9 February 2025

Archive for June, 2018

Mama Yellowthroat

Wednesday, June 27th, 2018
Common Yellowthroat (female), Beech Hill Preserve, Rockport, Maine, 27 June 2018.

Common Yellowthroat (female).

This morning I took two quick steps out the back door and turned around to check on the phoebe nestlings. I saw that they were large and sitting tall on the nest, and then they took off across the little yard, twittering, and lit in some trees. This brought the adults over in a hurry, peeping at their suddenly unchained brood.

Phoebe’s first perch, Rockport, Maine, 27 June 2018.

Phoebe’s first perch.

Didn’t mean to cause such a ruckus, but it was interesting to watch the fledging process. One little bird sat on its first wild perch for a good long time without moving at all.

At the hill, birds were actively feeding nestlings and fledglings. I got a special welcome from a female yellowthroat with a beak crammed full of flying insects.

Later, I took a nice long bicycle ride and heard (and/or saw) quite a few additional species. Kept thinking about that yellowthroat, though.

Beech Hill List
Beginning at 8 a.m., I hiked the open trail.

1. Yellow Warbler** (v)
2. Mourning Dove* (v)
3. Red-eyed Vireo** (v)
4. American Goldfinch** (v)
5. White-breasted Nuthatch** (v)
6. Eastern Towhee
7. Black-capped Chickadee (v)
8. Northern Cardinal**
9. American Robin (v)
10. Tufted Titmouse** (v)
11. Chipping Sparrow*
12. Ovenbird (v)
13. Alder Flycatcher (v)
14. Common Yellowthroat**
15. Eastern Bluebird
16. Song Sparrow
17. American Crow*
18. Field Sparrow
19. Gray Catbird**
20. Savannah Sparrow
21. Northern Flicker (v)
22. Veery (v)
23. Cedar Waxwing*
24. Eastern Phoebe*
25. Common Raven (v)
26. Purple Finch
27. Red-breasted Nuthatch (v)
28. Chestnut-sided Warbler** (v)
29. Hermit Thrush (v)
30. Rose-breasted Grosbeak (v)
31. Mourning Dove* (v)

Elsewhere

32. Herring Gull
33. Black-and-white Warbler (v)
34. American Redstart (v)
35. Rock Pigeon
36. House Sparrow (v)
37. Osprey
38. Laughing Gull†

v = Voice only
*Also elsewhere
**Voice only elsewhere
†First-of-year bird

 

Waxwings and Butterfly

Tuesday, June 26th, 2018
Cedar Waxwing, Beech Hill Preserve, Rockport, Maine, 26 June 2018.

Cedar Waxwing.

A sunny, near-cloudless morning. Cool, but not too cool. Warm in the sun.

Few birds at first, then more and more, until somehow I ended up with 32 species—many among them nurturing new fledglings (fledglings that were heard but not seen). I think the Beech Nut phoebes might even start another nest this year.

A little flock of waxwings paid a visit to blueberry fields that resounded with the songs of Savannah Sparrows. Also got a nice look at my first-of-year Northern Crescent.

Northern Crescent, Beech Hill Preserve, Rockport, Maine, 26 June 2018.

Northern Crescent.

Beech Hill List
Beginning at 8 a.m., I hiked the open trail.

1. American Redstart** (v)
2. Black-and-white Warbler (v)
3. American Goldfinch**
4. Eastern Towhee
5. Mourning Dove*
6. Gray Catbird**
7. Alder Flycatcher (v)
8. Black-capped Chickadee** (v)
9. Yellow Warbler (v)
10. American Crow*
11. Ovenbird** (v)
12. Chestnut-sided Warbler
13. Song Sparrow**
14. Osprey
15. Common Yellowthroat**
16. Tufted Titmouse (v)
18. Black-throated Green Warbler (v)
19. Northern Flicker
20. Cedar Waxwing
21. Field Sparrow (v)
22. Eastern Phoebe*
23. Tree Swallow
24. Purple Finch
25. Savannah Sparrow
26. American Robin
27. Chipping Sparrow*
29. Eastern Wood-pewee (v)
30. Rose-breasted Grosbeak (v)
31. Eastern Bluebird
32. Veery

Elsewhere

33. Rock Pigeon
34. Herring Gull

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

The Common Yellowthroat

Monday, June 25th, 2018
Common Yellowthroat (male), Beech Hill Preserve, Rockport, Maine, 25 June 2018.

Common Yellowthroat (male).

One common bird that nests around here shows up in spring kind of like a ornery country neighbor. You wouldn’t even know it was here right away if it didn’t begin to holler at the top of its lungs. Then after a while it gets territorial and starts to shout and cuss if you get too near the home it’s built by all by itself out of natural materials. Every now and then it takes off suddenly in wild flight, straight up, shouting gibberish as if drunk on moonshine, then flutters back to earth and grows sullen and silent again.

Then after a while the little guy warms to you a little, come near as if wishing to gossip. Flutters up to a twig or stalk right out in the open and sings a country tune that goes Witchety-witchety-witchety!

I’m speaking, of course, about my familiar neighbor, the Common Yellowthroat.

Beech Hill List
Beginning at 9:15 a.m., I hiked the open trail.

1. Red-eyed Vireo
2. American Redstart
3. Downy Woodpecker
4. Chestnut-sided Warbler
5. American Goldfinch
6. Eastern Towhee
7. Eastern Bluebird
8. Cedar Waxwing
9. Gray Catbird
10. Black-capped Chickadee
11. Song Sparrow
12. Common Yellowthroat
13. Yellow Warbler
14. Rose-breasted Grosbeak
15. Field Sparrow
16. Savannah Sparrow
17. Northern Flicker
18. American Crow
19. Alder Flycatcher
20. Tree Swallow
21. Common Loon
22. Black-throated Green Warbler
23. Purple Finch
24. Ovenbird
25. Tufted Titmouse
26. Mourning Dove
27. Blue Jay
28. Chipping Sparrow
29. Black-and-white Warbler
30. American Robin

Elsewhere

31. Herring Gull
32. Northern Cardinal

v = Voice only
*Also elsewhere
**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



3IP Logo
©1997–2025 by 3IP