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Archive for the ‘Poem’ Category
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 »
Tuesday, May 10th, 2016
 Chestnut-sided Warbler. When the black flies come out
I’m happier than most people I see,
less aggravated or dismayed by far.
I get a little inner thrill in fact
when that first fly buzzes my ear
or gets caught in the corner of my eye.
 Tree Swallow drama. When the black flies come out
I know that means the warblers are returning.
And return they did today—
eight species at Beech Hill
(two of them first-of-year birds).
Those who’d as soon dispatch the pesky fly
would also silence the warbler by and by.
Beech Hill List
Beginning at 7:45 a.m., I hiked all trails.
1. Ovenbird (v)
2. Eastern Phoebe*
3. Tufted Titmouse** (v)
4. Black-and-white Warbler**
5. American Goldfinch**
6. Black-capped Chickadee*
7. American Crow*
8. Eastern Towhee
9. Mourning Dove** (v)
10. Blue Jay** (v)
11. Gray Catbird (v)
12. American Robin*
13. Chestnut-sided Warbler
14. Common Yellowthroat
15. Yellow-rumped Warbler*
16. Herring Gull*
17. White-throated Sparrow** (v)
18. Common Grackle
19. Tree Swallow
20. Common Raven
21. Song Sparrow**
22. Field Sparrow (v)
23. Savannah Sparrow
24. Chipping Sparrow** (v)
25. Northern Cardinal** (v)
26. House Finch**
27. Nashville Warbler (v)
28. Pileated Woodpecker (v)
29. White-breasted Nuthatch* (v)
30. Purple Finch (v)
31. Black-throated Green Warbler**
32. Pine Warbler** (v)
Elsewhere
33. Turkey Vulture
34. Downy Woodpecker
35. Rock Pigeon
v = Voice only
*Also elsewhere
**Voice only elsewhere
†First-of-year species
Posted in Lists, Observations, Poem | No Comments »
Sunday, May 8th, 2016
 Osprey (with fish). Moving through thick fog I feel as
if I’m in some massive chamber
with soft walls and a low ceiling.
It feels comforting to be here
in the embrace of the earth.
 Song Sparrow. Sound is transformed in this vapor.
Bird song seems both near and distant,
coming from such odd directions,
wafted in a wind that rises
up and over the summit.
I hear the croak of a raven
and the note of a hermit thrush.
I see three species of sparrow
Singing to the spirit of fog.
A Common Yellowthroat, too.
I hear the cry of an osprey,
down around the wooded trailhead,
and there sits the bird, fish in claw,
on the limb of a hardwood tree—
a fish hawk incongruous.
 Savannah Sparrow. Beech Hill List
Beginning at 8:30 a.m., I hiked all trails.
1. Eastern Phoebe*
2. Song Sparrow**
3. Black-and-white Warbler**
4. Eastern Towhee
5. Mourning Dove* (v)
6. American Crow*
7. American Goldfinch**
8. Herring Gull*
9. Black-capped Chickadee*
10. Downy Woodpecker* (v)
11. Wild Turkey (v)
12. Yellow-rumped Warbler
13. Common Yellowthroat
14. Tree Swallow
15. Field Sparrow (v)
16. American Robin*
17. Northern Harrier
18. Savannah Sparrow
19. Tufted Titmouse (v)
20. Northern Cardinal** (v)
21. Chipping Sparrow**
22. Pileated Woodpecker (v)
23. Purple Finch
24. Northern Flicker (v)
25. Common Raven (v)
26. Brown-headed Cowbird
27. Blue Jay** (v)
28. Hermit Thrush* (v)
29. Ovenbird (v)
30. Osprey
Elsewhere
31. European Starling
32. Red-tailed Hawk
v = Voice only
*Also elsewhere
**Voice only elsewhere
Tags: American crow, American goldfinch, American robin, black-and-white warbler, black-capped chickadee, blue jay, brown-headed cowbird, chipping sparrow, common raven, common yellowthroat, downy woodpecker, eastern phoebe, eastern towhee, European starling, field sparrow, hermit thrush, herring gull, mourning dove, northern cardinal, northern flicker, northern harrier, osprey, ovenbird, pileated woodpecker, purple finch, red-tailed hawk, savannah sparrow, song sparrow, tree swallow, tufted titmouse, wild turkey, 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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