Savannah sparrow.
Old Sam Peabody accompanied us on our hike up Beech Hill this morning, dog and me. That is to say, white-throated sparrows were calling up and down nearly every trail. So were eastern towhees. And wild turkeys kept popping up, as well. But most exciting was the arrival of new wood-warblers. The leading edge of a wave.
Red squirrel.
I wondered if any would show up this morning—especially considering the little weather front that moved in overnight last night. The time of year is right, I knew. And, sure enough, dog and I had walked no farther than about a hundred yards up the wooded trail when I heard the sibilant call of a black-and-white warbler. And soon after, the variable chatter of a Nashville warbler.That was two species more than I heard yesterday.
As we climbed the misty hill, in fact, many birds made their presence known. Like the brown thrasher that appeared directly in the middle of the trail in front of us, only to flit off into the undergrowth, where it scratched at last year’s leaves. Or the turkey we cane upon while rounding the sharp corner at the top of the wooded trail: it surprised all three of us, but the turkey was the only one to cluck and take flight. By the time we reached the summit, I’d already counted as many species as I did in our full two-hour hike yesterday—20. Heard calls of a blue jay, a pileated woodpecker, an osprey overhead. In fact, we also heard the wailing of a young cow from the little Rockville Street farm.
Double-crested cormorant.
Spotted a harrier perched in a tree, a kestrel soaring over the summit. The Beech Nut phoebe family made their presence known. Despite the overnight rain, the dampness didn’t appear to soak in much—things are still relatively dry. Four sparrow species (all but chipping), raven, blue-headed vireo. Plenty of black flies hovering around my face and head.
Which might explain the other two warbler species I also heard today: yellow-rumped and black-throated green. Hope to grab some photos of the little guys soon.
So, thirty species at Beech Hill this morning. This afternoon, we hit the breakwater. Sheep-flock clouds floated over, and the difference between the sea and sky was negligible. But eiders were still hanging around, as were guillemots and common loons.
Just now, nearing midnight: damp and mild, with peepers—and the tseet of a white-throated sparrow.
Sky, Beech HIll.
Beech Hill List
At 7:30 a.m., I walked all trails.
American crow
American robin
American goldfinch
Black-capped chickadee
Hermit thrush (voice)
Herring gull (voice)
Blue jay (voice)
Hairy woodpecker (voice)
Eastern towhee
White-throated sparrow (voice)
Osprey
Black-and-white warbler* (voice)
Nashville warbler* (voice)
Wild turkey
Brown thrasher
Pileated woodpecker (voice)
Field sparrow (voice)
Tree swallow
Mourning dove
Eastern phoebe
Savannah sparrow
Tufted titmouse (voice)
Song sparrow
Yellow-rumped warbler (voice)
Blue-headed vireo (voice)
Northern harrier
Common raven
American kestrel
Black-throated green warbler* (voice)
Red-winged blackbird
*first-of-year bird
Elsewhere
House finch
Downy woodpecker
Peepers
Northern cardinal
European starling
Rock pigeon
House sparrow
Common eider
Great black-backed gull
Common loon
Black guillemot
Mallard
Gull and cormorant.
Tags: American crow, American goldfinch, American kestrel, American robin, black guillemot, black-and-white warbler, black-capped chickadee, black-throated green warbler, blue jay, blue-headed vireo, brown thrasher, common eider, common loon, common raven, downy woodpecker, eastern phoebe, eastern towhee, European starling, field sparrow, great black-backed gull, hairy woodpecker, hermit thrush, herring gull, house finch, house sparrow, mallard, mourning dove, Nashville warbler, northern cardinal, northern harrier, osprey, peepers, pileated woodpecker, red-winged blackbird, rock pigeon, savannah sparrow, song sparrow, tree swallow, tufted titouse, white-throated sparrow, wild turkey, yellow-rumped warbler
