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Archive for June, 2013
Tuesday, June 18th, 2013
 Rose-breasted grosbeak, Beech Hill Preserve, Rockport, Maine, 18 June 2013. Got up early enough, but there were a few clouds, so I launched into desk work right away. Come afternoon, I dressed for cycling, and then it began to rain, so I changed back into my regular clothes. Didn’t make it to Beech Hill until the end of the day—and stuck to the open trail.
 Purple finch. But, man, weren’t the birds active! By the time we made the first turn and started up the slope, I’d already counted at least a dozen birds (including a very vocal great crested flycatcher in a tree across the road). The pair of purple finches I’ve seen recently in the spruce grove at the summit were there again. Singing, cavorting. We headed down toward the woods a ways until I got a listen to a hermit thrush.
Returning, I heard the song of a rose-breasted grosbeak and though how very far its voice carries—no matter that it’s a soft sort of subtle kind of warble. The air was still, and I’m sure you could hear it for more than a mile. Also the Savannah sparrows, with their insect-like trills: a sound that really cuts the air. Birds are of course attuned to the particular voices of their species, but it’s impressive—almost miraculous—how their songs and calls let them influence the world a good long distance away. Kind of like remote control.
We’re nearing the solstice, and the photoperiod is long, and this evening, after a shower blew over, one lovely leg a rainbow sprouted from the southern horizon. Not sure I’d ever seen a rainbow in that part of the sky before
 Roses. Beech Hill List
Beginning at 5 p.m., I hiked the open trail.
1. Yellow warbler
2. Red-eyed vireo** (v)
3. Great crested flycatcher** (v)
4. Tufted titmouse (v)
5. Eastern towhee
6. American redstart
7. Purple finch
8. American crow*
9. American robin*
10. Ovenbird** (v)
11. Chestnut-sided warbler**
12. Common yellowthroat**
13. Veery (v)
14. Field sparrow
15. Northern cardinal** (v)
16. Alder flycatcher (v)
17. Rose-breasted grosbeak
18. Herring gull*
19. Song sparrow**
20. Gray catbird
21. Savannah sparrow
22. Black-and-white warbler (v)
23. Hermit thrush (v)
24. Black-capped chickadee** (v)
25. Northern flicker (v)
26. Blue jay (v)
Elsewhere
27. House finch (v)
28. Osprey (v)
29. Chimney swift
30 Common grackle
31. Mallard
32. Great black-backed gull
v = Voice only
*Also elsewhere
**Voice only elsewhere
Tags: alder flycatcher, American crow, American redstart, American robin, black-and-white warbler, black-capped chickadee, blue jay, chestnut-sided warbler, chimney swift, common grackle, common yellowthraot, eastern towhee, field sparrow, gray catbird, great black-backed gull, great crested flycatcher, hermit thrush, herring gull, house finch, mallard, northern cardinal, northern flicker, osprey, ovenbird, purple finch, red-eyed vireo, rose-breasted grosbeak, savannah sparrow, song sparrow, tufted titmouse, veery, yellow warbler
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Monday, June 17th, 2013
 Common yellowthroat. Sun again this morning; again I didn’t exactly expect it. But never mind—up, dress, warm some coffee, hurry down to the pickup with Jack (forgetting the coffee, by the way), and five minutes later we’re starting up the Beech Hill trail. Where, I might add, quite a few birds were showing off one way or another. There was something to look at or listen to pretty much every step of the way up and over and back up and back over.
 Blackburnian warbler. We’d traveled at least three-quarters of the way through our all-trails hike when I heard it: the voice of a Blackburnian warbler.
They’re not exactly rare, Blackburnians—but they’re not exactly common at Beech Hill. They tend to like conifers, in my experience, and there are few on the hill. Typically, they’ll move through, singing, earlier in spring, and I’ll spot ’em then. This was kind of late. Still, any time these lovely, flame-faced birds show up, I’m going to try to take their picture. If only they didn’t hang out so high in the canopy.
That’s what this one did, and I must’ve stayed around that one little section of trail for twenty minutes, at least, craning my neck until it began to ache a little. It might’ve seemed like kind of a hassle, even, except for the magic of the woods.
First, as I gazed high among the leaves for a teensy little bird, a larger bright bird appeared silently much nearer: a scarlet tanager. Got a couple OK photos of the tanager. Then, as if that weren’t surprise enough, a singing black-throated blue warbler passed by. (Did not happen to spot it.) And then—again, as I was craning my neck—a downy woodpecker flitted up to a close-by trunk and tapped a bit. And of course there were the usual songs of the ovenbird, red-eyed vireo, black-throated green warbler, tufted titmouse, and hermit thrush.
 Scarlet tanager. A nice little place on the trail.
This afternoon, just as I got read to ride to town on my bicycle, a big cloud blew over. I went anyway and got a little wet on my return. But at least I was indoors and dry by the time a little thunder and lightning happened—along with at least one good gully-washer.
Late light tonight. Cool and lovely out there.
Beech Hill List
Beginning at 7:45 a.m., I hiked all trails.
1. Great crested flycatcher (v)
2. Red-eyed vireo**
3. Black-throated green warbler (v)
4. Ovenbird** (v)
5. American crow*
6. Chestnut-sided warbler**
7. Black-capped chickadee** (v)
8. Veery (v)
9. Gray catbird**
10. American goldfinch (v)
11. Common yellowthroat**
12. Mourning dove* (v)
13. Eastern towhee
14. Black-and-white warbler (v)
15. Alder flycatcher
16. Yellow warbler
17. Blue jay
18. Tufted titmouse** (v)
19. Purple finch
20. Savannah sparrow
21. Tree swallow
22. Northern flicker
23. Field sparrow
24. Rose-breasted grosbeak
25. Eastern bluebird
26. American redstart (v)
27. Northern cardinal** (v)
28. American robin*
29. Eastern phoebe**
30. Brown-headed cowbird (v)
31. Cedar waxwing (v)
32. Black-throated blue warbler
33. Turkey vulture
34. Hermit thrush (v)
35. Eastern wood-pewee
36. Blackburnian warbler
37. Scarlet tanager
38. Downy woodpecker
Elsewhere
39. House finch (v)
40. Herring gull
41. Broad-winged hawk (v)
42. House sparrow (v)
43. Chimney swift
44. Chipping sparrow (v)
v = Voice only
*Also elsewhere
**Voice only elsewhere
Tags: alder flycatcher, American crow, American goldfinch, American redstart, American robin, black-and-white warbler, black-capped chickadee, black-throated blue warbler, black-throated green warbler, blackburnian warbler, blue jay, broad-winged hawk, brown-headed cowbird, Cedar waxwing, chestnut-sided warbler, chimney swift, chipping sparrow, common yellowthroat, downy woodpecker, eastern phoebe, eastern towhee, eastern wood-pewee, field sparrow, gray catbird, great crested flycatcher, hermit thrush, herring gull, house finch, house sparrow, mourning dove, northern cardinal, northern flicker, ovenbird, purple finch, red-eyed vireo, rose-breasted grosbeak, savannah sparrow, scarlet tanager, tree swallow, tufted titmouse, turkey vulture, veery, yellow warbler
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Sunday, June 16th, 2013
 American woodcock. Judging by the forecast, I’d expected rain—or at least overcast—but brilliant sun flooded through the blinds first thing, so I rose a little earlier than I’d planned to, dressed quickly, heated coffee in the microwave, clipped Jack’s leash on (clipped it on Jack, I mean), and took a morning spin up to Beech Hill. Cloudless sky. T-shirt warm. Mosquitos, gnats, deer flies, butterflies, dragonflies—all kinds of flying insects in the air—but I didn’t care. In fact, I rather liked the idea: food for fledglings.
 Black-and-white warbler. The day’s excitement came about half-way up the wooded trail, when we flushed a woodcock. But it didn’t tear away on whistling wings; it sort of fluttered away slowly, almost hovering. I knew what that meant. We stopped in our tracks and—with the mother bird making faint alarm sounds off in the brush—scanned the side of the trail for chicks. For at least ten minutes, while the mama fluttered around us, lurked in the shadows, made fleeting appearances, I scanned for the little ones but, still and camouflaged, they had simply disappeared.
(In a similar episode on the hill a few years ago, the chicks ended up right at my feet. It still took me a couple of minutes to see them.)
I’m sort of crazy about woodcocks. To see this hen so vigorously and single-mindedly attending to her offspring really struck a chord.
Especially, perhaps, coming on Father’s Day. Found an old photo today of my dad and little sister and me. I must’ve been about three years old and was perched happily on a tricycle. In honor of that long-ago moment in time—in the photograph, Dad was younger than my daughter is now—I took a nice long bike ride today.
 Birch. Beech Hill List
Beginning at 8:30 a.m., I hiked all trails.
1. Red-eyed vireo**
2. Black-throated green warbler (v)
3. Ovenbird** (v)
4. Blue jay (v)
5. Eastern phoebe**
6. Gray catbird**
7. Chestnut-sided warbler**
8. American goldfinch
9. Black-capped chickadee (v)
10. Rose-breasted grosbeak (v)
11. Black-and-white warbler**
12. Veery (v)
13. Hermit thrush (v)
14. Alder flycatcher (v)
15. Common yellowthroat**
16. Yellow warbler**
17. Eastern towhee
18. American redstart**
19. Mourning dove*
20. American crow*
21. American woodcock
22. Ruffed grouse (booming)
23. Great crested flycatcher** (v)
24. Song sparrow**
25. Purple finch
26. Savannah sparrow
27. Field sparrow (v)
28. Northern cardinal** (v)
29. American robin* (v)
30. Eastern wood-pewee** (v)
31. Osprey (v)
32. Black-throated blue warbler** (v)
33. Hairy woodpecker
Elsewhere
34. House finch (v)
35. Herring gull
36. Broad-winged hawk (v)
37. Chipping sparrow (v)
38. Rock pigeon
39. European starling (v)
40. Turkey vulture
v = Voice only
*Also elsewhere
**Voice only elsewhere
Tags: alder flycatcher, American crow, American goldfinch, American redstart, American robin, American woodcock, black-and-white warbler, black-capped chickadee, black-throated blue warbler, black-throated green warbler, blue jay, broad-winged hawk, chestnut-sided warbler, chipping sparrow, common yellowthroat, eastern phoebe, eastern towhee, eastern wood-pewee, European starling, field sparrow, gray catbird, great crested flycatcher, hairy woodpecker, hermit thrush, herring gull, house finch, mourning dove, northern cardinal, osprey, ovenbird, purple finch, red-eyed vireo, rock pigeon, rose-breasted grosbeak, ruffed grouse, savannah sparrow, song sparrow, turkey vulture, veery, yellow 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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