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Archive for the ‘Poem’ 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 »
Friday, May 13th, 2016
 American Redstart. Beech Hill List
Beginning at 7:15 a.m., I hiked all trails.
1. Black-throated Green Warbler
2. Ovenbird
3. American Goldfinch*
4. Common Yellowthroat
5. Blue Jay* (v)
6. Black-capped Chickadee**
7. Tufted Titmouse* (v)
8. Blue-headed Vireo** (v)
9. Blackpoll Warbler† (v)
10. American Crow*
11. Gray Catbird**
12. Veery (v)
13. Downy Woodpecker* (v)
14. Black-and-white Warbler*
15. Chestnut-sided Warbler
16. Mourning Dove*
17. Eastern Towhee
18. Nashville Warbler** (v)
19. Yellow-rumped Warbler*
20. Rose-breasted Grosbeak
21. White-throated Sparrow (v)
22. Wood Thrush (v)
23. Tree Swallow
24. Song Sparrow**
25. Yellow Warbler (v)
26. Northern Flicker (v)
27. Field Sparrow (v)
28. Eastern Phoebe*
29. Common Loon
30. Turkey Vulture
31. House Sparrow (v)
32. Northern Cardinal* (v)
33. American Robin*
34. Chipping Sparrow**
35. Brown-headed Cowbird (v)
36. American Redstart
37. Northern Parula (v)
38. Herring Gull*
39. Savannah Sparrow
40. Purple Finch
41. Hairy Woodpecker
42. Pileated Woodpecker (v)
Elsewhere
43. European Starling
44. Mallard
45. Great Blue Heron
v = Voice only
*Also elsewhere
**Voice only elsewhere
†First-of-year bird
Tags: American crow, American goldfinch, American robin, black-and-white warbler, black-capped chickadee, black-throated green warbler, blue jay, brown-headed cowbird, chestnut-sided warbler, chipping sparrow, common loon, common yellowthroat, downy woodpecker, eastern phoebe, eastern towhee, European starling, field sparrow, gray catbirdv, hairy woodpecker, herring gull, house finch, mourning dove, Nashville warbler, northern cardinal, northern flicker, northern parula, ovenbird, pileated woodpecker, purple finch, rose-breasted grosbeak, savannah sparrow, song sparrow, tree swallow, tufted titmouse, turkey vulture, white-throated sparrow, wood thrush, yellow warbler, yellow-rumped warbler
Posted in Lists, 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 »
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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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