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Archive for the ‘Observations’ Category
Saturday, May 14th, 2016
 Tree Swallow. Four more have come.
Four more have arrived—the migrants.
The wild, miraculous, migrating birds
that flood through my days in May.
 Scarlet Tanager. Four more, insectivores all,
tiny and hefty, drab and showy,
furtive and fearless.
All but one singing on the heels
of their miraculous journeys.
All old friends of mine.
Least Flycatchers’ songs are like hiccups.
Black-throated Blue Warblers’ lazy and strange.
The Eastern Kingbird I spotted in my favorite tree
did not sing to me.
But the tanager did, the Scarlet Tanager.
Had it not I wouldn’t have found it
high in a leafing out tree.
Its sing is coarse, plain, humdrum;
its aspect is brilliant red, sunlit against
a blue dome.
 Least Flycatcher. Now they are here on their great adventure,
their great mission:
to mate and lay,
by habitat defend their territories,
hatch and fledge and fly,
all within three months or so.
And then they shall depart again
returning in greater numbers
to their true homes,
where they spend most of each year,
each revolution of the earth around its star.
 Northern Cardinal. Beech Hill List
Beginning at 8 a.m., I hiked all trails.
1. American Goldfinch*
2. Ovenbird**
3. Black-throated Green Warbler (v)
4. Black-throated Blue Warbler† (v)
5. Common Yellowthroat
6. Blue Jay** (v)
7. Blue-headed Vireo (v)
8. Black-capped Chickadee**
9. American Crow*
10. Veery (v)
11. Gray Catbird
12. Tufted Titmouse* (v)
13. Nashville Warbler (v)
14. Rose-breasted Grosbeak
15. Eastern Towhee
16. Chestnut-sided Warbler**
17. American Redstart**
18. Least Flycatcher†
19. Northern Parula (v)
20. Northern Cardinal* (v)
21. Yellow-rumped Warbler
22. Field Sparrow (v)
23. Song Sparrow**
24. Wild Turkey
25. Tree Swallow
26. Black-and-white Warbler
27. American Robin*
28. Eastern Phoebe*
29. Yellow Warbler
30. Savannah Sparrow
31. Eastern Kingbird†
32. Scarlet Tanager†
33. Swainson’s Thrush
34. Common Raven
35. Purple Finch (v)
36. Brown-headed Cowbird (v)
37. Northern Flicker (v)
38. Pileated Woodpecker (v)
39. Wood Thrush (v)
40. Mourning Dove* (v)
41. Hermit Thrush (v)
Elsewhere
42. Herring Gull
43. White-breasted Nuthatch (v)
44. Chipping Sparrow (v)
45. Downy Woodpecker
46. Pine Warbler (v)
v = Voice only
*Also elsewhere
**Voice only elsewhere
†First-of-year bird
Tags: American crow, American goldfinch, American redstart, American robin, black-and-white warbler, black-capped chickadee, black-throated blue warbler, black-throated green warbler, blue jay, blue-headed vireo, brown-headed cowbird, chestnut-sided warbler, common yellowthroat, downy woodpecker, eastern kingbird, eastern phoebe, eastern towhee, field sparrow, gray catbird, hermit thrush, herring gull, least flycatcher, mourning dove, Nashville warbler, northern cardinal, northern flicker, northern parula, ovenbird, pileated woodpecker, pine warbler, purple finch, rose-breasted grosbeak, savannah sparrow, scarlet tanager, song sparrow, swainson’s thrush common raven, tree swallow, tufted titmouse, veery, white-breasted nuthatch, wild turkey, wood thrush, yellow warbler, yellow-rumped warbler
Posted in Lists, Observations, Poem | No Comments »
Thursday, May 12th, 2016
 Ovenbird. I could tell you about stalking the wild Ovenbird
this early morning at Beech Hill Preserve.
I could brag about getting a decent photo
for a change.
I might mention the Rose-breasted Grosbeak,
the first of its species I’ve seen this spring,
that despite singing so near me
eluded my eye entirely,
because my ears could not hone in.
I could gush in the memory of
two other first of year birds—
Yellow Warbler and American Redstart—
or just the general thrill of my hikes
at exactly this season.
I could tell the tale of the neighbor’s dog
that slipped out and was barking off in the woods
somewhere.
 Swainson’s Thrush. But the thing that’s stuck with me
on this day
is that eighteen-mile bicycle ride:
the uphill straining,
the downhill speed,
the riding with no hands, Ma,
the magical endorphins,
the warm afternoon,
and the wind—the fragrant spring wind
in my ears.
Beech Hill List
Beginning at 6:45 a.m., I hiked all trails.
1. Black-throated Green Warbler
2. Ovenbird
3. Common Yellowthroat
4. Blue Jay* (v)
5. American Goldfinch*
6. Chestnut-sided Warbler**
7. Tufted Titmouse** (v)
8. Blue-headed Vireo** (v)
9. Eastern Towhee
10. Northern Cardinal**
11. American Crow*
12. Black-and-white Warbler*
13. Black-capped Chickadee**
14. Gray Catbird
15. Hermit Thrush
16. Rose-breasted Grosbeak† (v)
17. Northern Parula*
18. Red-breasted Nuthatch (v)
19. White-throated Sparrow (v)
20. Yellow-rumped Warbler*
21. Field Sparrow (v)
22. Tree Swallow
23. Song Sparrow**
24. Savannah Sparrow
25. Yellow Warbler†
26. Chipping Sparrow**
27. Downy Woodpecker*
28. House Finch (v)
29. American Robin*
30. Swainson’s Thrush
31. White-breasted Nuthatch* (v)
32. Common Raven (v)
33. American Redstart† (v)
Elsewhere
34. Herring Gull
35. European Starling
36. Turkey Vulture
37. Rock Pigeon
38. Eastern Phoebe
v = Voice only
*Also elsewhere
**Voice only elsewhere
†First-of-year species
Tags: American crow, American goldfinch, American redstart, American robin, black-and-white warbler, black-capped chickadee, black-throated green warbler, blue jay, blue-headed vireo, chestnut-sided warbler, chipping sparrow, common raven, common yellowthroat, downy woodpecker, eastern phoebe, eastern towhee, European starling, field sparrow, gray catbird, hermit thrush, herring gull, house finch, northern cardinal, northern parula, ovenbird, red-breasted nuthatch, rock pigeon, rose-breasted grosbeak, savannah sparrow, song sparrow, Swainson's thrush, tree swallow, tufted titmouse, turkey vulture, white-breasted nuthatch, white-throated sparrow, yellow warbler, yellow-rumped warbler
Posted in Lists, Observations, Poem | No Comments »
Wednesday, May 11th, 2016
 Black-throated green warbler. Our tilted planet,
its creeping warmth and sun,
paid off this morning,
big-time.
 Chestnut-sided Warbler. First came the voices
of birds in the greening canopy—
songs and notes that soon revealed
new first-of-year species had arrived.
And as the sun got higher,
the black flies got swarmier,
buzzing in swarms around dog’s and my heads.
Good sign.
Individual passerines
—warblers, vireos, thrushes, sparrows,
and even a pair of kingfishers—
flitted and chased,
wooed and mated
and fought tiny territorial wars.
I think I know where Ovenbirds will nest.
 Northern Cardinal. Beech Hill List
Beginning at 7:15 a.m., I hiked all trails.
1. Ovenbird**
2. Black-throated Green Warbler**
3. Black-and-white Warbler*
4. Eastern Phoebe*
5. Tufted Titmouse** (v)
6. American Crow*
7. American Goldfinch*
8. Blue Jay**
9. Mourning Dove* (v)
10. Black-capped Chickadee*
11. Blue-headed Vireo**
12. Veery (v)
13. Eastern Towhee
14. Pileated Woodpecker
15. Northern Parula†
16. Gray Catbird**
17. Chestnut-sided Warbler**
18. Common Yellowthroat**
19. Northern Flicker*
20. Wood Thrush†
21. White-throated Sparrow
22. Nashville warbler
23. Yellow-rumped Warbler
24. Song Sparrow
25. Tree Swallow
26. Field Sparrow
27. Canada Warbler†
28. Herring Gull
29. Savannah Sparrow†
30. Red-breasted Nuthatch (v)†
31. Chipping Sparrow* (V)
32. Belted Kingfisher†
33. American Robin**
34. Common Raven
35. Purple Finch*
36. Pine Warbler* (v)
Elsewhere
37. Northern Cardinal
38. Ruby-throated Hummingbird
39. White-breasted Nuthatch
40. Downy Woodpecker
41. House Finch
v = Voice only
*Also elsewhere
**Voice only elsewhere
†First-of-year bird
Tags: American crow, American goldfinch, American robin, belted kingfisher, black-capped chickadee, black-throated green warbler, blue jay, blue-headed vireo, Canada warbler, chestnut-sided warbler, chipping sparrow, common raven, common yellowthroat, downy woodpecker, eastern phoebe, eastern towhee, field sparrow, gray catbird, herring gull, house finch, mourning dove, Nashville warbler, northern cardinal, northern flicker, northern parula, ovenbird, pileated woodpecker, pine warbler, purple finch, red-breasted nuthatch, ruby-throated hummingbird, savannah sparrow, song sparrow, tree swallow, tufted titmouse, veery, white-breasted nuthatch, white-throated sparrow, wood thrush, yellow-rumped warbler
Posted in Lists, Observations, Poem | No Comments »
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| Bird Report is a (sometimes intermittent) record of the birds I encounter while hiking, see while driving, or spy outside my window. —Brian Willson |
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