Rained overnight, and this morning when the sun rose, the woods were damp and drippy. Awful quiet, but birds were lurking and skulking and flitting—mostly just out of sight. A few revealed themselves, though: flickers, robins, a lone Swainson’s Thrush; calling raven and jays and goldfinches; a flushed grouse.
Even quieter on our way back down the lower wooded trail, until just a few hundred yards from the trailhead, when chickadees piped up, and a glance into the damp foliage exposed a wave of little birds—warblers, creepers, a wood-pewee.
I’m a big fan of this time of year—a time you might call summer’s last gasp.
Beech Hill List
Beginning at 7:45 a.m., I hiked all trails.
1. Common Raven (v)
2. Blue Jay**
3. Black-capped Chickadee
4. Northern Flicker
5. Yellow-rumped Warbler
6. Gray Catbird
7. Eastern Towhee
8. Swainson’s Thrush
9. American Robin*
10. Red-eyed Vireo
11. American Goldfinch**
12. Ruffed Grouse
13. American Crow*
14. Common Yellowthroat
15. Cedar Waxwing
16. Red-breasted Nuthatch (v)
17. Song Sparrow
18. White-breasted Nuthatch** (v)
19. Savannah Sparrow
20. White-throated Sparrow
21. Downy Woodpecker (v)
22. Brown Creeper
23. Black-and-white Warbler
24. Chestnut-sided Warbler
25. Black-throated Green Warbler
26. Eastern Wood-pewee
Mammals
Eastern Gray Squirrel
Eastern Chipmunk
(v) Voice only
*Also elsewhere
**Voice only elsewhere
†First-of-year
Tags: American crow, American goldfinch, American robin, black-and-white wawrbler, black-capped chickadee, black-throated green warbler, blue jay, brown creeper, Cedar waxwing, chestnut-sided warbler, common raven, common yellowthroat, downy woodpecker, eastern chipmunk, eastern gray squirrel, eastern towhee, eastern wood-pewee, gray catbird, northern flicker, red-breasted nuthatch, red-eyed vireo, ruffed grouse, savannah sparrow, song sparrow, Swainson's thrush, white-breasted nuthatch, white-throated sparrow, yellow-rumped warbler
