Northern parula.
OK, maybe not a tsunami, but certainly a series of high waves. Woke up early, noted the grayness and dampness outside. Drove with dog to fog-bound Beech Hill and started up the trail. It was so dark and foggy I didn’t have great hopes, but within seconds, I’d heard my first first-of-year warbler (a northern parula), and within minutes, I’d added a dozen species to my list. Many ovenbirds, many black-and-whites, plenty of black-throated greens. About ten minutes in, I ended up stopping in one place beneath many leafing out hardwoods and watched the warblers flitting through.
Black-and-white warbler (female).
Lots of parulas, turned out. Many more black-and-whites and black-throated greens. Plenty of white-throated sparrows, too, in the undergrowth. from off in the cloudy atmosphere, I heard the yodel of a loon and the quacks of a mallard.
Then I heard a veery (first of the year), saw a hermit thrush, and—coming over the summit—I heard a first-of-year yellow warbler.
At the far side of the hill, I met Kristen coming up. She mentioned two redstarts down at the Beech Hill Road parking lot and walked with me back down, where I spotted the redstarts (foy), along with at least one black-throated blue (foy). On a bad day for photography, I even managed somehow to get a half-way decent parula pic.
At the summit again, Kristen spotted a tail-wagging palm warbler (foy for me). As we started down the wooded trail, it began to rain, so we didn’t do a lot of birding for a while. Drove K around to the other parking lot, where—in a drizzle—we got out and watched another little wave of warblers flit through the trees. Kristen was also the first to see a magnolia warbler (foy for me).
All in all a fruitful birding day. Now, if only tomorrow morning dawns clear…
Beech Hill List
Beginning at 6:30 a.m., I hiked all trails.
1. American crow*
2. Black-throated green warbler**
3. Ovenbird**
4. Eastern towhee
5. American robin*
6. Hairy woodpecker (v)
7. Rose-breasted grosbeak (v)
8. Black-and-white warbler**
9. Northern parula**
10. Black-capped chickadee
11. American goldfinch** (v)
12. Blue-headed vireo (v)
13. Blue jay** (v)
14. Chestnut-sided warbler (v)
15. Common loon (v)
16. Mallard
17. Mourning dove* (v)
18. Herring gull*
19. Common yellowthroat
20. White-throated sparrow
21. Veery (v)
22. Nashville warbler (v)
23. Hermit thrush (v)
24. Yellow-rumped warbler
25. Gray catbird (v)
26. Tufted titmouse**
27. Northern cardinal** (v)
28. Song sparrow**
29. Savannah sparrow
30. Eastern phoebe
31. Yellow warbler**
32. Field sparrow (v)
33. Purple finch (v)
34. American redstart
35. Black-throated blue warbler
36. Northern flicker
37. Chipping sparrow
38. Palm warbler
39. Osprey
40. Magnolia warbler
Elsewhere
41. House finch
42. European starling
43. Red-bellied woodpecker (v)
44. Rock pigeon
45. Common grackle
46. Double-crested cormorant
v = Voice only
*Also elsewhere
**Voice only elsewhere
†First-of-year bird
Tags: American crow, American goldfinch, American redstart, American robin, black-and-white warbler, black-capped chickadee, black-throated blue warbler, black-throated green warbler, blue jay, blue-headed vireo, chestnut-sided warbler, chipping sparrow, common grackle, common loon, common yellowthroat, double-crested cormorant, eastern phoebe, eastern towhee, European starling, field sparrow, gray catbird, hairy woodpecker, hermit thrush, herring gull, house finch, magnolia warbler, mallard, mourning dove, Nashville warbler, northern cardinal, northern flicker, northern parula, osprey, ovenbird, palm warbler, purple finch, red-bellied woodpecker, rock pigeon, rose-breasted grosbeak, savannah sparrow, song sparrow, tufted titmouse, veery, white-throated sparrow, yellow warbler, yellow-rumped warbler
