Eastern towhee.
All things considered, fall is my favorite time of year. The harvest, the long year wrapped up, the first wood fire taking the edge off the first chill, the ripe smell of everything. The thrilling nervousness, the urgency, the wonder if you’re ready for cold and snow. But if you consider only birds, there’s a burning love affair I have with May.
Eastern phoebe.
I’m driven to rise early, to head out into the woods to greet their return. Warblers, vireos, sparrows, swallows, flycatchers. Hawks, waxwings, cuckoos, tanagers, grosbeaks. It’s hard to explain the imperative, the inner tremble, the twitch. My fingers tap, my feet jiggle. I just can’t wait to get out there.
As I did this morning.
Another damp, dripping morning, but Jack and I didn’t care. We reached Beech Hill about 7 a.m. (a little late, frankly) and right away I heard the song of an ovenbird. Ahhh.
By the time we left the first stretch of trail along the sugar bush, I’d already listed ten birds, same as I’d listed all yesterday. And by the time we’d reached the summit, I had nearly twenty. Blue-headed vireos had arrived and were singing in the canopy. Heard a yell0w-rumped warbler. Towhees everywhere. At Beech Nut, we surprised a turkey hen, and we played hide-and-seek a while around the hut before the bird finally waddled quickly down the trail we’d just ascended.
Droplets.
Tree swallows zipped and burbled in the mist above the fields. We headed down the open trail and heard singing savannah sparrows, a Nashville warbler, white-throated sparrows, a field sparrow, a chipping sparrow. Down at Beech Hill Road, I heard two distinctive junco calls. A cowbird made a noisy appearance, and a house finch. I heard jays.
On our trip back up and over the hill, I heard what sounded like the trill of a loon from down toward Chickawaukie Lake—except I doubt the sound could’ve carried that far. (It might’ve been a distant bluebird, I suppose.) And, finally, I heard the low, breath-like booms of a ruffed grouse. We’d spent more than two hours up there and saw only one other (friendly) human. It didn’t seem that long.
Worked at the kitchen table for the rest of the day, then climbed on the roof to photograph the rise of the supermoon.
I’m already daydreaming of our early hike tomorrow.
Addendum: American woodcock displaying under the moonlight.
Beech Hill List
Beginning at 7 a.m., I hiked all trails.
1. Ovenbird**
2. Tufted titmouse* (v)
3. Song sparrow*
4. Downy woodpecker
5. Eastern phoebe
6. Yellow-rumped warbler** (v)
7. Northern flicker (v)
8. American robin*
9. Eastern towhee
10. Northern cardinal* (v)
11. Mourning dove*
12. Black-capped chickadee*
13. American goldfinch*
14. American crow*
15. Herring gull* (v)
16. Blue-headed vireo (v)**
17. Savannah sparrow (v)
18. Wild turkey
19. Tree swallow**
20. White-throated sparrow (v)
21. Blue jay (v)
22. Nashville warbler** (v)
23. Field sparrow (v)
24. Chipping sparrow
25. Black-and-white warbler
26. Dark-eyed junco (v)
27. House finch*
28. Brown-headed cowbird
29. Loon? Bluebird? Some other sp.? (v)
30. Ruffed grouse (booming)
Elsewhere
31. Mallard
32. American woodcock (flight song)
v = Voice only
*Also elsewhere
**First-of-year bird
The supermoon riseth.
Tags: American crow, American goldfinch, American robin, American woodcock, black-and-white warbler, black-capped chickadee, blue jay, blue-headed vireo, brown-headed cowbird, chipping sparrow, common loon, dark-eyed junco, downy woodpecker, eastern phoebe, eastern towhee, field sparrow, herring gull, house finch, mallard, mourning dove, Nashville warbler, northern cardinal, northern flicker, ovenbird, purple finch, ruffed grouse, savannah sparrow, song sparrow, tree swallow, tufted titmouse, white-throated sparrow, wild turkey, yellow-rumped warbler
