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Archive for the ‘Poem’ Category
Tuesday, June 20th, 2017
 Savannah Sparrow.  Red-tailed Hawk. The morning drizzled, but the midday blew.
First it blew the clouds away—
all but a few that left long, fast shadows.
Then it blew perching Savannah Sparrows
that had to use their wings like highwire tools
to keep their balance on leafy perches.
And it billowed the sails
of boats in the bay.
The wind also blew about the butterflies
whose flight always strikes me as
astonishingly deft for all their floppy appearance.
But a Red-tailed Hawk used the wind
expertly
to circle, circle in the blue.
Beech Hill List
Beginning at 12:30 p.m., I hiked the open trail.
1. Chestnut-sided Warbler (v)
2. American Goldfinch*
3. Chipping Sparrow (v)
4. Common Yellowthroat
5. American Robin*
6. Eastern Towhee
7. Yellow Warbler (v)
8. Eastern Phoebe
9. Song Sparrow
10. Gray Catbird**
11. Savannah Sparrow
12. Herring Gull*
13. Tree Swallow
14. American Crow*
15. Red-tailed Hawk
16. Field Sparrow (v)
17. Red-eyed Vireo (v)
Elsewhere
18. Mourning Dove
19. Hairy Woodpecker (v)
20. Northern Cardinal
 Harris’s Checkerspot.
Tags: American crow, American goldfinch, American robin, chestnut-sided warbler, chipping sparrow, common yellowthroat, eastern phoebe, eastern towhee, field sparrow, hairy woodpecker, herring gull, mourning dove, Northern Cardinal, red-eyed vireo, red-tailed hawk, savannah sparrow, song sparrow, tree swallow, yellow warbler
Posted in Lists, Observations, Photo, Poem | No Comments »
Tuesday, June 13th, 2017
 Eastern Phoebe. This warm morning
I happened to see
a little female Ruby-throated Hummingbird
zip up to the iris patch
out my kitchen window
and hover a while.
Not long after,
on the way to our morning hike,
Jack and I both caught site of a young deer
—a yearling, looked like—
bounding gracefully
over hedgerows and across fields
right along side of us,
keeping pace for a couple hundred yards.
Fun for us both.
Then we saw a turkey.
Nature’s little gifts.
Beech Hill List
Beginning at 8:15 a.m., I hiked the open trail.
1. Wild Turkey
2. American Robin
3. Red-eyed Vireo
4. American Redstart
5. Chestnut-sided Warbler
6. Common Yellowthroat
7. Black-and-white Warbler
8. Hairy Woodpecker
9. American Goldfinch
10. Eastern Towhee
11. Song Sparrow
12. Alder Flycatcher
13. Hermit Thrush
14. Cedar Waxwing
15. Black-capped Chickadee
16. Tree Swallow
17. Ovenbird
18. Savannah Sparrow
19. Eastern Phoebe
20. Gray Catbird
21. Yellow Warbler
22. Veery
23. Field Sparrow
24. Tufted Titmouse
25. Northern Cardinal
26. Wood Thrush
Elsewhere
27. Ruby-throated Hummingbird
28. Chipping Sparrow
29. Rock Pigeon
30. House Sparrow
v = Voice only
*Also elsewhere
**Voice only elsewhere
Tags: alder flycatcher, American goldfinch, American redstart, American robin, black-and-white warbler, black-capped chickadee, Cedar waxwing, chestnut-sided warbler, chipping sparrow, common yellowthroat, eastern phoebe, eastern towhee, field sparrow, gray catbird, hairy woodpecker, hermit thrush, house sparrow, northern cardinal, ovenbird, red-eyed vireo, rock pigeon, ruby-throated hummingbird, savannah sparrow, song sparrow, tree swallow, tufted titmouse, veery, wild turkey, wood thrush, yellow warbler
Posted in Lists, Observations, Photo, Poem | No Comments »
Thursday, June 8th, 2017
 Brown-headed Cowbird (fledgling). The robins have already fledged,
And surely other birds have, too,
This morning’s cowbird startled me
When ever it first flew.*
*From a phoebe nest—edited to correct fledgling species.
 Ospreys. Beech Hill List
Beginning at 8:30 a.m., I hiked all trails.
1. Chestnut-sided Warbler**
2. Black-throated Green Warbler (v)
3. Red-eyed Vireo (v)
4. Ovenbird
5. American Goldfinch (v)
6. Veery
7. Black-and-white Warbler (v)
8. Eastern Towhee
9. Black-capped Chickadee (v)
10. Tufted Titmouse (v)
11. Yellow Warbler** (v)
12. Gray Catbird*
13. Common Yellowthroat (v)
14. American Robin*
15. American Crow* (v)
16. Alder Flycatcher
17. Purple Finch (v)
18. Song Sparrow
19. Eastern Phoebe*
20. Tree Swallow
21. Eastern Bluebird (v)
22. Savannah Sparrow
23. Black-billed Cuckoo (v)
24. Osprey
25. Wood Thrush (v)
26. Northern Cardinal (v)
27. American Redstart (v)
28. Blue Jay
29. Northern Parula (v)
30. Baltimore Oriole†
31. Eastern Kingbird
32. Eastern Wood-pewee (v)
33. Downy Woodpecker (v)
Elsewhere
34. Herring Gull
35. Mourning Dove
v = Voice only
*Also elsewhere
**Voice only elsewhere
†First-of-year bird (at Beech Hill)
Tags: alder flycatcher, American crow, American goldfinch, American redstart, American robin, Baltimore oriole, black-and-white warbler, black-billed cuckoo, black-capped chickadee, black-throated green warbler, blue jay, chestnut-sided warbler, common yellowthroat, downy woodpecker, eastern bluebird, eastern kingbird, eastern phoebe, eastern towhee, eastern wood-pewee, gray catbird, herring gull, mourning dove, northern cardinal, northern parula, osprey, ovenbird, purple finch, red-eyed vireo, savannah sparrow, song sparrow, tree swallow, tufted titmouse, veery, wood thrush, yellow warbler
Posted in Lists, Observations, Photo, 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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