Herring gull.
Sun again this morning, but not without intermittent high clouds. The temperature felt chilly still, at 40- to 50-something degrees (F). Early singing birds included song sparrow, cardinal, phoebe, house finch, downy woodpecker, titmouse, finches, crow. Saw the phoebe perched on the peak of the next-door roof again; heard the various love songs of the male titmouse, which posed for photos.
Tufted titmouse.
Herring gulls sailed overhead as we drove to Beech Hill again at midday, dog and I. No tractor today, but I couldn’t help but notice the entire summit shorn and certain nesting clumps mowed down. (When the birds arrive, of course, they’ll simply use other clumps nearby, but I still felt a sense of loss.) Then again, I was thrilled to see kestrels, three of them, hovering on rapid wings above the new-mown grass, and a solitary harrier tipping and veering over the lower southern slope. Song sparrows flitted silently again amid the brush, and one of the pair of ravens croaked audibly on our way down. A blue jay jeered, as well.
Later, while out cycling, I marveled at the huge familiar wheel of gulls above the cow farm off Route 1. Birds know where the food is, that’s for sure. Robins and crows hopped again near the edges of the roads, and a newly arrived double-crested cormorant zipped along above Clam Cove. The wind blew moderately hard from the northwest, making for varying difficulty.
Unfurling.
Decided to walk the breakwater this evening. Still wind, which ruffled the water. No loons, no mergansers—no ducks but a couple dozen eiders and a few small flocks of long-tailed ducks, high-tailing it out to sea. I saw another d-c cormorant, and a solitary guillemot flying low above the waves.
I’m starting to get excited about the influx of passerines. I can nearly sense them, stocking up, or heading north, flying at night, maybe a couple weeks out, reproduction on their minds.
Today’s List
American crow
Song sparrow
Northern cardinal
Tufted titmouse
Downy woodpecker
American goldfinch
House finch
Eastern phoebe
Mourning dove
Herring gull
Northern harrier
American kestrel
Common raven
Black-capped chickadee
Blue jay
Rock pigeon
Common eider
Double-crested cormorant
Long-tailed duck
Black guillemot
Budding trees.
Tags: American crow, American goldfinch, American kestrel, black guillemot, black-capped chickadee, blue jay, common eider, common raven, double-crested cormorant, downy woodpecker, herring gull, house finch, long-tailed duck, mourning dove, northern cardinal, northern harrier, rock pigeon, song sparrow, tufted titmouse
