December landscape.
No snow when we hit the hill,
dog and I, but soon enough it came.
Ravens came, too—
I heard them first, then saw them
playing up near the summit
as the first flakes fell.
But my camera failed me,
and I missed a great shot,
cursed, but somehow got a photo
of a raven flying upside-down.
At the summit, I heard another
raven croak,
and dashing up the trail with Jack,
twisted my ankle such that
I limped the rest of the way.
On the now snow-covered
steep slope
I slipped and went down, uninjured—
well, other than my ankle.
I love this day anyway.
Beech Hill List
Beginning at 11:15 a.m., I hiked the open trail.
1. Black-capped Chickadee
2. Brown Creeper
3. White-breasted Nuthatch
4. Common Raven
5. Downy Woodpecker
6. Yellow-rumped Warbler
7. Herring Gull
8. American Crow
9. Northern Flicker
10. American Robin
Elsewhere
11. Rock Pigeon
v = Voice only
*Also elsewhere
**Voice only elsewhere
Tags: American crow, American robin, black-capped chickadee, brown creeper, common raven, downy woodpecker, herring gull, northern flicker, rock pigeon, white-breasted nuthatch, yellowrumped warbler
