Ice.
A gray day. Temperatures on either side of freezing. Crows around, and a singing titmouse. Chickadees. When dog and I went out first thing, I snooped around the north side of the place, where we’d seen the skunk the other night, and saw where some critter—the skunk, no doubt—had nibbled big chunks out of some blue-board insulation a contractor had jammed around the outside of a crawlspace under the back room. I’m now imagining they’re living under there. The skunks.
The trail.
A tiring day. Sat in a chair for long stretches. Finally drug myself out late to get my blood moving.
Jack came, too. We did a couple quick errands, then headed out Route 17 to take the back way to Rockport Village. Mallards at Chickawaukie Lake. At the little cow farm on Rockville Street, a large flock of ring-billed gulls were just standing there among the cows.
Finally reached Beech Hill at 4:30. The stone movers had called it quits for the day. Their equipment sat parked and quiet. I noticed they’d moved the smaller piles of boulders into a few large piles. Not sure exactly what their plan is. The trail proved fairly passable, with only a few slick spots. A chill wind. Low clouds hung over the bay.
Not a lot of snow left, but the icy patches on the trail held interesting patterns.
A couple times I thought I heard the voices of birds and stopped, but nothing. I listened for a long time back at the parking lot, but all I heard was the husky rush of the wind in the crowns of the pines down there.
Summit spruces.
Tonight there comes the sound of a fog horn out in the harbor. Rain coming tomorrow, I hear tell.
Beech Hill List
Beginning at 4:30 p.m., I hiked the open trail.
No birds seen or heard on the hill today.
Elsewhere
1. American crow
2. Tufted titmouse
3. Black-capped chickadee
4. House sparrow
5. Herring gull
6. Rock pigeon
7. Mallard
8. Ring-billed gull
