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Archive for April, 2013
Monday, April 15th, 2013
 April light. Brilliant sun this morning—but still nippy, with a breeze. Clouds moved over in early afternoon but cleared up again, then clouded up again. But going back to morning, I heard a familiar sound in the southern blue: the cries of an April osprey. They arrive in April. They arrive screaming—over and over, from on high. They circle. They’re looking for a mate, or a nest site. Or maybe they’re simply rejoicing at the cool bright April air above a tidal Maine cove. Like, maybe, Clam Cove, barely more than a stone’s throw from me.
 Osprey. Lots of birds on the hill this afternoon. Also some bay views that typify this season.
Beech Hill List
Beginning at 5:15 p.m., I hiked the open trail.
1. American robin** (v)
2. Blue jay
3. Song sparrow** (v)
4. Eastern phoebe**
5. Black-capped chickadee** (v)
6. American crow* (v)
7. American kestrel
8. Herring gull*
9. Northern cardinal** (v)
Elsewhere
10. Tufted titmouse (v)
11. House finch
12. European starling (v)
13. House sparrow (v)
14. Osprey†
15. Rock pigeon
16. Mourning dove
v = Voice only
*Also elsewhere
**Voice only elsewhere
†First-of-year bird
Tags: American crow, American kestrel, American robin, black-capped chickadee, blue jay, eastern phoebe, European starling, herring gull, house finch, house sparrow, mourning dove, northern cardinal, osprey, rock pigeon, song sparrow, tufted titmouse
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Sunday, April 14th, 2013
 Song sparrow. An overcast morning. A wave of rain moves through. A dash of sun appears then disappears.
Birdsong from all directions—song sparrows, crows, cardinal and house finch, titmouse and starling—and damp, greening grass. Crocus and daffodil and tulip.
 Beech Nut. This afternoon, soon after a rain shower, Jack and I started up Beech Hill at the same time as another hiker. The sky was huge with textured clouds. I could see scattered gray curtains of rain below a few windows of blue. Song sparrows were staking out their territory up there. I saw random overflights of mallard, vulture, gull.
Tonight peepers are singing lustily from up the damp hill where sets the moon.
Beech Hill List
Beginning at 4 p.m., I hiked the open trail.
1. Black-capped chickadee**
2. White-breasted nuthatch (v)
3. American robin** (v)
4. Song sparrow**
5. American crow*
6. Mallard
7. Herring gull*
8. Turkey vulture
9. Eastern phoebe (v)
10. Northern cardinal** (v)
11. Tufted titmouse** (v)
Elsewhere
12. House finch
13. Mourning dove
14. European starling
v = Voice only
*Also elsewhere
**Voice only elsewhere
Tags: American crow, American robin, black-capped chickadee, eastern phoebe, European starling, herring gull, house finch, mallard, mourning dove, northern cardinal, song sparrow, tufted titmouse, turkey vulture, white-breasted nuthatch
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Saturday, April 13th, 2013
 Hairy woodpecker. A few traces of snow this morning, but they soon melted away. Chilly day, though, and overcast until later, when the sun peeked through the cloud cover a few times. Decided to hike the wooded trails today.
 Saddle and Mark Islands. Quite a few species—including a hooting barred owl, a gobbling turkey, and a first-of-year yellow-rumped warbler.
Also heard my first spring peepers of the year.
Beech Hill List
Beginning at 4:15 p.m., I hiked the wooded trails.
1. American robin
2. Black-capped chickadee
3. Eastern phoebe
4. Barred owl (v)
5. Herring gull* (v)
6. Tufted titmouse
7. American crow* (v)
8. Hairy woodpecker
9. Song sparrow** (v)
10. Yellow-rumped warbler†
11. Northern cardinal** (v)
12. Wild turkey (v)
Elsewhere
13. House finch
v = Voice only
*Also elsewhere
**Voice only elsewhere
†First-of-year bird
Tags: American crow, American robin, barred owl, black-capped chickadee, eastern phoebe, hairy woodpecker, herring gull, house finch, northern cardinal, song sparrow, tufted titmouse, wild turkey, 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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