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Archive for August, 2014
Monday, August 25th, 2014
 Cedar Waxwing. A day much like yesterday. In fact, all the rest of the days this week are supposed to be similarly clear and mild. That means I’ll be riding my bike a lot—and Jack will get some good Beech Hill hikes out of the deal.
 Variable Darner. More waxwings (but no hatch of swarming flies), and more little birds tagging along with a young family of chickadees. I stood transfixed as they flitted around in the foliage very near me—in fact, a Black-throated Green Warbler lit on a twig so close I couldn’t focus—and counted more than half of today’s species from right along the road there.
Dragonflies were about, as well. Crickets, a sign of late summer. Warmth. Young people taking senior photos at the summit of the hill.
Another lovely cool night tonight. Another lovely day tomorrow.
Beech Hill List
Beginning at 5:30 p.m., I hiked the open trail.
1. Black-capped Chickadee**
2. White-breasted Nuthatch
3. Black-throated Green Warbler
4. Red-eyed Vireo**
5. Cedar Waxwing
6. Tufted Titmouse**
7. American Crow* (v)
8. Gray Catbird (v)
9. Common Yellowthroat (v)
10. Song Sparrow
11. Eastern Towhee
12. Savannah Sparrow
13. American Goldfinch**
14. Downy Woodpecker
15. Eastern Bluebird (v)
Elsewhere
16. Herring Gull
17. European Starling
18. Blue Jay (v)
19. Mourning Dove
20. Laughing Gull
v = Voice only
*Also elsewhere
**Voice only elsewhere
Tags: American crow, American goldfinch, black-capped chickadee, black-throated green warbler, blue jay, Cedar waxwing, common yellowthroat, downy woodpecker, eastern towhee, European starling, gray catbird, herring gull, laughing gull, mourning dove, red-eyed vireo, savannah sparrow, song sparrow, tufted titmouse, white-breasted nuthatch
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Sunday, August 24th, 2014
 Cedar Waxwing. This the kind of lovely August Sunday that found me working all morning at the kitchen table, running errands in early afternoon here and there, riding my bicycle up to Camden for a specific bottle of beer and a certain chocolate and walnut brownie at Megunticook Market, and hiking Beech Hill Preserve with my dog before the sun went down. I.e., a damn nice kind of day.
 Swarm. It was nice for the Beech Hill waxwings, too, on account of a big fly hatch. I’d watched waxwings for the past week or so perching in the trailside birches and occasionally fluttering off to grab a flying insect or two before returning to the same tree. But I hadn’t yet seen the kind of big swarms like I did last year about this time—the kind they’ll take to hovering in, just hoovering up flies. Until today.
I didn’t see it until we reached the summit. The swarm was thick and churning and seemed to be stuck to one area just at the tip of the tallest tree in the spruce grove, where—sure enough—several waxwings were hanging out. This time, though, they didn’t have to flutter off and hover: the flies were thick enough that they were lighting on the branches the birds perched on. All they had to do was dip down and have a bite. Thoughtful.
Returning into the late-afternoon sun, we encountered loose clouds of flies along the trail, flitting and flashing in the bright backlight. We came down along where I’d watched a Yellow Warbler, a Red-eyed Vireo, an Alder Flycatcher, and some other waxwings hunting for tiny winged things. As we’d stood there quietly, a humming bird buzzed over and hung there in the air for a moment, sizing us up. In the distance, a Blue Jay screamed.
 Red-eyed Vireo. Tonight is lusciously cool.
Beech Hill List
Beginning at 5:45 p.m., I hiked the open trail.
1. Cedar Waxwing**
2. American Goldfinch
3. Black-capped Chickadee (v)
4. Song Sparrow
5. Gray Catbird (v)
6. Eastern Towhee
7. Blue Jay (v)
8. Common Yellowthroat
9. Yellow Warbler
10. Red-eyed Vireo**
11. Ruby-throated Hummingbird
12. Alder Flycatcher
13. Mourning Dove* (v)
14. American Crow* (v)
15. Northern Cardinal (v)
Elsewhere
16. Tufted Titmouse (v)
17. Herring Gull
18. House Sparrow
19. American Robin
20. Canada Goose
v = Voice only
*Also elsewhere
**Voice only elsewhere
Tags: alder flycatcher, American crow, American goldfinch, American robin, black-capped chickadee, blue jay, Canada goose, Cedar waxwing, common yellowthroat, eastern towhee, gray catbird, herring gull, house sparrow, mourning dove, northern cardinal, red-eyed vireo, ruby-throated hummingbird, song sparrow, tufted titmouse, yellow warbler
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Saturday, August 23rd, 2014
 Black-and-white Warbler (female). Nice little surprise at Beech Hill today. Just as dog and I arrived, a little gang of chickadees was moving up through the trees along the road, and the chickadees—as they often do—had attracted a diverse collection of other little nervous birds. A couple of warbler species, a vireo, a nuthatch, sparrow, titmouse. I thought I saw a gnatcatcher, even, but now I don’t think so. (It would’e been my first there.)
 Bay sails. Warm and sunny, with not a lot of wind. Plenty of Saturday hikers. A private party (winners of a drawing benefiting Coastal Mountains Land Trust) was due to start at 5 p.m., so Jack and I came a little early.
Nothing could match that initial thrill today—well, other than how gorgeous a day it was. Sails dotted the blue of Penobscot Bay.
Beech Hill List
Beginning at 2:45 p.m., I hiked the open trail.
1. Black-capped Chickadee
2. Cedar Waxwing**
3. Chestnut-sided Warbler
4. Tufted Titmouse
5. Red-eyed Vireo
6. Song Sparrow
7. Black-and-white Warbler
8. White-breasted Nuthatch
9. American Goldfinch
10. Gray Catbird (v)
11. Eastern Towhee (v)
12. Common Raven
Elsewhere
13. American Crow
14. Yellow Warbler (v)
15. Herring Gull
16. Rock Pigeon
17. Green Heron
18. Mourning Dove
v = Voice only
**Voice only elsewhere
Tags: American crow, American goldfinch, black-and-white warbler, black-capped chickadee, Cedar waxwing, chestnut-sided warbler, common raven, eastern towhee, gray catbird, green heron, herring gull, mourning dove, red-eyed vireo, rock pigeon, song sparrow, tufted titmouser, white-breasted nuthatch, 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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