Red-eyed Vireo.
It was raining lightly when Jack and I started up the wooded Beech Hill trail this morning, but we and the birds didn’t care. In fact, within about five minutes, it stopped, the sun poked through, and a rainbow appeared in the northwest sky.
Then the count began. Lots of different birds and species, quite a few warblers moving through still. In a hedgerow below the summit, I got close to photographing a Blackpoll Warbler for the first time—but those little suckers are elusive. However, as we neared Beech Nut, a hummingbird appeared out of nowhere and began to sip from pin cherry blossoms just a few feet away from us, and I managed to get a pretty decent video:
The sun stayed out for much of the rest of our hike. Back down in woods, I came upon a snake.
Yellow-throated Vireo, Beech Hill Preserve, Rockport, Maine, 25 May 2014.
Birds were singing like crazy down in the bottomlands—Northern Parulas, a Black-throated Blue Warbler, Eastern Wood-pewees, Ovenbirds, Red-eyed Vireos, and a species whose voice I didn’t recognize. A loud, hoarse, vireo-style call. We went off-trail to get a peek.
I finally found the little bird flitting about high in the canopy: a Yellow-throated Vireo. First of the species I’ve ever seen up there. Cool. Plus, meantime, some friends found Maine’s first-ever Brewer’s Sparrow out on Monhegan Island. A day of firsts, I’d say.
Beech Hill List
Beginning at 6 a.m., I hiked all trails.
1. Ovenbird**
2. Red-eyed Vireo
3. Northern Parula (v)
4. Chestnut-sided Warbler**
5. Common Yellowthroat**
6. American Crow*
7. Mourning Dove*
8. Gray Catbird**
9. Eastern Towhee
10. Black-throated Green Warbler
11. American Robin*
12. Veery
13. American Goldfinch**
14. Tufted Titmouse (v)
15. American Redstart**
16. Herring Gull*
17. Ruffed Grouse (drumming)
18. Canada Goose (v)
19. Nashville Warbler (v)
20. Yellow Warbler**
21. Black-capped Chickadee
22. Hermit Thrush (v)
23. Red-bellied Woodpecker (v)
24. Song Sparrow**
25. Black-throated Blue Warbler
26. Blackpoll Warbler
27. Blue Jay**
28. Ruby-thoated Hummingbird
29. Purple Finch*
30. Alder Flycatcher (v)
31. Savannah Sparrow
32. Eastern Phoebe
33. Mallard
34. Field Sparrow
35. Northern Flicker (v)
36. Brown-headed Cowbird (v)
37. White-throated Sparrow (v)
38. Broad-winged Hawk (v)
39. Scarlet Tanager
40. White-breasted Nuthatch (v)
41. Pileated Woodpecker (v)
42. Eastern Wood-pewee (v)
43. Ruby-crowned Kinglet (v)
44. Yellow-throated Vireo
Elsewhere
45. House Sparrow
46. Chipping Sparrow (v)
47. Tree Swallow
48. European Starling
v = Voice only
*Also elsewhere
**Voice only elsewhere
†First-of-year bird
Red-bellied Snake.
Tags: alder flycatcher, American crow, American goldfinch, American redstart, American robin, black-capped chickadee, black-throated blue warbler, black-throated green warbler, blackpoll warbler, blue jay, broad-winged hawk, brown-headed cowbird, Canada goose, chestnut-sided warbler, chipping sparrow, common yellowthroat, eastern phoebe, eastern towhee, eastern wood-pewee, European starling, field sparrow, gray catbird, hermit thrush, herring gull, house sparrow, mallard, mourning dove, Nashville warbler, northern flicker, northern parula, ovenbird, pileated woodpecker, purple finch, red-bellied woodpecker, red-eyed vireo, ruby-crowned kinglet, ruby-throated hummingbird, ruffed grouse, savannah sparrow, scarlet tanager, song sparrow, tree swallow, tufted titmouse, veery, white-breasted nuthatch, white-throated sparrow, yellow warbler, yellow-throated vireo
