Palm Warbler (with fly).
First warbler species today: a little swarm of Palm Warblers, poking about for insects alongside the main Beech Hill trail. Jack and I had gotten to the hill fairly early and had come up through the woods, flushing woodcock and grouse, and had moved over the summit, where I spotted a first-of-year Osprey and flying, calling loon. Fly-catching Eastern Phoebes were singing everywhere, and I got a peek at a shy (first-of-year) Savannah Sparrow. But the arrival of the little tail-wagging palms—got a photo of one with a fly in its beak—got me thinking about timing.
Song Sparrow.
On our tilted planet, timing is everything. The tilt begets the seasons; the seasons begets the timing. Compared to most places in the universe, ours is a gentle change from cold to warm to cold again—no 500-degree difference between night and day, as on the moon—yet earth’s life moves in accordance with even slight shifts in the photoperiod and temperature. When the flies hatch, the birds that eat them show up, as by magic.
Migration is a miracle.
Of course they’ve had millennia of practice. Still, you can almost pick the day the frogs will begin to sing (first wood frogs yesterday, first peepers today—although friends first hear them last night), or the day an osprey will fly over, or a tree swallow. These are April happenings. Like that first alarm whine of a Hermit Thrush, like the one I heard in the woods today. Like the imminent Pine and Yellow-rumped Warblers. Like the appearance of a Kestrel. I’ve got my eye out for one of those.
How many rainbows have you seen? How many shooting stars? How many times have you thought, “Just in time”? Or maybe, “It’s about damn time”?
There really is something to be said about perfect timing.
Beech Hill List
Beginning at 7:45 a.m., I hiked all trails.
1. American Robin*
2. Eastern Phoebe**
3. American Crow*
4. Hairy Woodpecker
5. Black-capped Chickadee*
6. Northern Cardinal** (v)
7. American Woodcock
8. House Finch** (v)
9. American Goldfinch**
10. Northern Flicker
11. Ruffed Grouse
12. Song Sparrow*
13. White-throated Sparrow (v)
14. Osprey†
15. Red-winged Blackbird
16. Common Loon
17. Savannah Sparrow†
18. Blue Jay
19. Herring Gull*
20. Turkey Vulture*
21. Palm Warbler†
22. Mourning Dove* (v)
23. Brown-headed Cowbird**
24. Downy Woodpecker
25. Tufted Titmouse* (v)
26. Tree Swallow†
27. Common Raven (v)
28. Hermit Thrush†
29. Purple Finch (v)
30. Golden-crowned Kinglet (v)
Elsewhere
31. House Sparrow (v)
32. Great Blue Heron
33. Rock Pigeon
34. European Starling
35. Canada Goose
v = Voice only
*Also elsewhere
**Voice only elsewhere
†First-of-year bird
Tags: American crow, American goldfinch, American robin, American woodcock, black-capped chickadee, blue jay, brown-headed cowbird, Canada goose, common loon, common raven, downy woodpecker, eastern phoebe, European starling, golden-crowned kinglet, great blue heron, hairy woodpecker, hermit thrush, herring gull, house finch, house sparrow, mourning dove, northern cardinal, northern flicker, osprey, palm warbler, purple finch, red-winged blackbird, rock pigeon, ruffed grouse, savannah sparrow, song sparrow, tree swallow, tufted titmouse, turkey vulture, white-throated sparrow
