Cedar waxwing.
Big thunderstorm blew through last night. Heard the thunder, heard the rain come, lay there thankful that I my open windows would not let any rain in. This morning, much of the rain had dried already, and some fog had collected. I found myself excited for the first Saturday of college football season.
Song sparrow.
Wrote some, did some type design. Thought of riding my bicycle but decided not to—instead, I took Jack to Beech Hill a little early. Hazy still, bright enough but no direct sun peeking through. And right away we encountered a swarm of warblers.
Well, not only warblers. Red-eyed vireos, as well as Blackburnian and black-throated green and yellow-rumped warblers and common yellowthroats. Jays and a calling red-bellied woodpecker and a ton of cedar waxwings up the slope. The waxwings were perched at the ends of the leafy branches of scrubby trees and would leap in the air and hover and return to their branches. It didn’t take me long to see what they were up to: swarms of flies were drifting around, and the waxwings were interested in vacuuming them in. I stood a while and attempted photos.
At the summit, an alder flycatcher was likewise catching swarming flies. More yell0w-rumpes up there. A song sparrow. The cry of a towhee.
Back down toward the parking lot, again warblers were everywhere, poking about in the trees. A parula, black-throated green, others I’m sure I missed identifying. Also a few titmice. I heard a nuthatch.
Fall migration excites me more, I think, than spring does. Something about it being not so much a want as a need.
Beech Hill List
Beginning at 3:30 p.m., I hiked the open trail.
1. Blue jay
2. Black-capped chickadee**
3. Red-eyed vireo**
4. Gray catbird
5. Tufted titmouse
6. White-breasted nuthatch (v)
7. Blackburnian warbler
8. American goldfinch**
9. Red-bellied woodpecker (v)
10. Cedar waxwing**
11. Common yellowthroat
12. Song sparrow
13. Yellow-rumped warbler
14. American crow*
15. Alder flycatcher
16. Eastern towhee (v)
17. Black-throated green warbler
18. Northern parula
Elsewhere
17. Herring gull
18. Mourning dove
v = Voice only
*Also elsewhere
**Voice only elsewhere
Tags: alder flycatcher, American crow, American goldfinch, black-capped chickadee, black-throated green warbler, blackburnian warbler, blue jay, Cedar waxwing, common yellowthroat, eastern towhee, gray catbird, herring gull, mourning dove, northern parula, red-bellied woodpecker, red-eyed vireo, song sparrow, tufted titmouse, white-breasted nuthatch, yellow-rumped warbler
