The past few mornings of hiking the hill with dog, I’ve heard the distinctive tseet! note of migrating White-throated Sparrows. I’ve had no good looks at white-throats—they mostly flit through leafy tangles, staying out of sight—but they’re always on the move this time of year.
Today, surprisingly, I had a chance glimpse of one along the wooded trail and managed a (not great) photo. Ta-da!!
You never know in early October. Wonder what we’ll encounter tomorrow.
Beech Hill List Starting at 7:39 a.m. EST (8:39 DST), I hiked all trails.
Another bright, breezy fall morning—but a bit warmer than yesterday. The winds were still unfavorable, migration-wise, but birds were about. Three species in particular were active: chickadees, yellow-rumps, and jays.
The Blue Jays were especially vocal and traveled in little roving bands. I even heard one deliver a pretty accurate Broad-winged Hawk whistle.
Smart birds, jays (as are all corvids). I often wonder what’s on their minds.
Beech Hill List Starting at 7:30 a.m. EST (8:30 DST), I hiked all trails.
They’re everywhere at this time of year. I’m talking about Yellow-rumped Warblers—a.k.a. (in the lingo of my birding crowd) “Butter Butts” or just “’Rumps.” There they were on this nippy, breezy, cloudless morning, flitting about in their drab fall plumage, delivering their familiar dry chip notes, by far the most abundant of the migratory species.
Also had white-throats and kinglets again, heard the voice of a Red-shouldered Hawk, had a couple other cool migrants. But just about everywhere dog and I walked, we were accompanied by yellow-rumps.
Will miss them when they’re gone.
Beech Hill List Starting at 7:48 a.m. EST (8:48 DST), I hiked all trails.
