Best Bird of the Year

There have been any number of times when I might have said that. The Snowy Owl my friend found. The Black-bellied Plover at Schoharie Crossing. Surf Scoters, Pied-Billed Grebe, White-winged Scoters. Lots of exciting birds.

Today marked the icing on the cake though. The boss and I went out to do our rounds, hit the boat launch, walked Yankee Hill, and then settled into the public parking spot on Riverside Drive to enjoy the goose and duck show. On any given day you might see a couple of different kinds of mergansers, hundreds of geese and gulls, hundreds of glowing Mallards, and lots of other goodies.

I was picking out the American Black Ducks from the Mallards, when an eagle swooped over, strafing the ducks and sending them swirling. I watched it for a minute, then grabbed a quick photo as it was pretty close and went back to counting and sorting.

When I looked at the back of the camera I would have sworn that it was a Golden Eagle. However, I didn't dare believe it until I put it on What's this Bird on Facebook. Fortunately my impression was correct and it was! Only the third I have ever seen other than out west! A big day for the Northview bird pursuit crew.

Great Black-backed Gull