Eastern wood-pewee.
Veery.
An overcast morning, cool but dry. Headed directly to Beech Hill with Jack, where warblers and vireos and thrushes were singing, and mosquitos were humming, and blackberries were blooming like crazy.
I didn’t see a single bird until a vireo showed up in the first little poplar grove. Soon after, I spotted the veery that was scolding me, veer! veer! Lots of goldfinches at the summit, but no swallows. No cuckoo. No yellow-breasted chat anywhere. Plenty of sparrows, though.
Coming back up from the redstart neighborhood, I saw a flicker bounce low across the sky and then heard—suddenly—a loud call sort of like Hickok, Hickok! Cow! It was that Carolina wren I heard yesterday in the yard of the house across the road.
A small flock of waxwings flew by on our final ascent. On our final descent into the woods, wood-pewees were singing.
I love the little eastern wood-pewee, with its wistful, imploring song.
Red-eyed vireo.
Beech Hill List
Beginning at 7:45 a.m., I hiked all trails.
1. Ovenbird**
2. Red-eyed vireo**
3. Black-throated green warbler** (v)
4. Chestnut-sided warbler**
5. Gray catbird**
6. American goldfinch
7. Veery
8. Tufted titmouse** (v)
9. Hermit thrush (v)
10. American crow*
11. Alder flycatcher
12. American redstart**
13. Black-and-white warbler** (v)
14. Yellow warbler**
15. Eastern towhee
16. Common yellowthroat**
17. Black-capped chickadee (v)
18. Mourning dove*
19. Field sparrow
20. Northern flicker
21. Eastern phoebe**
22. American robin*
23. Savannah sparrow
24. Song sparrow**
25. Northern cardinal** (v)
26. Carolina wren (v)
27. Cedar waxwing
28. Eastern wood-pewee
Elsewhere
29. House finch
30. Herring gull
31. House sparrow
32. European starling
33. Rock pigeon
34. Chipping sparrow
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, Carolina wren, Cedar waxwing, chestnut-sided warbler, chipping sparrow, common yellowthraot, eastern phoebe, eastern towhee, eastern wood-pewee, European starling, field sparrow, gray catbird, hermit thrush, herring gull, house finch, house sparrow, mourning dove, northern cardinal, northern flicker, ovenbird, red-eyed vireo, rock pigeon, savannah sparrow, song sparrow, tufted titmouse, veery, yellow warbler
