American crows.
Kind of a busy ol’ work day—a day that began with a lot of sun but lost it somewhere along the way. You could just tell from the smell of the air that a change was coming. There’s change all around, in fact. Red has come into the leaves of the sumac and other trailside foliage, and the ferns are browning on their edges. Squirrels are fidgety. Birds are moving.
Turning leaves.
I checked the weather radar before Jack and I headed up to Beech Hill this afternoon. Rain was on the way. I saw a sharp-shinned hawk fly over the parking lot as we turned in. We walked briskly up. Encountered chickadees. Heard crows. Flushed a grouse. Passed some hidden white-throats. At the summit, a few small droplets of rain were sprinkling down. Returning, I heard a vireo and a flicker.
Tonight the wind is high and the air is warm and muggy—like off-the-ocean air. It’s raining, but not that hard. Not yet anyway.
Beech Hill List
Beginning at 4:15 p.., I hiked the wooded trails.
1. Sharp-shinned hawk
2. Black-capped chickadee**
3. American crow*
4. Ruffed grouse
5. White-throated sparrow (v)
6. Red-eyed vireo (v)
7. Northern flicker (v)
Elsewhere
8. Blue jay (v)
9. Herring gull
10. Mourning dove
11. American robin
v = Voice only
*Also elsewhere
**Voice only elsewhere
Tags: American crow, American robin, black-capped chickadee, blue jay, herring gull, mourning dove, northern flicker, red-eyed vireo, ruffed grouse, sharp-shinned hawk, white-throated sparrow
