Savannah sparrow (juvenile).
Hiking the wooded Beech Hill trail this afternoon with Jack, I heard the chip note of a white-throated sparrow. It was the first evidence I’d had of this resident species since probably mid-spring. This got me thinking—which of our nesting birds are most adept at hiding out, laying low, apparently simply vanishing?
Two generations of chestnut-sided warbler.
Understandably, most birds will make themselves scarce once their young have fledged and begun moving around. Witness the decline of my daily list these past few weeks of summer. Ovenbirds, hard to spot in any case, have gone silent lately. So have veeries. And several other abundant species are just now shy to sing or call. Most warblers, for instance. Savannah sparrows, so vocal until just a couple weeks ago, have clammed up. And although you can catch sight of catbirds here and there flitting through the understory, they’ll only deliver a quiet mew! or two.
Jays, field sparrows, yellow warblers—before today, I’d heard none call for weeks.
Until, for some reason, today. E.g., the white-throated sparrow. And while out cycling this early afternoon, I heard a jay. And at the Beech Hill summit, out of nowhere came the full, loud song of a field sparrow. Still no yellow warblers, but I did spot a young Nashville warbler—quite a surprise. We also happened upon an adult and fledgling chestnut-sided warbler (the adult was chipping like crazy). Hermit thrushes are singers at this time of year, and several were letting fly down in the lower woods, but I heard no wood-pewee. I did, however, hear a singing ovenbird, its voice echoing through the trees. Ovenbirds are everywhere up there, but this was the first hint of them for a long time.
Common yellowthroat.
I’d have to say the white-throat is the best at vanishing. Certain warblers—black-and-white, yellow, Nashville—are pretty good at it, too. Phoebes, once their youngsters leave the nest, are good at making themselves scarce. As are Savannah sparrows. As are ovenbirds. And where have all the veeries gone? (Nowhere, they’ve just gone incognito.)
But today they began to emerge. The white-throat. The Nashville. The field sparrow. A phoebe at the summit. And out of nowhere a young Savannah sparrow perched on the porch wall of Beech Nut and, obligingly, posed for photos.
An anomaly? A reemergence? It’ll be interesting to watch and see.
Beech Hill List
Beginning at 4:30 p.m., I hiked the wooded trails.
1. Red-eyed vireo* (v)
2. American goldfinch* (v)
3. Eastern towhee
4. Cedar waxwing*
5. Gray catbird
6. Chestnut-sided warbler
7. White-throated sparrow (v)
8. Alder flycatcher
9. Black-capped chickadee (v)
10. Common yellowthroat
11. American crow* (v)
12. Song sparrow*
13. American robin*
14. Savannah sparrow
15. Eastern phoebe
16. Herring gull*
17. Field sparrow (v)
18. Nashville warbler
19. Northern flicker
20. Hermit thrush* (v)
21. Ovenbird (v)
Elsewhere
22. House finch
23. Northern cardinal (v)
24. House sparrow
25. Rock pigeon
26. Osprey (v)
27. Jay (v)
28. European starling
29. Chipping sparrow (v)
30. Mourning dove
v = Voice only
*Also elsewhere
Tags: alder flycatcher, American crow, American goldfinch, American robin, black-capped chickadee, Cedar waxwing, chestnut-sided warbler, chipping sparrow, common yellowthroat, eastern phoebe, eastern towhee, European starling, field sparrow, gray catbird, hermit thrush, herring gull, house finch, house sparrow, mourning dove, Nashville warbler, northern cardinal, northern flicker, osprey, ovenbird, red-eyed vireo, rock pigeon, savannah sparrow, song sparrow, white-throated sparrow
