|
|
 |
|
|
Archive for May, 2011
Monday, May 16th, 2011
 Common yellowthroat. May 2011 will live in infamy (for a couple years, at least) for its ceaseless overcast. More than half-way through the month, you can count the sunny days on one hand, and the forecast through the weekend is for more rain. But I don’t much mind. There’s something close and intimate about a cloudy, drippy, foggy day. Although I must say they’re not great for photographs.
 Jack and ferns. One day a month, I’m particularly desk-bound. This was that day. Began early and, looking out occasionally at the intermittent drizzle, got it done. At about 4, I grabbed Jack and we set off to do a few errands. House finch and house sparrow and crow around my place; a surprise appearance by a hummingbird visiting my purple-blooming rhododendrons (or azaleas or whatever they are) not twenty feet from busy Route 1; starlings, gulls, and pigeons in town. Pulling into a parking lot near the post office, I got a good look at a rock pigeon floating over the business block. Pigeons have this thing they do, fluttering high, then sailing slowly down, wings lifted in an acute V shape that’s unique among the birds I know. They make an interesting profile when floating slowly down like that. They sort of resemble an origami bird.
The rain had stopped when we parked at the wooded Beech Hill trailhead. Very damp and drippy still, with a bit of wind and a fog gathering. Oddly, within a minute or two, four other vehicles also pulled into the lot, and yet three of them turned around and left right away. A woman hiker emerged from the fourth. I suggested she continue on up ahead because Jack and I would surely be dilly-dallying.
And dilly-dally we did. I didn’t expect much, bird-wise. And I didn’t hear a peep—until we’d reached the edge of the sugarbush, when I heard the faint notes of a nuthatch. We stopped so I could look for it and, by golly, I spotted it, too. And then I spotted several other little birds in the canopy nearby: silent warblers moving through. Saw a yellow warbler, a parula, a chestnut sided. Suddenly a pair of robins flew up into the trees. And a hairy woodpecker swooped into the picture. Then I heard the call of an ovenbird. And the song of a goldfinch flying over. Eight species within the span of a minute or two—most of them silent.
 Foggy field. (I haven’t heard why that is—why migrating songbirds tend to vocalize in the morning and grow silent later in the day (and/or in unsettled weather)—and have read nothing on the subject. I can only draw on my experience. And experience suggests that perhaps as the day lengthens they’re concentrating on food and shelter. They rise early and declare their existence, then at day’s end seem content to stock up in anticipation of the next fresh, joyous morning. Certainly bright mornings are the most musical times, is all I can safely say.)
Ascending the upper trail, I heard towhees and (from some distance) herring gulls. At a little open area, a yellowthroat flitted up into plain view. Then a chestnut-sided warbler appeared only a few feet away but hidden by a twig. Other warblers were darting about here, too, but I only got a good look at one through binoculars. At least I think it was a warbler—I couldn’t ID the bird. It was fairly plain, with an olive-colored back and wingbars, but had a brilliantly yell0w breast. A female magnolia? Some kind of vireo? I wish I’d managed a photo.
As we continued up, white-throated sparrows dashed furtively out of our way. Heard little gangs of chickadees.
Fog cloaked the upper fields. No kestrel or crow or other bird perched in the trees up there. A couple more yellowthroats and towhees. We met the hiker coming back down and stayed to chat a bit—during which time I saw a catbird fly by and heard the voices of a turkey and a raven.
 Fern. At the misty summit, I caught sight of a little sparrow on the grass near Beech Nut—a solitary savannah—and heard the voices of crows.
Returning down the lower trail, I heard the song of a hermit thrush. And that was all I heard or saw until we neared the parking lot again, when a phoebe zipped suddenly past.
This soggy evening, out back, I heard the subtle voices of the resident nuthatches and the full, forthright song of a cardinal.
Beech Hill List
Beginning at 5:45 p.m, I hiked the wooded trails.
1. White-breasted nuthatch
2. Yellow warbler
3. Northern parula
4. Chestnut-sided warbler
5. American robin
6. Hairy woodpecker
7. Ovenbird (voice)
8. American goldfinch (voice)
9. Eastern towhee
10. Herring gull (voice)
11. Common yellowthroat
12. Black-capped chickadee (voice)
13. White-throated sparrow
14. Gray catbird
15. Wild turkey (voice)
16. Common raven (voice)
17. Savannah sparrow
18. American crow (voice)
19. Hermit thrush (voice)
20. Eastern phoebe
Elsewhere
21. House finch
22. House sparrow
23. Ruby-throated hummingbird
24. European starling
25. Rock pigeon
26. Northern cardinal
Tags: American crow, American goldfinch, American robin, black-capped chickadee, chestnut-sided warbler, common raven, common yellowthroat, eastern phoebe, eastern towhee, European starling, gray catbird, hairy woodpecker, hermit thrush, herring gull, house finch, house sparrow, northern cardinal, northern parula, ovenbird, rock pigeon, savannah sparrow, white-breasted nuthatch, white-throated sparrow, wild turkey, yellow warbler
Posted in Lists, Observations | No Comments »
Sunday, May 15th, 2011
 Baltimore oriole. Rain this morning, as forecast. Not a lot of rain, though, first thing—just a little drizzle. Still, I had a date to lead a bird walk at the amazing L. C. Bates Museum in Hinckley, Maine. (I led a walk there last year, too, also in the rain.) Occupying a hulking, hundred-year-old brick school building on the campus of historic Good Will–Hinckley, the museum is a taxidermist’s dream, with dusty old specimens of just about every Maine critter you can imagine, along with exotic animals and birds from elsewhere in the world, and even a giant stuffed marlin caught by Ernest Hemingway. Seemingly in the middle of nowhere, it’s kind of a dark, cavernous, spooky place—yet also incredibly magical, inspiring, thought-provoking. You sort of feel like you’ve ventured back in time. Definitely worth a visit.
 Eastern bluebird. Spent the morning putting together some photos in case the rain got too heavy, then set out for Hinckley. (Jack stayed home.) En route, I saw a turkey hen hustling off the road in front of me—also roadside mourning doves and crows and grackles and a juvenile red-tailed hawk. The rain came and went, then settled into a light drizzle about the time of my arrival.
Despite the rain, about a dozen people showed up—maybe half grown-ups and half kiddos. We set off at a not-ideal time for a bird walk (1 p.m.), and in the drizzle, and yet right away we heard a bobolink, heard a phoebe, saw a starling, heard a chipping sparrow and a yell0wthroat, and one of the group spotted a bluebird. And immediately after the bluebird sighting, we saw a pair of orioles hopping around in a tree nearby. Very nice to be able to show the group some impressive-looking birds so quickly (which also happened to be first-of-year birds for me!).
We also saw a pair of chipping sparrows, a black-and-white warbler, a yell0w warbler, and a dark, silent warbler (at least I think it was a warbler) that I couldn’t identify. A crow flew over. And suddenly—in a shock to all—a ruby-throated hummingbird zipped right toward us from across the little rain-spattered pond, hovered for a moment in front of our brightly colored rain gear, then zipped away. (Another first-of-year bird for me!)
 Secret nest. The rain soon grew stronger, so we turned back. But on the way, one eagle-eyed young lady somehow spotted a small bird’s nest in a clump of grass by the road overhanging a little stream. It had three grape-sized, speckled eggs in it. Some kind of warbler, I imagine. A yell0wthroat? Or could it have been a chippy nest? Not being a nest expert (eggs-pert?), I’ll likely never know. (16 May 2011 update: I think it might belong to a song sparrow.)
Then we withdrew indoors, where I showed off photos and played bird calls. It was a really nice occasion. I bet some folks who stayed home on account of the weather would’ve enjoyed it, too.
An uneventful trip home, and then I grabbed patient Jack for a quick, wet hike up Beech Hill. And, yes, it was wet. Rained the whole time. We stuck to the wooded trails, spent about forty-five minutes up there. Listed fifteen birds—the most notable probably being the last one, a black-throated green warbler, that I spied flitting about in the trees right beside the parking lot. It didn’t make a peep.
Back home, I stepped out to check the nuthatch hole, and sure enough one of the pair was sticking its head out. Then I heard what at first sounded like the repeated peep! of a chickadee. I looked for it, saw a little bird poking around in the bark of the big leaning oak, and figured that was the chickadee. But it didn’t look exactly like a chickadee to my naked eye—maybe a nuthatch? No. In fact, in the wet dimness, it sort of resembled a golden-crowned kinglet. I went in for my fieldglasses, took a look, and right away pegged it for a black-and-white warbler. But wait. It was surely not emitting a b-and-w chip note. Too clear and sweet. I looked again. It was a blackpoll warbler. Another first of the year.
 Eastern towhee. Five FOY birds today. That takes me over a hundred for the year. A rainy, cold, wet, wonderful day.
Note: I found very helpful this chip-note blog.
Beech Hill List
Beginning at 4:15 p.m, I hiked the wooded trails.
1. Ovenbird (voice)
2. Eastern phoebe
3. Veery (voice)
4. Eastern towhee
5. White-throated sparrow
6. Black-capped chickadee
7. Black-and-white warbler
8. Common yellowthroat
9. Song sparrow
10. Yellow-rumped warbler (voice)
11. Herring gull (voice)
12. Gray catbird (voice)
13. American robin (voice)
14. American goldfinch (voice)
15. Black-throated green warbler
L.C. Bates Museum List
Beginning at 1 p.m., I led a walk out back in the rain.
Eastern phoebe
16. Bobolink
17. European starling
18. Chipping sparrow
Common yellowthroat
19. Eastern bluebird
20. Baltimore oriole
21. American crow
22. Yellow-warbler
Song sparrow
Black-and-white warbler
23. Ruby-throated hummingbird
24. Brown-headed cowbird
Elsewhere
25. House finch
26. Wild turkey
27. Red-tailed hawk
28. Common grackle
29. White-breasted nuthatch
30. Northern cardinal
31. Blackpoll warbler
Tags: American crow, American goldfinch, American robin, Baltimore oriole, black-and-white warbler, black-capped chickadee, black-throated green warbler, blackpoll warbler, bobolink, brown-headed cowbird, chipping sparrow, common grackle, common yellowthroat, eastern phoebe, eastern towhee, European starling, gray catbird, herring gull, house finch, northern cardinal, ovenbird, ruby-throated hummingbird, song sparrow, veery, white-breasted nuthatch, white-throated sparrow, wild turkey, yellow warbler, yellow-rumped warbler
Posted in Lists, Observations | No Comments »
Saturday, May 14th, 2011
 Ovenbird. I rose with the daylight to leave myself time for breakfast before my bird walk at Pleasant Point Nature Preserve in Cushing, a Georges River Land Trust property. I’d never been to the preserve—65-acres of mixed woodland donated by many landowners to keep it forever wild—and it was a nice little plot of land. Implausibly, a couple dozen people showed up, including (thankfully) my expert birding friends Don and Douglas (each, I daresay, more expert than I).
 Least flycatcher. En route down the peninsula, I saw several active birds, among them a (first-of-year) mockingbird in Thomaston. Arrived about a half-hour early to find Douglas and Don there already. A gray day. A couple of magnolia warblers were calling from the road. A junco trilling in the distance. A yellowthroat nearby.
Once everyone had gathered, we started down the freshly blazed trails. We heard the songs of a number of warblers—black-throated green, ovenbird, parula, black-and-white—and Don called a few in with his iPad, giving everyone some good looks. Blue-headed vireos also responded. A loon flew over, and an osprey. Also a raven. We caught a glimpse of a hermit thrush and heard a blackburnian warbler (my first of the year). We could hear geese. And we got a nice look at a hairy woodpecker. I think everyone enjoyed it. The GLRT has some great people doing good work.
Right away on my return, I grabbed Jack (who had waited at home), and we headed for Beech Hill. Despite the late hour, it proved a fruitful hike. Many warblers calling. Got a decent photo of a least flycatcher—and of a couple ovenbirds. I love ovenbirds. They’re declarative, but secretive. They’re feisty, but shy. You can hear them just about anywhere in the Maine woods in season, but it’s uncommon to see them.
 Common yellowthroat. The ringtone on my cell phone is the call of an ovenbird.
After our fruitful hike, coming back down the lower wooded trail, I heard crows harassing a raven. And I caught a glimpse of a large, lumbering shape off beneath the trees—a woodchuck, apparently leaping away from a trunk. I’d never before seen a woodchuck up there.
About half-way down, we’d stopped so I could look at a vireo (thinking it might be a first red-eyed, but it wasn’t), when both dog and I heard the soft beats of wings above us and looked up to see an osprey flying over from behind us, low to the canopy.
This evening, I stepped out before the rain for some air and spotted a couple small dull-colored birds hopping about the trunk of one of the big oaks out back. Sparrows? Thrushes? Ovenbirds? I snuck in for my binoculars and took a closer look: thrushes. But not hermit thrushes (no hint of rust on their tails, nor any tail-wagging) nor veeries (too many splotches on their breasts). They were a plain olive tone but had interesting facial markings with distinctive buffy cheeks. I had a thought and looked them up in Sibley’s. They were Swainson’s thrushes. A life bird for me.
 Woodchuck. In evening, after it began raining lightly, again I heard the flight song of a woodcock.
Beech Hill List
Beginning at 11 a.m., I hiked all trails.
1. Ovenbird
2. Common yellowthroat
3. Black-throated green warbler
4. Eastern phoebe
5. American crow
6. Northern parula
7. Chestnut-sided warbler
8.Rose-breasted grosbeak
9. Song sparrow
10. Least flycatcher
11. Eastern towhee
12. American redstart
13. Black-and-white warbler
14. Herring gull
15. Veery
16. Yellow warbler
17. Black-capped chickadee
18. White-throated sparrow
19. Blue jay
20. Gray catbird
21. Savannah sparrow
22. Field sparrow
23. American robin
24. Hairy woodpecker
25. Blue-headed vireo
26. Mourning dove
27. Magnolia warbler
28. American goldfinch
29. Turkey vulture
30. Common raven
31. Hermit thrush
32. Great crested flycatcher
33. Nashville warbler
34. Osprey
Pleasant Point Nature Preserve List
Beginning at 7:30 a.m., I hung around the trails.
White-throated sparrow
Ovenbird
35. Dark-eyed junco
Magnolia warbler
Black-and-white warbler
Blue jay
Common yellowthroat
Nashville warbler
Osprey
American crow
Herring gull
36. Common loon
Black-throated green warbler
Mourning dove
Common raven
Northern parula
Chestnut-sided warbler
Hermit thrush
37. Canada goose
Blue-headed vireo
38. Blackburnian warbler
American robin
39. Hairy woodpecker
American goldfinch
Elsewhere
40. House finch
41. Northern cardinal
42. Common eider
43. Northern mockingbird
44. Double-crested cormorant
45. Common grackle
46. Red-winged blackbird
47. Ring-billed gull
48. European starling
49. Rock pigeon
50. Swainson’s thrush
51. American woodcock
Tags: American crow, American goldfinch, American redstart, American robin, black-and-white warbler, black-capped chickadee, black-throated green warbler, blackburnian warbler, blue jay, blue-headed vireo, Canada goose, chestnut-sided warbler, common eider, common grackle, common loon, common raven, common yellowthroat, dark-eyed junco, double-crested cormorant, eastern phoebe, eastern towhee, European starling, field sparrow, gray catbird, great crested flycatcher, hairy woodpecker, hermit thrush, herring gull, house finch, least flycatcher, magnolia warbler, mourning dove, Nashville warbler, northern cardinal, northern mockingbird, northern parula, osprey, ovenbird, red-winged blackbird, ring-billed gull, rock pigeon, rose-breasted grosbeak, savannah sparrow, song sparrow, Swainson's thrush, turkey vulture, veery, white-throated sparrow, yellow warbler
Posted in Lists, Observations | 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 |
|
|
