Common yellowthroat.
Sun again this morning; again I didn’t exactly expect it. But never mind—up, dress, warm some coffee, hurry down to the pickup with Jack (forgetting the coffee, by the way), and five minutes later we’re starting up the Beech Hill trail. Where, I might add, quite a few birds were showing off one way or another. There was something to look at or listen to pretty much every step of the way up and over and back up and back over.
Blackburnian warbler.
We’d traveled at least three-quarters of the way through our all-trails hike when I heard it: the voice of a Blackburnian warbler.
They’re not exactly rare, Blackburnians—but they’re not exactly common at Beech Hill. They tend to like conifers, in my experience, and there are few on the hill. Typically, they’ll move through, singing, earlier in spring, and I’ll spot ’em then. This was kind of late. Still, any time these lovely, flame-faced birds show up, I’m going to try to take their picture. If only they didn’t hang out so high in the canopy.
That’s what this one did, and I must’ve stayed around that one little section of trail for twenty minutes, at least, craning my neck until it began to ache a little. It might’ve seemed like kind of a hassle, even, except for the magic of the woods.
First, as I gazed high among the leaves for a teensy little bird, a larger bright bird appeared silently much nearer: a scarlet tanager. Got a couple OK photos of the tanager. Then, as if that weren’t surprise enough, a singing black-throated blue warbler passed by. (Did not happen to spot it.) And then—again, as I was craning my neck—a downy woodpecker flitted up to a close-by trunk and tapped a bit. And of course there were the usual songs of the ovenbird, red-eyed vireo, black-throated green warbler, tufted titmouse, and hermit thrush.
Scarlet tanager.
A nice little place on the trail.
This afternoon, just as I got read to ride to town on my bicycle, a big cloud blew over. I went anyway and got a little wet on my return. But at least I was indoors and dry by the time a little thunder and lightning happened—along with at least one good gully-washer.
Late light tonight. Cool and lovely out there.
Beech Hill List
Beginning at 7:45 a.m., I hiked all trails.
1. Great crested flycatcher (v)
2. Red-eyed vireo**
3. Black-throated green warbler (v)
4. Ovenbird** (v)
5. American crow*
6. Chestnut-sided warbler**
7. Black-capped chickadee** (v)
8. Veery (v)
9. Gray catbird**
10. American goldfinch (v)
11. Common yellowthroat**
12. Mourning dove* (v)
13. Eastern towhee
14. Black-and-white warbler (v)
15. Alder flycatcher
16. Yellow warbler
17. Blue jay
18. Tufted titmouse** (v)
19. Purple finch
20. Savannah sparrow
21. Tree swallow
22. Northern flicker
23. Field sparrow
24. Rose-breasted grosbeak
25. Eastern bluebird
26. American redstart (v)
27. Northern cardinal** (v)
28. American robin*
29. Eastern phoebe**
30. Brown-headed cowbird (v)
31. Cedar waxwing (v)
32. Black-throated blue warbler
33. Turkey vulture
34. Hermit thrush (v)
35. Eastern wood-pewee
36. Blackburnian warbler
37. Scarlet tanager
38. Downy woodpecker
Elsewhere
39. House finch (v)
40. Herring gull
41. Broad-winged hawk (v)
42. House sparrow (v)
43. Chimney swift
44. Chipping sparrow (v)
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 blue warbler, black-throated green warbler, blackburnian warbler, blue jay, broad-winged hawk, brown-headed cowbird, Cedar waxwing, chestnut-sided warbler, chimney swift, chipping sparrow, common yellowthroat, downy woodpecker, eastern phoebe, eastern towhee, eastern wood-pewee, field sparrow, gray catbird, great crested flycatcher, hermit thrush, herring gull, house finch, house sparrow, mourning dove, northern cardinal, northern flicker, ovenbird, purple finch, red-eyed vireo, rose-breasted grosbeak, savannah sparrow, scarlet tanager, tree swallow, tufted titmouse, turkey vulture, veery, yellow warbler
