A rather typical morning for February—nippy, breezy, bright. ice grips on. Quite a few little birds at the parking lot, along with crows and ravens.
At the summit, I spied a crow cawing rather near the hut, down the eastern slope a bit, and wondered if it might be alerting to a fox or something. The voice seemed growly and deliberate. Alas, I got fixated on the crow itself, and not until I got near enough to spook it into flight did I also spook my first Snowy Owl of the season. Got photographic proof, at least
Later, a pair of bluebirds flew into the leafless crown of a trailside birch tree.
Beech Hill List
Beginning at 8:15 a.m., I hiked the open trail.
1. Black-capped Chickadee** (v)
2. American Crow*
3. Tufted Titmouse* (v)
4. Common Raven
5. Snowy Owl
6. Downy Woodpecker
7. Eastern Bluebird
Elsewhere
8. Pileated Woodpecker (v)
9. Herring Gull
v = Voice only
*Also elsewhere
**Voice only elsewhere
Tags: American crow, black-capped chickadee, common raven, downy woodpecker, eastern bluebird, herring gull, pileated woodpecker, snowy owl, tufted titmouse
