
American Robin.
Supposed to rain. Did. Temps in the 30s. Drizzle at first, then a little steadier—but nothing too torrential at all. Still, I waited kinda late in the day thinking maybe it’d let up. Turned out to be a sort of mini-nor’easter churning in from the bay. That was cool. Meant we’d have the hill to ourselves, me and Jack.

Black-capped Chickadee.
And we did. Well, other than a few birds—most of them robins. A flock of perhaps fifty or sixty robins, poking about in mowed barrens to the left and right of the trail. They kept just ahead of us, delivering their alarm notes twit-tweet! if we got too close. Good-looking, colorful robins. My guess is they were headed to Canada.
Also a few of the usual little year-round guys—like chickadees undertaking tiny excavations in the soggy bark of trees.
Beech Hill List
Beginning at 4:30 p.m., I hiked the open trail.
1. Black-capped Chickadee*
2. Tufted Titmouse** (v)
3. White-breasted Nuthatch**
4. American Robin
5. Yellow-rumped Warbler (v)
6. American Crow*
Elsewhere
7. Blue Jay (v)
8. American Goldfinch (v)
9. Herring Gull
10. Canada Goose
11. Mallard
12. Rock Pigeon
13. Dark-eyed Junco
v = Voice only
*Also elsewhere
**Voice only elsewhere
Tags: American crow, American goldfinch, American robin, black-capped chickadee, blue jay, Canada goose, dark-eyed junco, herring gull, mallard, rock pigeon, tufted titmouse, white-breasted nuthatch, yellow-rumped warbler
