Cattle Egrets.
I thought about another early hike today, but it was pretty foggy, so I figured there wouldn’t be as much to see, so Jack and I went to work early instead. Then, about midday, after the sun had emerged, I got word that there were a couple of Cattle Egrets over near the middle school in Rockland.
Dark-eyed Junco.
Cattle Egrets don’t often show up in Maine—in fact, I’m not sure I’ve ever seen one here—and the fact that a local news site was looking for photos was all I needed to go on a little twitch. When I pulled up, the two little guys were just yards from the road, and they didn’t seem too concerned with the barking dogs (in the yard of the nearest house) that greeted me as I stepped out of the pickup. Jack didn’t seem concerned with the dogs, either, but then he had to wait in the truck.
Photographing the birds was easy. For me. Come to find out somebody earlier in the day actually trespassed onto school property and prompted someone to call the police to report such suspicious behavior. (Don’t trespass, fellow bird nerds!) Afterward, we swung by Weskeag Marsh, where I saw my first cormorants of the year.
Mid-afternoon is when dog and I finally did make it up to Beech Hill. Hazy sun, warmth (60-ish (F)), and a high wind. Kind of a crazy combination. But I managed to spot a few Hermit Thrushes and a flicker coming up through the woods. Up above the open fields I saw another Kestrel and a vulture. Juncos down by the road. Then, returning through the woods, I heard—above the rush of the warm wind—a long jumble of notes and spotted two or three thrushes flutter by, along with a tiny brown bird that seemed to zip into the end of a hollow log. Or was that just an old dead leaf blowing by?
Winter Wren.
No, it was a bird: a Winter Wren, bobbing up and down and back and forth, it’s tiny tail stuck straight up in the air. I’ve heard Winter Wrens up there before, but I believe this was the first one I’ve ever seen.
In the wee hours tonight is the “blood moon”—a total lunar eclipse. Alas, I think the skies will be too cloudy.
Beech Hill List
Beginning at 2:45 p.m., I hiked all trails.
1. Black-capped Chickadee**
2. Hermit Thrush
3. American Crow*
4. Northern Flicker
5. Song Sparrow** (v)
6. Northern Cardinal**
7. Eastern Phoebe**
8. Dark-eyed Junco
9. American Robin*
10. American Goldfinch (v)
11. House Finch (v)
12. Pileated Woodpecker (v)
13. Turkey Vulture*
14. American Kestrel
15. Winter Wren†
16. Tufted Titmouse
Elsewhere
17. House Sparrow (v)
18. Herring Gull
19. Osprey (v)
20. Mallard
21. Rock Pigeon
22. Cattle Egret†
23. Double-crested Cormorant†
24. Red-tailed Hawk
25. Mourning Dove
v = Voice only
*Also elsewhere
**Voice only elsewhere
†First-of-year bird
Tags: American crow, American goldfinch, American kestrel, American robin, black-capped chickadee, cattle egret, dark-eyed junco, double-crested cormorant, eastern phoebe, hermit thrush, herring gull, house finch, house sparrow, mallard, mourning dove, northern cardinal, northern flicker, osprey, pileated woodpecker, red-tailed hawk, rock pigeon, song sparrow, tufted titmouse, turkey vulture, winter wren
