If nothing else, I ought to have been thinking of my blog and you, my loyal readers. (hello? I know your there - I can hear you tapping the "ESC" key)
As I said, Mt. Auburn Cemetery rarely disappoints. One of the first birds I noticed after parking the car was the first of probably about one hundred Palm Warblers that I would see today. But the first warbler of the season is always pretty special so I was excited. It was followed by both Ruby- and Golden-crowned Kinglets, and then one of the Great Horned Owls that set-up residence in "the dell." 
Of course, it seemed like everybody I spoke to had gone earlier to see the Townsend's Warbler and of course, words like "cooperative" and "stunning" were thrown about, making me feel dumber and dumber for not going. So I decided that I'd take a stab at it. What the heck, couldn't hurt, and checking the GPS unit, not too far away. (Oh, and did I mention that Pam was having her hair done today and I promised that I'd be home when she got in. Umm... yeah, I should NOT make any promises when out birding.) So I found the spot, ran into a few other birders that had just arrived and had not seen the warbler yet, as well as a few others that HAD just seen it. On our way to the general location where it was seen, we were treated to several Brown Creepers, (one of which was so cooperative, I couldn't help but take his picture), more kinglets and Palm Warblers, several Pine and Yellow-rumped Warblers, and another Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. 
And then I wanted to find that sapsucker again. I just can't help it - I constantly want better pics, and the sapsucker is one that I hadn't got a photo I was really happy with yet. I am def happier with these than any of my previous ones.
But, I will keep striving to get better!
