Foggy landscape.

Today was cool, but not too cool. Wet, but not too wet. Plenty foggy, though.

Birch.

I spent most of the day inside, writing. But toward the end of it, as usual, dog and I set off for Beech Hill. Thick fog by then, and no one else on the hill. Chickadees around the parking lot. A muddy track. About half-way up, I heard crows in the fog, and at the quiet summit—made quieter by the cloud around us—I heard the chip-notes of tree sparrows. Didn’t see the sparrows until we’d nearly finished our hike, when I spotted a couple of them nibbling on seeds at the ends of the branches of some scrubby trees. Also heard the voices of robins.

Tonight, I was informed by my friend Kristen that, back in August sometime, the American Ornithologist’s Union had again fiddled with the taxonomies of our beloved wood-warblers. Turns out there is no more genus Dendroica; now you’re liable to see Setophaga, instead. I don’t know the obscure, mysterious reasons for such tinkering with the official Latin names of things, of course, but frankly I’m not a fan of this change. For years—decades—I’ve thought of some of my favorite birds as Dendroica warblers. I’ve always liked the sound of “Dendroica.” Setophaga? Not so much. Arcane or not, it seems to me that a clandestine few rather like wielding such power over all us clueless birders. And we powerless multitudes are content just to follow merrily along, whistling in the breeze.

OK, maybe that’s over the top. But still. I will sorely miss Dendroica.

Beech Hill List
Beginning at 3:15 p.m., I hiked the open trail.

1. Black-capped chickadee
2. American crow (voice)
3. American tree sparrow
4. American robin (voice)

Elsewhere

5. Mallard
6. Herring gull