Cold summit.
No snow came, but it sure got cold. About zero (F) when I first looked. And the bare branches of trees were moving around under an overcast sky.
The temp had climbed to maybe 10 degrees by the time Jack and embarked on our trip to Beech Hill. I bundled up good and put dog’s jacket on. Nobody else there, which was not a surprise. No owl, either—but one surprise was the merlin I saw flapping low over the eastern fields.
It was so cold up there my forehead hurt. Jack seemed OK with it, though.
Tonight the black, crisp sky is giving a great look at bright Venus. I even saw a couple moons through my binoculars.
Beech Hill List
Beginning at 2:45 p.m., I hiked the open trail.
1. Herring gull*
2. Northern flicker
3. Merlin
4. Black-capped chickadee (v)
Elsewhere
5. American crow
6. Rock pigeon
7. Mourning dove
v = Voice only
*Also elsewhere
Tags: American crow, black-capped chickadee, herring gull, merlin, mourning dove, northern flicker, rock pigeon
