Autumn is my favorite season. Always has been. I also love the three other seasons—just not quite as much as fall. Especially here in Northern New England, on the 44th parallel, when the photoperiod changes noticeably throughout the year, and the weather is rich and varied.
This morning’s hike with dog was a chilly, breezy, sunny one. Few birds at first, but as the sun rose and the landscape warmed and the yellow-rumps bounced around in the brush and tree leaves, more species made an appearance. Vultures, a fish hawk, three kinds of sparrow, two thrushes, two corvids—and my little friend, the Brown Creeper.
Not sure why, but I really love Brown Creepers. And this one posed for me in a golden woodland. Thanks, little buddy.
Beech Hill List
Beginning at 8:07 a.m., I hiked all trails.
1. Yellow-rumped Warbler
2. Eastern Bluebird (v)
3. American Robin*
4. American Crow**
5. Hairy Woodpecker (v)
6. American Goldfinch (v)
7. Black-capped Chickadee (v)
8. White-throated Sparrow
9. Northern Flicker (v)
10. Red-breasted Nuthatch
11. Dark-eyed Junco (v)
12. Song Sparrow
13. Savannah Sparrow
14. Blue Jay (v)
15. Turkey Vulture
16. Osprey
17. Purple Finch
18. Brown Creeper
Elsewhere
19. Downy Woodpecker (v)
(v) Voice only
*Also elsewhere
**Voice only elsewhere
†First-of-year
Tags: American crow, American goldfinch, American robin, black-capped chickadee, blue jay, brown creeper, dark-eyed junco, eastern bluebird, hairy woodpecker, northern flicker, osprey, purple finch, red-breasted nuthatch, savannah sparrow, song sparrow, turkey vulture, white-throated sparrow, yellow-rumped warbler
