Eastern towhee fledgling.
Black-and-white warbler.
The rain was lagging a bit, so this morning I took two dogs on a long hike in cool air under the overcast skies above Beech Hill. A lot of birds singing still, but nearly all of them are staying out of sight. Not so the towhees, though—each time we’d get in the neighborhood of a nest, the adults would spring up squawking and scolding. This made for some great close-up photos of one particular female, but it didn’t dawn on my what exactly was going on until late in the hike, when I spotted the solitary fledgling.
Already fledglings.
A couple other memorable moments, as well—like when a least flycatcher tossed a black-and-white warbler out of its territory in a frantic, angry chase. Black-and-whites had it tough, it seems, because the other memorable moment, which happened as I was photographing the fledgling, came after I heard an urgent, pulsing hum behind me and turned to see a ruby-throated humming bird swaying back and forth like a pendulum about a foot away from the beak of another B&W. Never seen anything like it.
Eastern towhee.
Returning from our hike, just as I was about to open the back door, I heard a faint squee! like the call of a broad-winged hawk and so stopped and looked up and, sure enough, spied a very high-flying broad-wing circling directly overhead. As I was changing out of my hiking clothes—and checking for ticks—I supposed I’m lucky to have an ear like that. It’s kind of like a form of magic, really, when you think about it—of divination.
Beech Hill List
Beginning at 9 a.m., I hiked all trails.
1. American redstart** (v)
2. Red-eyed vireo** (v)
3. Chestnut-sided warbler** (v)
4. American robin**
5. Veery
6. American goldfinch (v)
7. Common yellowthroat**
8. Eastern wood-pewee
9. Black-capped chickadee** (v)
10. Eastern towhee
11. Gray catbird**
12. Yellow warbler**
13. Alder flycatcher
14. Ovenbird** (v)
15. American crow*
16. Northern cardinal** (v)
17. Nashville warbler (v)
18. Song sparrow**
19. Eastern phoebe**
20. Northern cardinal** (v)
21. Northern flicker
22. Field sparrow
23. Tufted titmouse** (v)
24. Brown-headed cowbird (v)
25. Purple finch (v)
26. White-throated sparrow (v)
27. Black-and-white warbler**
28. Hermit thrush (v)
29. Black-throated green warbler (v)
30. Least flycatcher
31. Ruby-throated hummingbird
32. Mallard (v)
Elsewhere
33. House finch (v)
34. European starling
35. Herring gull
36. House sparrow (v)
37. Broad-winged hawk
38. Osprey
39. Cooper’s hawk
40. Mourning dove
v = Voice only
*Also elsewhere
**Voice only elsewhere
Tags: alder flycatcher, American crow, American goldfinch, American redstart, American robin, black-and-white warbler, black-capped chickadee, black-throated green warbler, broad-winged hawk, brown-headed cowbird, chestnut-sided warbler, common yellowthroat, cooper's hawk, eastern phoebe, eastern towhee, eastern wood-pewee, European starling, field sparrow, gray catbird, hermit thrush, herring gull, house finch, house sparrow, least flycatcher, mallard, mourning dove, Nashville warbler, northern cardinal, northern flicker, osprey, ovenbird, purple finch, red-eyed vireo, ruby-throated hummingbird, song sparrow, tufted titmouse, veery, white-throated sparrow, yellow warbler
