17 February 2025

Archive for January, 2016

Welcome to the Anthropocene

Thursday, January 28th, 2016
Brown Creeper, near Mount Battie, Camden, Maine, 28 January 2016.

Brown Creeper, near Mount Battie, Camden, Maine, 28 January 2016.

Partly cloudy, breezy, thirties (F). A lot of little birds flitting about in the back yard early. Few birds at Beech Hill late.

Mucky up there. Some ice on the trail still. Soft ice on the ponds, though—unlike I’ve ever seen it in January in all my thirty-five years here.

Facets, near Mount Battie, Camden, Maine, 28 January 2016.

Facets.

.

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

1. American Crow*
2. Black-capped Chickadee**
3. Tufted titmouse** (v)

Elsewhere

4. American Goldfinch
5. Blue Jay (v)
6. Brown Creeper
7. Herring Gull

v = Voice only
*Also elsewhere
**Voice only elsewhere

 

Late January on the 44th parallel

Wednesday, January 27th, 2016
Yellow-rumped Warbler, Beech Hill Preserve, Rockport, Maine, 27 January 2016.

Yellow-rumped Warbler, Beech Hill Preserve, Rockport, Maine, 27 January 2016.

Warm again. Upper-thirties (F). Breeze in the open places, but all I needed was a hoodie out there. And a scarf.

Long view, Beech Hill Preserve, Rockport, Maine, 27 January 2016.

Long view.

Did some desk work, had a lovely lunch with friends, did some errands, hiked a hill with dog. Muddy but not so slushy up there. No birds at all—until a flock of yellow-rumps and tree sparrows swept across the trail in front of us and dove into a tangle of bayberries. They stayed out of sight. No great photos this winter so far, alas.

Thinking that tomorrow I might go on a couple local twitches. I don’t twitch much. But we shall see.

Achingly black and starry tonight.

Late-January on the 44th parallel.

Beech Hill List
Beginning at 3 p.m., I hiked the open trail.

1. Yellow-rumped Warbler
2. American Tree Sparrow
3. Common Raven
4. American Crow*
5. Black-capped Chickadee** (v)

Elsewhere

6. Blue Jay (v)
7. American Goldfinch
8. White-breasted Nuthatch (v)
9. Herring Gull
10. Rock Pigeon
11. Great Black-backed Gull
12. Common Loon

v = Voice only
*Also elsewhere
**Voice only elsewhere

 

Big thaw

Tuesday, January 26th, 2016
Thaw, Beech Hill Preserve, Rockport, Maine, 26 January 2016.

Thaw.

I could tell last night that the temperature had warmed: few furnace sounds, no chilly discomfort under the covers. And sure enough, the temp was up above freezing when first I looked out at the overcast drippy world outside. There’d been a thaw going on for a while.

And the wind rose in a hurry, too—roaring, whooshing, groaning. It all made for an interesting, muddy, slushy slog up Beech Hill with dog this afternoon. Not a whole lot of birds, but such luscious, tasty air.

Too dim-lit to catch a decent photo of the flitting Brown Creeper we encountered back at the parking lot, but that’s OK.

Tonight I’m digging the rushing sound of the wind in the pines out back. I’m thankful for my ears.

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

1. Black-capped Chickadee (v)
2. American Crow* (v)
3. Brown Creeper
4. Downy Woodpecker (v)

Elsewhere

5. Blue Jay (v)
6. Herring Gull

v = Voice only
*Also 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



3IP Logo
©1997–2025 by 3IP