Brown creeper.
Rained like crazy overnight. I awoke a couple times to the sound of steady, pounding rain. Raining still this morning—but it let up after a little while, leaving a heavy fog. Not a cold day. A little wind, though.
White-throated sparrow.
It being Saturday, Jack and I took off a little early to hike Beech Hill. No one else there when we arrived. Thick fog, dripping trees. And in the dripping trees, I heard the faint voice of a brown creeper, which soon appeared on a trunk ahead of us, winding its way upward. Then a chickadee flitted into view, chattering. And I spotted a yellow-rumped warbler in some foliage some distance away. Then a titmouse showed up—it got very near, in fact, but I couldn’t manage to focus my camera on the bird before it darted away.
A few steps farther, and we came upon a pair of white-throated sparrows. Also heard a nuthatch. Six species within only a few minutes.
Coming up the trail, though, all we encountered was fog and damp and a bit of wind. In fact, the wind carried tiny water droplets: a mist had risen. In fact, had to take pains to protect the lenses of my binculars and camera. Then, there on the trail ahead of us, a junco hopped into view. It kept going from the trailside bushes to the trail itself and back. At one point, it paused to drink from a rain puddle.
Near the foggy summit, I saw a sparrow flutter away, but I couldn’t get an ID. (Likely a song, I think.) Heard crows and jays in the distance.
Dark-eyed junco.
And that’s the story, pretty much. More yellow-rumps flitting around on our return. More voices of jays and chickadees. And two people and a dog approaching us, commencing their own hike into the foggy heights.
Beech Hill List
Beginning at 2:15 p.m., I hiked the open trail.
1. Brown creeper
2. Black-capped chickadee
3. Yellow-rumped warbler
4. Tufted titmouse
5. White-breasted nuthatch (v)
6. White-throated sparrow
7. American crow* (v)
8. Dark-eyed junco
9. Blue jay** (v)
Elsewhere
10. American robin
v = Voice only
*Also elsewhere
**Voice only elsewhere
Ghost of Beech Nut.
Tags: American crow, American robin, black-capped chickadee, blue jay, brown creeper, dark-eyed junco, tufted titmouse, white-breasted nuthatch, white-throated sparrow, yellow-rumped warbler
