Black-and-white warbler.
Up early, made some coffee, got to Beech Hill by a quarter to 7. Jack and I were happy to have some warm sunshine—and so were a few swarms of black flies. But black flies mean warblers, and despite the humdrum sunny weather lately, the warblers are starting to trickle in. Heard more black-and-whites and black-throated greens singing, along with a couple blue-headed vireos. Insectivores don’t have to hunt around for grub anymore.
Egg-carrying raven.
Not a lot of excitement until we neared the summit, when I heard wingbeats, looked up, and saw another raven winging its way only maybe a dozen yards above us. And this raven was carrying an egg. A large, light-colored egg. Hen’s egg? Goose egg? Dunno, but it was pretty cool.
I’d also heard some loon yodels while climbing through the woods. Well, at the open summit trail, again I heard wingbeats approaching from behind us, and it was a common loon, flying not much higher than the raven. It was headed toward Chickawaukie Lake. As it sailed away, it began to make that magical sound that loons make—one of ’em (the yodel).
Saw a Cooper’s hawk flapping low down toward Beech Hill Road. Heard—then saw—a broad-wing, flying high.
Back up and over the hill, coming down the lower trail, I heard a pair of black-and-white warblers up the rise to our right. Well, I like the look of b-and-w warblers, and I haven’t had a photo in a while, so we veered off trail and crashed up through the old brush toward the voices of the birds. A few moments later, I was watching a pair of males chasing each other around, singing back and forth. First they’d land on the same tree, poke around for grub while calling, then one would take off and the other would chase. This continued for many minutes. I got a few not great photos—but just watching these two was ample reward.
Eastern towhee.
Oh, and also I heard the call of a first-of-year Nashville warbler.
Beech Hill List
Beginning at 6:45 a.m., I hiked all trails.
1. Osprey (v)
2. Black-capped chickadee**
3. Eastern towhee
4. Blue jay (v)
5. American robin* (v)
6. Black-throated green warbler (v)
7. American goldfinch (v)
8. Hairy woodpecker (v)
9. American crow*
10. White-breasted nuthatch (v)
11. House finch** (v)
12. Blue-headed vireo (v)
13. Black-and-white warbler
14. Wild turkey
15. Common loon
16. Tufted titmouse** (v)
17. Common raven
18. Song sparrow**
19. Eastern phoebe
20. Field sparrow (v)
21. Savannah sparrow
22. Northern cardinal** (v)
23. Cooper’s Hawk†
24. Chipping sparrow**
25. Pileated woodpecker (v)
26. Mourning dove (v)
27. Broad-winged hawk
28. Brown-headed cowbird (v)
29. Northern flicker (v)
30. Herring gull*
31. Hermit thrush
32. Nashville warbler†
v = Voice only
*Also elsewhere
**Voice only elsewhere
†First-of-year bird
Tags: American crow, American goldfinch, American robin, black-and-white warbler, black-capped chickadee, black-throated green warbler, blue jay, blue-headed vireo, broad-winged hawk, brown-headed cowbird, chipping sparrow, common loon, common raven, cooper's hawk, eastern phoebe, eastern towhee, field sparrow, hairy woodpecker, hermit thrush, herring gull, house finch, mourning dove, Nashville warbler, northern cardinal, northern flicker, osprey, pileated woodpecker, savannah sparrow, song sparrow, tufted titmouse, white-breasted nuthatch, wild turkey
