Tree Swallow.
Four more have come.
Four more have arrived—the migrants.
The wild, miraculous, migrating birds
that flood through my days in May.
Scarlet Tanager.
Four more, insectivores all,
tiny and hefty, drab and showy,
furtive and fearless.
All but one singing on the heels
of their miraculous journeys.
All old friends of mine.
Least Flycatchers’ songs are like hiccups.
Black-throated Blue Warblers’ lazy and strange.
The Eastern Kingbird I spotted in my favorite tree
did not sing to me.
But the tanager did, the Scarlet Tanager.
Had it not I wouldn’t have found it
high in a leafing out tree.
Its sing is coarse, plain, humdrum;
its aspect is brilliant red, sunlit against
a blue dome.
Least Flycatcher.
Now they are here on their great adventure,
their great mission:
to mate and lay,
by habitat defend their territories,
hatch and fledge and fly,
all within three months or so.
And then they shall depart again
returning in greater numbers
to their true homes,
where they spend most of each year,
each revolution of the earth around its star.
Northern Cardinal.
Beech Hill List
Beginning at 8 a.m., I hiked all trails.
1. American Goldfinch*
2. Ovenbird**
3. Black-throated Green Warbler (v)
4. Black-throated Blue Warbler† (v)
5. Common Yellowthroat
6. Blue Jay** (v)
7. Blue-headed Vireo (v)
8. Black-capped Chickadee**
9. American Crow*
10. Veery (v)
11. Gray Catbird
12. Tufted Titmouse* (v)
13. Nashville Warbler (v)
14. Rose-breasted Grosbeak
15. Eastern Towhee
16. Chestnut-sided Warbler**
17. American Redstart**
18. Least Flycatcher†
19. Northern Parula (v)
20. Northern Cardinal* (v)
21. Yellow-rumped Warbler
22. Field Sparrow (v)
23. Song Sparrow**
24. Wild Turkey
25. Tree Swallow
26. Black-and-white Warbler
27. American Robin*
28. Eastern Phoebe*
29. Yellow Warbler
30. Savannah Sparrow
31. Eastern Kingbird†
32. Scarlet Tanager†
33. Swainson’s Thrush
34. Common Raven
35. Purple Finch (v)
36. Brown-headed Cowbird (v)
37. Northern Flicker (v)
38. Pileated Woodpecker (v)
39. Wood Thrush (v)
40. Mourning Dove* (v)
41. Hermit Thrush (v)
Elsewhere
42. Herring Gull
43. White-breasted Nuthatch (v)
44. Chipping Sparrow (v)
45. Downy Woodpecker
46. Pine Warbler (v)
v = Voice only
*Also elsewhere
**Voice only elsewhere
†First-of-year bird
Tags: American crow, American goldfinch, American redstart, American robin, black-and-white warbler, black-capped chickadee, black-throated blue warbler, black-throated green warbler, blue jay, blue-headed vireo, brown-headed cowbird, chestnut-sided warbler, common yellowthroat, downy woodpecker, eastern kingbird, eastern phoebe, eastern towhee, field sparrow, gray catbird, hermit thrush, herring gull, least flycatcher, mourning dove, Nashville warbler, northern cardinal, northern flicker, northern parula, ovenbird, pileated woodpecker, pine warbler, purple finch, rose-breasted grosbeak, savannah sparrow, scarlet tanager, song sparrow, swainson’s thrush common raven, tree swallow, tufted titmouse, veery, white-breasted nuthatch, wild turkey, wood thrush, yellow warbler, yellow-rumped warbler
