Lovely, calm, warm, blue-sky morning. Cirrus clouds wafting high above, the slight sounds of young fledglings begging from the hedgerows. Bluebirds were assuming the summit bird box, abandoned when the Tree Swallows fledged. Several species hanging around the spruce grove.
Tonight there are fireworks within earshot—near earshot, to be precise. Damn, do I hate fireworks. (Why worship bombs bursting in air?) I’d rather be watching a red, white, and bluebird preen and sing its lovely, subtle song.
As Roy Bedichek wrote: Patriotism is the love of country. That is, country. You know—hills, trees, rivers, mountains, shores—“not flag and a lot of gaseous intangibles.”
Beech Hill List
Beginning at 7:45 a.m., I hiked the open trail.
1. Veery (v)
2. Common Yellowthroat**
3. Red-eyed Vireo (v)
4. Tufted Titmouse (v)
5. Song Sparrow**
6. Northern Flicker (v)
7. American Crow*
8. Black-throated Green Warbler (v)
9. Ovenbird (v)
10. Northern Cardinal (v)
11. Eastern Bluebird
12. Eastern Towhee
13. Tree Swallow
14. Savannah Sparrow
15. Field Sparrow (v)
16. American Redstart (v)
17. Eastern Phoebe** (v)
18. Yellow Warbler
19. American Goldfinch**
20. Nashville Warbler (v)
21. Chipping Sparrow
22. Gray Catbird*
23. Black-capped Chickadee (v)
24. Purple Finch
25. Red-breasted Nuthatch
26. Cedar Waxwing
27. Chestnut-sided Warbler (v)
Elsewhere
28. Mourning Dove
29. Herring Gull
30. American Robin
v = Voice only
*Also elsewhere
**Voice only elsewhere
Tags: American crow, American goldfinch, American redstart, American robin, black-capped chickadee, black-throated green warbler, Cedar waxwing, chestnut-sided warbler, chipping sparrow, common yellowthroat, eastern bluebird, eastern phoebe, eastern towhee, field sparrow, gray catbird, herring gull, mourning dove, Nashville warbler, northern cardinal, northern flicker, ovenbird, purple finch, red-breasted nuthatch, red-eyed vireo, savannah sparrow, song sparrow, tree swallow, tufted titmouse, veery, yellow warbler
