Jack and I got to Beech Hill this afternoon about the time the sun came out. Not that the sun hadn’t been out a time or two earlier, but I’d describe it as a mostly cloudy day. And a cool one. Turned on the heat for the first time, if barely.

First I stood in the parking lot for a moment and listened. Didn’t hear a single bird.

Then we began to walk. And I heard a soft hammering above us. A downy woodpecker. Then I heard the chip! of a yellow-rumped warbler. And another. Then the voice of a chickadee, and a blue jay, and a crow. I’d walked about two dozen paces. (Jack had walked more.) It soon became apparent that lots of little birds were flitting about in the trailside foliage warming in the sun.

Not very far up the trail, I began to guess at their numbers. Probably three dozen yellow-rumps were bouncing and zipping around up there. And then I heard the soft, brief flute-notes of a bluebird. A couple of bluebirds. I spotted one. Two. Eventually estimated a half-dozen bluebirds among the yellow-rumps. And another species—a tittering species. Junco. Maybe a dozen juncos, at least, among the others. And all the birds together accompanied us up the trail, staying a little ways ahead.

Above us—while all this was going on—I heard the notes of siskins. (Sounded like they were flying north.) And a song sparrow flew by.

At the summit, no harriers. Just a lovely October view.

The yellow-rumps were still fluttering here and there when we passed on our way back down. The bluebirds or juncos had flown. Saw a few young (I assume) hairy woodpeckers talking to each other in the trees. And back at the parking lot, I heard the voice of a titmouse across the road.

Then I stood in the parking lot for a moment, listening. Didn’t hear a single bird.

Beech Hill List
Beginning at 4:30 p.m., I hiked the open trail.

1. Hairy woodpecker
2. Yellow-rumped warbler
3. Black-capped chickadee**
4. Blue jay
5. American crow* (v)
6. Eastern bluebird
7. Pine siskin (v)
8. Dark-eyed junco
9. Song sparrow*
10. Northern flicker (v)
11. Tufted titmouse (v)

Elsewhere

12. Herring gull

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

Tags: American crow, black-capped chickadee, blue jay, dark-eyed junco, hairy woodpecker, herring gull, northern flicker, pine siskin, song sparrow, tufted titmouse, yellow-rumped warbler

This entry was posted on Tuesday, October 9th, 2012 at 8:51 pm and is filed under Lists, Observations. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.