This week's Best in Bird Blogging

This last weekend I was...and this upcoming weekend I will be again...cut-off from cell phone and internet connections.  I'm participating in Wood Badge, which is adult Scout leader training.  The training has been excellent and the setting in Millcreek Canyon is beautiful.  Camp Tracy has a large pond which is watched over by a diligent and noisy Belted Kingfisher and a handful of Black-billed Magpies.  I saw my first Dark-eyed Junco of the season there drinking from a puddle in the dirt roadway.

Anyway, I've got to play a little catch-up with all the great bird blogging that has been going on over the last few days.  I was sad to miss all the excitement of initial impressions from "The Big Year" movie, but it looks like most of us are having the same general reaction.

"Birding is Fun!" is also very excited to announce the addition of a spectacular monthly contributor that many of you already know and love, Kimberly Kaufman!  Her presentation at the Midwest Birding Symposium was fantastic and her work at the Black Swamp Bird Observatory is inspiring.  The birding world in North America has a few power couples...and now two of the better halves are generously sharing their passion for birds with "Birding is Fun!".   Kimberly shares her thoughts about "The Big Year" movie at Birding with Kenn and Kimberly.

Now, on to the rest of this week's best in bird blogging!

Lillian Stokes has had a fantastic run of posts over the last week at the Stokes Birding Blog.  They are all worth reading, so check them out!

Pat Bumstead shares her visit to a Whooping Crane conservation center at Bird Canada.

Ken Schnieder has photos of beautiful birds, plants, and amazing lookin' critters from Chapel Trail Nature Center.

Bill Schiess presents photos and a bit o' info about Great Blue Herons, another wonderful species on the list of Birds of Madison County (Idaho).

Nutty Birder's Rob Ripma relates his Morning of Birding on the Gulf Coast.

You can feel the excitement Donald the Birder felt when he observed his life bird Sabine's Gull!

Mia McPherson always has wonderful wildlife photography and posts.  I'm still not sure why, but this series of a Horned Lark preening was captivating.

What a Lovely Little Sparrow Dan Huber shares with photography and sketches.

Steve Creek knows how to capture Autumn in all of its glory with a Pileated Woodpecker feeding on berries.  Okay, so Kathie Brown beautifully captures the majesty of Autumn too in her post Autumn at the Bog.

Jeremy Medina of AZ Bird Brain has a sweet photo of an Elegant Trogon.

As an eBird-o-phile, I really appreciated Pacific NW Birder Greg Gillson's post what he learned about Ruddy Turnstone from eBird.

Kelly Riccetti of "Red and the Peanut" really appreciates all of nature as shown with recent posts about turtles, frogs, and plants.  I happened to be with her and Donald the Birder when she took the photos discussed in this post.

Kevin Doxstater has weekly bird quizzes that feature his beautiful bird photography and aren't nearly as hard as the quizzes I regularly post with my cruddy photos.