|
|
 |
|
|
Archive for the ‘Observations’ Category
Monday, April 25th, 2016
 Yellow-rumped Warbler. I saw a fox today, stepping out for a meal of squirrel.
“Fox”—the name we’ve given the lithe canine,
the four-legged soul that trips slyly around
caring for her kits.
Sometimes when you hear a fox bark or cry at night
it changes your life.
 American Kestrel. We like to give names to things because
we get to pretend we are their overlords, their masters.
Because it implies that we know them and
have put them in their place,
in their genus and their species.
It’s a kind of make-believe.
Because it’s all a mirage.
Because no one owns
the bright male Yellow-rumped Warbler
that sings its trilly little song
as it hunts new flies,
and as I hope it’ll come close enough to me,
a man whose head is surrounded by little flies,
that I might grab a photo.
We call it a “Yellow-rumped Warbler”—and
I even capitalize its name—
for an obvious reason.
But no longer is it just
a small bold bird with a yellow backside.
For we have classified it, and the fox,
like pieces in a board game.
Beech Hill List
Beginning at 3 p.m., I hiked all trails.
1. American Goldfinch* (v)
2. Downy Woodpecker** (v)
3. American Crow*
4. Northern Flicker*
5. Black-capped Chickadee** (v)
6. Herring Gull*
7. Yellow-rumped Warbler
8. Purple Finch (v)
9. Yellow-rumped Warbler
10. Eastern Towhee (v)
11. Turkey Vulture*
12. Ruby-crowned Kinglet (v)
13. Northern Cardinal* (v)
14. Tufted Titmouse** (v)
15. White-breasted Nuthatch (v)
16. American Kestrel
17. Savannah Sparrow
18. Mourning Dove* (v)
Elsewhere
19. Blue Jay (v)
20. Eastern Phoebe
22. Dark-eyed Junco (v)
23. Red-bellied Woodpecker (v)
24. Broad-winged Hawk
25. House Sparrow
26. House Finch
v = Voice only
*Also elsewhere
**Voice only elsewhere
Tags: American crow, American goldfinch, American kestrel, black-capped chickadee, blue jay, broad-winged hawk, dark-eyed junco, downy woodpecker, eastern phoebe, eastern towhee, herring gull, house finch, house sparrow, mourning dove, northern cardinal, northern flicker, purple finch, red-bellied woodpecker, ruby-crowned kinglet, savannah sparrow, tufted titmouse, turkey vulture, white-breasted nuthatch, yellow-rumped warbler
Posted in Lists, Observations, Poem | No Comments »
Sunday, April 24th, 2016
 House Finch. First light, setting moon.
Thirty-three degrees didn’t stop dog and me
but rather seemed to invigorate us,
and also the breeze.
 Downy Woodpecker. The birds of Beech Hill though
hunkered down for a while
until the sun rose to just the right angle
for warming to bird-friendly temperatures,
and then the kinglets and yellow-rumps
began to flit
and I missed a great photograph of a singing warbler
when a croaking raven distracted me,
and so I got no photo of either.
Ravens can fly faster than you can imagine—
ravens on a mission.
I wish I could make the sound a raven makes.
Beech Hill List
Beginning at 6:30 a.m., I hiked all trails.
1. American Goldfinch*
2. Hermit Thrush
3. Downy Woodpecker**
4. American Robin*
5. Black-capped Chickadee*
6. Tufted Titmouse**
7. Northern Flicker*
8. American Crow*
9. Ruby-crowned Kinglet
10. Purple Finch (v)
11. White-throated Sparrow (v)
12. Yellow-rumped Warbler
13. Eastern Towhee
14. Mallard
15. Song Sparrow**
16. Northern Cardinal*
17. Wild Turkey (v)
18. Mourning Dove* (v)
19. Savannah Sparrow
20. Tree Swallow
21. Field Sparrow (v)
22. Eastern Phoebe*
23. Dark-eyed Junco**
24. American Kestrel
25. Common Raven
26. Blue Jay* (v)
27. Pileated Woodpecker (v)
28. Broad-winged Hawk (v)
Elsewhere
29. White-breasted Nuthatch
30. House Sparrow
31. House Finch
v = Voice only
*Also elsewhere
**Voice only elsewhere
Tags: American crow, American goldfinch, American kestrel, American robin, black-capped chickadee, blue jay, broad-winged hawk, common raven, dark-eyed junco, downy woodpecker, eastern phoebe, eastern towhee, field sparrow, hermit thrush, house finch, house sparrow, mallard, mourning dove, northern cardinal, northern flicker, pileated woodpecker, purple finch, ruby-crowned kinglet, savannah sparrow, song sparrow, tree swallow, tufted titmouse, white-breasted nuthatch, white-thraoted sparrow, wild turkey, yellow-rumped warbler
Posted in Lists, Observations, Poem | No Comments »
Saturday, April 23rd, 2016
 American Kestrel devouring a snake. At first light the gray ceiling of all outdoors
comforted me,
held me in and convinced me
that I will not die too soon.
 Hermit Thrush. Setting off with Jack in the truck, I encountered
a gray squirrel
darting frantically across the road,
the neighborhood fox in close pursuit.
But the fox turned when it saw the truck
and hurried away
through a side yard. I never thought
about saving a squirrel’s life in such a way.
Later, on a reddish hill, I watched a kestrel
sit, sit, wait, wait,
until it spotted a small snake—
it’s second of the morning—and devoured it fast.
I got photographs of birds and plants and sky
and Jack, my dog.
Sorted through them, I remembered
the gray on the head of the kestrel.
 Newlyweds. Beech Hill List
Beginning at 6:15 a.m., I hiked all trails.
1. Northern Cardinal**
2. Hermit Thrush**
3. Eastern Phoebe*
4. Barred Owl (v)
5. American Goldfinch*
6. Downy Woodpecker** (v)
7. Black-capped Chickadee*
8. American Robin*
9. Blue Jay* (v)
10. Blue-headed Vireo† (v)
11. Mourning Dove**
12. Eastern Towhee
13. Northern Flicker*
14. White-throated Sparrow** (v)
15. Song Sparrow**
16. Ruffed Grouse (booming)
17. Yellow-rumped Warbler
18. Wild Turkey (v)
19. Herring Gull*
20. Ruby-crowned Kinglet
21. Purple Finch (v)
22. Tree Swallow
23. Field Sparrow (v)
24. Savannah Sparrow
25. Mallard
26. American Kestrel
27. Palm Warbler
28. Tufted Titmouse** (v)
29. White-breasted Nuthatch* (v)
30. Eastern Bluebird
31. Common Raven
32. Osprey* (v)
33. Pileated Woodpecker (v)
34. Broad-winged Hawk† (v)
Elsewhere
35. House Finch (v)
36. European Starling
37. House Sparrow
38. Rock Pigeon
39. Red-tailed Hawk
v = Voice only
*Also elsewhere
**Voice only elsewhere
†First-of-year bird
Tags: American goldfinch, American kestrel, American robin, barred owl, black-capped chickadee, blue jay, blue-headed vireo, broad-winged hawk, common raven, downy woodpecker, eastern phoebe, eastern towhee, European starling, field sparrow, hermit thrush, herring gull, house finch, house sparrow, mallard, mourning dove, northern cardinal, northern flicker, osprey, palm warbler, pileated woodpecker, purple finch, red-tailed hawk, rock pigeon, ruby-crowned kinglet, ruffed grouse, savannah sparrow, song sparrow, tree swallow, tufted titmouse, white-breasted nuthatch, white-throated sparrow, wild turkey, yellow-rumped warbler
Posted in Lists, Observations, Poem | No Comments »
|
|
| |
| Bird Report is a (sometimes intermittent) record of the birds I encounter while hiking, see while driving, or spy outside my window. —Brian Willson |
|
|
|
