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Archive for April, 2016
Sunday, April 24th, 2016
 House Finch. First light, setting moon.
Thirty-three degrees didn’t stop dog and me
but rather seemed to invigorate us,
and also the breeze.
 Downy Woodpecker. The birds of Beech Hill though
hunkered down for a while
until the sun rose to just the right angle
for warming to bird-friendly temperatures,
and then the kinglets and yellow-rumps
began to flit
and I missed a great photograph of a singing warbler
when a croaking raven distracted me,
and so I got no photo of either.
Ravens can fly faster than you can imagine—
ravens on a mission.
I wish I could make the sound a raven makes.
Beech Hill List
Beginning at 6:30 a.m., I hiked all trails.
1. American Goldfinch*
2. Hermit Thrush
3. Downy Woodpecker**
4. American Robin*
5. Black-capped Chickadee*
6. Tufted Titmouse**
7. Northern Flicker*
8. American Crow*
9. Ruby-crowned Kinglet
10. Purple Finch (v)
11. White-throated Sparrow (v)
12. Yellow-rumped Warbler
13. Eastern Towhee
14. Mallard
15. Song Sparrow**
16. Northern Cardinal*
17. Wild Turkey (v)
18. Mourning Dove* (v)
19. Savannah Sparrow
20. Tree Swallow
21. Field Sparrow (v)
22. Eastern Phoebe*
23. Dark-eyed Junco**
24. American Kestrel
25. Common Raven
26. Blue Jay* (v)
27. Pileated Woodpecker (v)
28. Broad-winged Hawk (v)
Elsewhere
29. White-breasted Nuthatch
30. House Sparrow
31. House Finch
v = Voice only
*Also elsewhere
**Voice only elsewhere
Tags: American crow, American goldfinch, American kestrel, American robin, black-capped chickadee, blue jay, broad-winged hawk, common raven, dark-eyed junco, downy woodpecker, eastern phoebe, eastern towhee, field sparrow, hermit thrush, house finch, house sparrow, mallard, mourning dove, northern cardinal, northern flicker, pileated woodpecker, purple finch, ruby-crowned kinglet, savannah sparrow, song sparrow, tree swallow, tufted titmouse, white-breasted nuthatch, white-thraoted sparrow, wild turkey, yellow-rumped warbler
Posted in Lists, Observations, Poem | No Comments »
Saturday, April 23rd, 2016
 American Kestrel devouring a snake. At first light the gray ceiling of all outdoors
comforted me,
held me in and convinced me
that I will not die too soon.
 Hermit Thrush. Setting off with Jack in the truck, I encountered
a gray squirrel
darting frantically across the road,
the neighborhood fox in close pursuit.
But the fox turned when it saw the truck
and hurried away
through a side yard. I never thought
about saving a squirrel’s life in such a way.
Later, on a reddish hill, I watched a kestrel
sit, sit, wait, wait,
until it spotted a small snake—
it’s second of the morning—and devoured it fast.
I got photographs of birds and plants and sky
and Jack, my dog.
Sorted through them, I remembered
the gray on the head of the kestrel.
 Newlyweds. Beech Hill List
Beginning at 6:15 a.m., I hiked all trails.
1. Northern Cardinal**
2. Hermit Thrush**
3. Eastern Phoebe*
4. Barred Owl (v)
5. American Goldfinch*
6. Downy Woodpecker** (v)
7. Black-capped Chickadee*
8. American Robin*
9. Blue Jay* (v)
10. Blue-headed Vireo† (v)
11. Mourning Dove**
12. Eastern Towhee
13. Northern Flicker*
14. White-throated Sparrow** (v)
15. Song Sparrow**
16. Ruffed Grouse (booming)
17. Yellow-rumped Warbler
18. Wild Turkey (v)
19. Herring Gull*
20. Ruby-crowned Kinglet
21. Purple Finch (v)
22. Tree Swallow
23. Field Sparrow (v)
24. Savannah Sparrow
25. Mallard
26. American Kestrel
27. Palm Warbler
28. Tufted Titmouse** (v)
29. White-breasted Nuthatch* (v)
30. Eastern Bluebird
31. Common Raven
32. Osprey* (v)
33. Pileated Woodpecker (v)
34. Broad-winged Hawk† (v)
Elsewhere
35. House Finch (v)
36. European Starling
37. House Sparrow
38. Rock Pigeon
39. Red-tailed Hawk
v = Voice only
*Also elsewhere
**Voice only elsewhere
†First-of-year bird
Tags: American goldfinch, American kestrel, American robin, barred owl, black-capped chickadee, blue jay, blue-headed vireo, broad-winged hawk, common raven, downy woodpecker, eastern phoebe, eastern towhee, European starling, field sparrow, hermit thrush, herring gull, house finch, house sparrow, mallard, mourning dove, northern cardinal, northern flicker, osprey, palm warbler, pileated woodpecker, purple finch, red-tailed hawk, rock pigeon, ruby-crowned kinglet, ruffed grouse, savannah sparrow, song sparrow, tree swallow, tufted titmouse, white-breasted nuthatch, white-throated sparrow, wild turkey, yellow-rumped warbler
Posted in Lists, Observations, Poem | No Comments »
Friday, April 22nd, 2016
 Palm Warbler. Sparrows appear as by magic,
as dog and I ascend the wooded hill
where tiny ferns,
somehow furled,
Ppush through old leaves unfurling.
 White-throated Sparrow. White-throats scratch in tangled brush,
Savannahs poke about in the barrens,
Chipping Sparrows,
just arrived,
chip bright notes of alarm,
Song Sparrows, old timers,
sing their chimes and trills.
They all sing,
all these sparrows—
towhees: “Drink your tea!”
Plenty other birds descend,
a first-of-year Brown Thrasher,
palm Warblers,
bluebirds, Tree Swallows,
but it is the sparrows’ morning.
 Savannah Sparrow. Beech Hill List
Beginning at 7 a.m., I hiked all trails.
1. Eastern Phoebe*
2. American Robin*
3. White-breasted Nuthatch* (v)
4. Ruby-crowned Kinglet (v)
5. American Goldfinch*
6. Hermit Thrush
7. Black-capped Chickadee*
8. Downy Woodpecker*
9. Yellow-rumped Warbler
10. American Crow*
11. Northern Flicker*
12. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (drumming)
13. Purple Finch
14. Mourning Dove**
15. Herring Gull*
16. Song Sparrow (v)
17. Pileated Woodpecker (v)
18. Northern Cardinal**
19. White-throated Sparrow*
20. Eastern Towhee (v)
21. Chipping Sparrow
22. Savannah Sparrow
23. Tree Swallow
24. Eastern Bluebird
25. Tufted Titmouse* (v)
26. Brown Thrasher†
27. Palm Warbler
28. Blue Jay** (v)
Elsewhere
29. Dark-eyed Junco (v)
30. Red-bellied Woodpecker (v)
31. Barred Owl (v)
v = Voice only
*Also elsewhere
**Voice only elsewhere
†First-of-year bird
Tags: American crow, American goldfinch, American robin, barred owl, black-capped chickadee, blue jay, brown thrasher, chipping sparrow, dark-eyed junco, downy woodpecker, eastern phoebe, eastern towhee, hermit thrush, herring gull, mourning dove, northern cardinal, northern flicker, palm warbler, pileated woodpecker, purple finch, red-bellied woodpecker, ruby-crowned kinglet, savannah sparrow, song sparrow, tree swallow, tufted titmouse, white-breasted nuthatch, white-throated sparrow, yellow-bellied sapsucker, yellow-rumped warbler
Posted in Lists, Observations, Poem | 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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