16 February 2025

Archive for December, 2013

Winter is beautiful

Saturday, December 28th, 2013

Downy Woodpecker, Beech Hill Preserve, Rockport, Maine, 28 December 2013.

Overcast at first, but then the sun came out. Temperatures got up to freezing or so, and the world became a bright and beautiful reality. I did a lot of work, ran a few errands, ended up at the Beech Hill Road parking lot with my dog, Jack.

Lone oak, Beech Hill Preserve, Rockport, Maine, 28 December 2013.

Lone oak.

Four cars in the lot. A downy woodpecker in a tree. Flicker’s calling in the periphery (as usual). A brown creeper back at the parking lot.

Really a lovely, sparkly light-splashed, snow-spattered day. And tonight is clear.

Beech Hill List
Beginning at 2:45 p.m., I hiked the open trail.

1. Downy Woodpecker
2. Northern Flicker (v)
3. Brown Creeper

Elsewhere

4. American Crow
5. Herring gull

v = Voice only

Feeling grateful

Friday, December 27th, 2013
Wintry landscape, Beech Hill Preserve, Rockport, Maine, 27 December 2013.

Wintry landscape.

Not a lot to report today. Had a nice, wintry hike up Beech Hill with Jack. Saw and heard some birds.

Feeling grateful.

Beech Hill List
Beginning at 2:45 p.m., I hiked the open trail.

1. Black-capped Chickadee (v)
2. Tufted Titmouse (v)
3. Mourning Dove
4. Northern Flicker (v)

Elsewhere

5. American Crow
6. Herring Gull
7. Rock Pigeon

v = Voice only

Woodpecker, revisited

Thursday, December 26th, 2013
Pileated woodpecker, Beech Hill Preserve, Rockport, Maine, 26 December 2013.

Pileated woodpecker.

Had a little snow today. A little, as in light snow, moderately light snow, very light snow. By the time dog and I pulled into the Beech Hill Parking lot this afternoon, there must’ve been an inch of fresh snow on all the ice out there. A little snow on the vehicle in the lot already. No snow on the Pileated Woodpecker still gouging out holes in the big dead tree.

[Note: I’m starting this day to capitalize the common names of birds. Long have I resisted, but there are cases when it makes for clearer writing.]

Lone oak, Beech Hill Preserve, Rockport, Maine, 26 December 2013.

Lone oak.

Heard a vocal Brown Creeper, then saw the little guy flitting between trees. Nearly tracked it down for a photo, but then it flitted away.

Another car pulled in the lot as we started up. Met a bunch of other hikers up there, in fact, taking advantage of a snowy end-of-year vacation day. Also heard a flicker.

It warmed up above freezing this evening.

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

1. Pileated Woodpecker
2. Brown Creeper
3. Black-capped Chickadee**
4. Northern Flicker (v)

Elsewhere

5. American Crow
6. Herring Gull

v = Voice only
**Voice only elsewhere

 

 
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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