On their own, my waking hours seem to adjust to this season: I hit the sack earlier, awaken with the sun, can hardly wait to get out in the woods with the birds. This morning, one of the first birds I heard singing on the wooded Beech Hill trail was a blue-headed vireo—which species I first heard yesterday—bouncing around in the branches of the barely leafing-out maples. If you want to photograph this antic species, you have to do it before the foliage busts out. I got an OK photo today.
Up top, in the open fields, I found a few kestrels still, towhees (of course), and a whole slew of singing Savannah sparrows. This is unquestionably their territorial time of year. (I mean, wow.) I also heard (then saw, high above) a broad-winged hawk, and looked up to see an adult bald eagle fly over. Handsome birds, eagles. It flapped a few times as it passed, then just held out its wings and soared for hundreds of yards out toward the bay.
Heard my first pine warbler this morning, too—but it was only the second wood-warbler of the year for me. This will change within a few days. Which is one of the reasons I can’t seem to sleep later than 6:30 or 7 a.m.
Beech Hill List
Beginning at 7:30 a.m., I hiked all trails.
1. Black-capped chickadee*
2. White-breasted nuthatch
3. Blue-headed vireo
4. Eastern phoebe*
5. American crow*
6. Hermit thrush (v)
7. Hairy woodpecker** (v)
8. Mourning dove* (v)
9. Blue jay
10. White-throated sparrow (v)
11. Northern cardinal** (v)
12. Tufted titmouse**
13. American robin* (v)
14. Eastern towhee
15. Yellow-rumped warbler
16. Northern flicker (v)
17. American goldfinch**
18. Red-winged blackbird**
19. House finch** (v)
20. American kestrel
21. Song sparrow**
22. Pine warbler† (v)
23. Field sparrow
24. Savannah sparrow
25. Common raven (v)
26. Canada goose* (v)
27. Bald eagle
28. Broad-winged hawk
29. Ruffed grouse (booming)
30. Tree swallow
31. Canada goose* (v)
32. Ruby-crowned kinglet
33. Herring gull*
Elsewhere
34. Brown-headed cowbird
35. Chipping sparrow (v)
36. Golden-crowned kinglet (v)
37. European starling
38. Rock pigeon
39. Common grackle
v = Voice only
*Also elsewhere
**Voice only elsewhere
†First-of-year bird