Urban Birding

Pie-billed Grebe, The Fenway

Intrigued by reports of unusual birds, including barred owls (which I never ended up seeing), I headed into Boston.

Heard a familiar "zizz" on my way across the bridge at the Public Garden. Sure enough, cedar waxwings in the berries. (When I came back later in the morning, they had been supplanted by starlings).


I headed down to Victory Gardens in the The Fenway. Very birdy, mostly sparrows.


The place was clearly run, though, by a gang of mockingbirds.


Here is the bird of the day. The subject of much excitement on the rare bird lists. Common on the west coast but not around here: MacGillivray's Warbler!

It came way out in the open, but I just couldn't find it in my camera in time. So I had to be satisfied with partially obscured blurriness. It is stunning to see so much yellow on a bird in December.

Here's the best look at its bright yellow belly.

Oh, and as I was watching the MacGillvray's, an orange-crowned warbler flew up. They were clearly interacting, calling back and forth. Here they are below, a few feet apart.

(You'll have to take my word for it...)