I love wood-pewees. They might be plain little birds—inconspicuous forest flycatchers that perch about half-way up the understory, ready to flit from their snag to nab a mosquito or other winged insect—but they have, to me anyway, an irresistible song.
Four long, whistled phrases, separated by lingering pauses. The first three are identical, ending in an quizzical upward inflection. The fourth ends a downward slide: “It is what it is.” The whole series takes the better part of a minute to complete.
The song of a pewee is a poignant, plaintive thing. It makes me feel nostalgic for long-ago seasons past.
Beech Hill List
Beginning at 7:15 a.m., I hiked all trails.
1. Red-eyed Vireo
2. American Goldfinch (v)
3. Common Yellowthroat
4. Chestnut-sided Warbler
5. Ovenbird** (v)
6. Gray Catbird**
7. American Redstart* (v)
8. Northern Parula* (v)
9. Hairy Woodpecker (v)
10. Eastern Wood-pewee*
11. Blue Jay (v)
12. Eastern Towhee**
13. Alder Flycatcher
14. Yellow Warbler*
15. American Crow*
16. Veery (v)
17. Wood Thrush (v)
18. Scarlet Tanager* (v)
19. Black-throated Green Warbler (v)
20. Black-and-white Warbler (v)
21. Field Sparrow (v)
22. Song Sparrow
23. Great Crested Flycatcher (v)
24. Tree Swallow
25. Common Raven
26. Eastern Phoebe*
27. Tufted Titmouse (v)
28. Black-capped Chickadee (v)
29. Nashville Warbler
30. American Robin* (v)
31. Hermit Thrush (v)
32. Black-throated Blue Warbler (v)
33. Least Flycatcher (v)
34. Chipping Sparrow* (v)
35. Northern Cardinal* (v)
Elsewhere
36. House Finch
37. Mourning Dove
v = Voice only
*Also elsewhere
**Voice only elsewhere
Tags: alder flycatcher, 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, chestnut-sided warbler, chipping sparrow, common raven, common yellowthroat, eastern phoebe, eastern towhee, eastern wood-pewee, field sparrow, gray catbird, great crested flycatcher, hairy woodpecker, hermit thrush, house finch, least flycatcher, mourning dove, Nashville warbler, northern cardinal, northern parula, ovenbird, red-eyed vireo, scarlet tanager, song sparrow, tree swallow, tufted titmouse, veery, wood thrush, yellow warbler
