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Archive for October, 2012
Wednesday, October 10th, 2012
 Savannah sparrow (with spider). Kind of overcast to start, kind of rainy at the end of it. Edited for most of it, then errands. Then Beech Hill.
 Birch. Somehow we timed it well, Jack and I: a period of steady rain let up just as we turned into the parking lot, and a fog settled over the landscape. In the young trees near the trailhead, I heard a yellow-rumped warbler (surprise, surprise) poking about among the turning leaves. A few of those leaves were scattering in the breeze, so it took a minute to spot the bird. And then I saw another, smaller warbler—but I hadn’t brought my binoculars (on account of the rain) and couldn’t get an ID.
Farther up the trail, I heard the notes of chickadees and a white-throated sparrow. At the foggy summit, I heard a flicker calling somewhere down the eastern slope. Returning, I heard a jay and saw a couple hollering crows flap by in the distance. Then a couple sparrows hopped up onto a trailside weed. I took a few photos, thinking at first they were song sparrows—but then they hopped down and began hurrying along the trail ahead of us, as I’ve often seen Savannahs do. I’m no sparrow expert, but the photos (especially the yellowish lores) convinced me.
Other than the chips of ‘rumps as we headed back to the pickup, nothing much else to report—well, other than a little thundershower tonight.
Beech Hill List
Beginning at 4 p.m., I hiked the open trail.
1. Yellow-rumped warbler
2. Black-capped chickadee** (v)
3. White-throated sparrow (v)
4. Northern flicker (v)
5. Blue jay (v)
6. American crow*
7. Savannah sparrow
Elsewhere
8. Herring gull
v = Voice only
*Also elsewhere
**Voice only elsewhere
Tags: American crow, black-capped chickadee, blue jay, herring gull, northern flicker, savannah sparrow, white-throated sparrow, yellow-rumped warbler
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Tuesday, October 9th, 2012
 Eastern bluebird. Jack and I got to Beech Hill this afternoon about the time the sun came out. Not that the sun hadn’t been out a time or two earlier, but I’d describe it as a mostly cloudy day. And a cool one. Turned on the heat for the first time, if barely.
 Yellow-rumped warbler. First I stood in the parking lot for a moment and listened. Didn’t hear a single bird.
Then we began to walk. And I heard a soft hammering above us. A downy woodpecker. Then I heard the chip! of a yellow-rumped warbler. And another. Then the voice of a chickadee, and a blue jay, and a crow. I’d walked about two dozen paces. (Jack had walked more.) It soon became apparent that lots of little birds were flitting about in the trailside foliage warming in the sun.
Not very far up the trail, I began to guess at their numbers. Probably three dozen yellow-rumps were bouncing and zipping around up there. And then I heard the soft, brief flute-notes of a bluebird. A couple of bluebirds. I spotted one. Two. Eventually estimated a half-dozen bluebirds among the yellow-rumps. And another species—a tittering species. Junco. Maybe a dozen juncos, at least, among the others. And all the birds together accompanied us up the trail, staying a little ways ahead.
Above us—while all this was going on—I heard the notes of siskins. (Sounded like they were flying north.) And a song sparrow flew by.
 Eastern bluebird. At the summit, no harriers. Just a lovely October view.
The yellow-rumps were still fluttering here and there when we passed on our way back down. The bluebirds or juncos had flown. Saw a few young (I assume) hairy woodpeckers talking to each other in the trees. And back at the parking lot, I heard the voice of a titmouse across the road.
Then I stood in the parking lot for a moment, listening. Didn’t hear a single bird.
Beech Hill List
Beginning at 4:30 p.m., I hiked the open trail.
1. Hairy woodpecker
2. Yellow-rumped warbler
3. Black-capped chickadee**
4. Blue jay
5. American crow* (v)
6. Eastern bluebird
7. Pine siskin (v)
8. Dark-eyed junco
9. Song sparrow*
10. Northern flicker (v)
11. Tufted titmouse (v)
Elsewhere
12. Herring gull
v = Voice only
*Also elsewhere
**Voice only elsewhere
Tags: American crow, black-capped chickadee, blue jay, dark-eyed junco, hairy woodpecker, herring gull, northern flicker, pine siskin, song sparrow, tufted titmouse, yellow-rumped warbler
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Monday, October 8th, 2012
 Hairy woodpecker (female). Oh, yeah—Columbus Day. You could tell by all the folks wandering around Beech Hill when Jack and I arrived late in the day. Still a nice little collection of birds moving through, though, despite the human (and dog) activity. Jays cried, yellow-rumps chipped, chickadees chattered, and I even heard the rough little notes of at least one ruby-crowned kinglet. And that was before we’d gone very far.
 Yellow-rumped warbler. More ‘rumps along the edge of the trail as we ascended. I was kind of hoping for a glimpse of a harrier, but it didn’t happen. I did hear a flicker, a towhee, several vociferous crows. At the summit, more ‘rumps in the spruce grove. The note of a song sparrow. Also the note of a hairy woodpecker down the wooded trail a ways. Decided to head down, check it out. It was a female, hammering and calling, hammering and calling. As I was grabbing a few photos of the bird, I heard the call of another woodpecker—a pileated, somewhere off in the trees.
Returning, I heard the voices of robins down the southeastern slope. (Also some people down there where they’re not supposed to be.) And the sweet notes of some little migrant flying over. Alas, I’m not yet well-versed in flight notes.
Yellow-rumps still hopping around in the trees around the parking lot. Man, there are a lot of yellow-rumped warblers out there these days.
Beech Hill List
Beginning at 4:30 p.m., I hiked the open trail.
1. Blue jay** (v)
2. Yellow-rumped warbler
3. Black-capped chickadee**
4. Ruby-crowned kinglet (v)
5. American crow* (v)
6. Northern flicker (v)
7. Eastern towhee (v)
8. Song sparrow* (v)
9. Hairy woodpecker
10. Pileated woodpecker (v)
11. American robin* (v)
Elsewhere
12. Herring gull
v = Voice only
*Also elsewhere
**Voice only elsewhere
Tags: American crow, American robin, black-capped chickadee, blue jay, eastern towhee, hairy woodpecker, herring gull, northern flicker, pileated woodpecker, ruby-crowned kinglet, song sparrow, yellow-rumped warbler
Posted in Lists, Observations | 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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