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Archive for April, 2013
Thursday, April 18th, 2013
 American kestrel. Sunny and cool morning. Plenty birdy out. Clouds moved over later—and Jack and I hiked Beech Hill.
A birdy hill, too. The second voice I heard, in fact, was a first-of-year eastern towhee. Funny how, when I first hear this familiar call every spring, it takes me a moment to place it. Weep! Weep! And also a half-assed, Drink your… (no “tea!”). Lots of other birds up there, too, including more than one phoebe (already paired up, is my guess, from how they were making their faint little spring peeps). In the next birch up from one phoebe, I saw a larger —a kestrel. It flapped away into the little oak as we drew near.
 Three hills. Then it posed for photos. A handsome, colorful male.
Also saw an osprey fly over, which is always nice. Plenty of other singing birds. They’re coming. Arriving every day. Pretty soon dog and I will be taking early hikes up the wooded trail each morning.
Beech Hill List
Beginning at 4:15 p.m., I hiked the open trail.
1. Song sparrow* (v)
2. Eastern towhee† (v)
3. Mourning dove (v)
4. Black-capped chickadee** (v)
5. American crow* (v)
6. Eastern phoebe*
7. Northern flicker (v)
8. American robin* (v)
9. American kestrel
10. Herring gull*
11. Osprey
12. White-breasted nuthatch
13. Northern cardinal** (v)
Elsewhere
14. Tufted titmouse (v)
15. House finch
v = Voice only
*Also elsewhere
**Voice only elsewhere
†First-of-year bird
Tags: American crow, American kestrel, American robin, black-capped chickadee, eastern phoebe, eastern towhee, herring gull, house finch, mourning dove, northern cardinal, northern flicker, osprey, song sparrowe, tufted titmouse, white-breasted nuthatch
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Wednesday, April 17th, 2013
 Northern cardinal. A warm, cloudless, breezy day. Warmer than recently, anyway—up into the 50s (F). I worked in the morning, with occasional strolls out onto the back deck to take photos of the resident cardinal and a phoebe that seems determined to nest against the back of my place somewhere.. By early afternoon, I was ready for a bike ride. It was a swift one, south bound. It occurred to me when I passed a fellow cyclist that I haven’t been passed myself since sometime in 2011.
 Eastern phoebe. Beech Hill was luscious. A stout wind but lots of sun—I rolled up my long sleeves. Not many birds up there today, but the second one I saw was an adult bald eagle flapping overhead. (Didn’t make the ID until it was about to head behind some trees so, alas, no photo.) At the summit, I ran into an old friend whose birthday it was. Chatted with her and her friend for a little while before heading back down.
En route, I heard no birdsong—but I did hear two species of frog.
Beech Hill List
Beginning at 4 p.m., I hiked the open trail.
1. American crow*
2. Bald eagle†
3. Song sparrow* (v)
4. Herring gull*
Elsewhere
5. Eastern phoebe
6. Tufted titmouse (v)
7. Northern cardinal
8. House sparrow (v)
9. House finch
10. Rock pigeon
11. Black-capped chickadee (v)
12. European starling (v)
13. American robin
14. Double-crested cormorant
v = Voice only
*Also elsewhere
†First-of-year bird
Tags: American crow, American robin, bald eagle, black-capped chickadee, double-crested cormorant, eastern phoebe, European starling, house finch, house sparrow, northern cardinal, rock pigeon, song sparrow herring gull, tufted titmouse
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Tuesday, April 16th, 2013
 Golden-crowned kinglet. Thinking birds would be active, I managed to drag myself out of bed early this morning. And they were. The birds. Active.
I saw at least twenty species on my Beech Hill hike with Jack, although I could only ID nineteen of ’em. Sun and clouds, moving clouds, breezy, chilly, lovely. A phoebe is back in the eaves of Beech Nut. Heard a brown creeper singing. Saw a sharpie.
Later in the day it rained some. Tomorrow will perhaps be a bike-riding day.
Beech Hill List
Beginning at 7:15 a.m., I hiked all trails.
1. American robin**
2. Eastern phoebe**
3. Northern cardinal**
4. Black-capped chickadee**
5. American crow*
6. Hairy woodpecker (v)
7. Song sparrow**
8. Herring gull*
9. Tree swallow
10. Sharp-shinned hawk
11. American goldfinch (v)
12. Northern flicker (v)
13. Tufted titmouse** (v)
14. Downy woodpecker
15. Dark-eyed junco (v)
16. Blue jay (v)
17. Golden-crowned kinglet
18. Brown creeper (v)
19. White-breasted nuthatch (v)
Elsewhere
20. Mallard
21. Rock pigeon
v = Voice only
*Also elsewhere
**Voice only elsewhere
Tags: American crow, American goldfinch, American robin, black-capped chickadee, blue jay, brown creeper, dark-eyed junco, downy woodpecker, eastern phoebe, golden-crowned kinglet, hairy woodpecker, herring gull, mallard, northern cardinal, northern flicker, rock pigeon, sharp-shinned hawk, song sparrow, tree swallow, tufted titmouse, white-breasted nuthatch
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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