Savannah sparrow.
Only a few more days of spring left. This particular late-spring morning was a steamy one, warm and humid.
As summer approaches, the birds tend to change their behavior—chiefly because of the progression of nesting. Yesterday I confronted the realization that this year’s brood of savannah sparrows are flying already. This shifted my perspective just a bit. Today I understood that lots of species have mobile young.
Cedar waxwing.
There were signs of it even: fledgling chickadees following their parents around in low thick foliage; a gaggle of young chipping sparrows flitting about the conifer down by Beech Hill Road; protective ovenbirds approaching very near and and then showing their odd walk-away behavior; the sudden silence among redstarts at the same time Nashville warblers have begun calling again. I suspect the latter have vulnerable young right about now, while the former’s young have recently fledged. Then again, what do I know?
Well, I do know it’s noteworthy that most of my IDs today came from voices, not sightings. Naturally, birds are much more secretive at this time of nestlings and fledglings and particular vulnerability.
Most amusing to me are the savannah sparrows along the open Beech Hill trail. We passed by, dog and I, at about 7:30 a.m. or so. Today the adults accompanied us, chipping and flitting and/or attempted to lure us farther along. I didn’t see an actual fledgling, but the antsy behavior of the parents was riveting, even thrilling. And farther down, I spotted a pair of field sparrows eyeing us from a single trailside twig.
To me, in fact, the solstice seems a time of sparrows. On the hill today I counted all five resident species—song sparrow, savannah sparrow, white-throated sparrow, field sparrow, chipping sparrow—and detected signs that at least three have fledglings. (I suspect all five do.) I didn’t actually see any white-throats, but the fact that they’re singing again makes me think that, like the Nashville warblers, they’ve got a few young listening ears to sing to.
Black-eyed susans.
Also interesting is where on the trails I spot these birds: the wooded section tends to have only white-throated sparrows, and perhaps a few songs, whereas the open trail supports savannah, field, song, and chipping.
One day soon I’ll dive deeper into the differences between the wooded and open trails.
But today I’ll just leave you with thoughts of sparrows. Little brownies with seed-cracking bills, bright survivalists, alluring in their own way. I like sparrows. And of course wood-warblers, pileated woodpeckers, flycatchers, cedar waxwings, and the other birds I was fortunately enough to be able to list today.
(Also on the morning trail, Jack and I saw: a couple mice, a chipmunk, and a white-tailed deer. And we heard crickets and cicadas.)
Black-capped chickadee.
Beech Hill List
Beginning at 7 a.m., I walked all trails.
1. Red-eyed vireo (voice)
2. Ovenbird (voice)
3. Chestnut-sided warbler
4. American robin
5. Gray catbird
6. American crow (voice)
7. Black-capped chickadee
8. Common yellowthroat
9. Eastern towhee
10. Northern flicker
11. Cedar waxwing
12. Eastern phoebe (voice)
13. Blue jay (voice)
14. Tree swallow
15. Song sparrow
16. Black-and-white warbler (voice)
17. American goldfinch (voice)
18. Alder flycatcher (voice)
19. Mourning dove
20. Savannah sparrow
21. Field sparrow
22. Yellow warbler (voice)
23. White-throated sparrow (voice)
24. Veery (voice)
25. Chipping sparrow
26. Hermit thrush (voice)
27. Tufted titmouse (voice)
28. Nashville warbler (voice)
29. Black-throated green warbler
30. Eastern wood-pewee (voice)
31. American redstart
32. Pileated woodpecker (voice)
Elsewhere
33. Northern cardinal
34. House finch
35. House sparrow
36 Herring gull
Ferns.
Tags: alder flycatcher, American crow, American goldfinch, American redstart, American robin, black-and-white warbler, black-capped chickadee, black-throated green warbler, blue jay, Cedar waxwing, chestnut-sided warbler, chipping sparrow, common yellowthroat, eastern phoebe, eastern towhee, eastern wood-pewee, field sparrow, gray catbird, hermit thrush, herring gull, house finch, house sparrow, mourning dove, Nashville warbler, northern cardinal, northern flicker, ovenbird, pileated woodpecker, red-eyed vireo, savannah sparrow, song sparrow, tree swallow, tufted titmouse, veery, white-throated sparrow, yellow warbler
