
The sky was blue, the air was warm, the wind was high, the trail was dryer than it’s been in a while—and the overall feeling was one of spring.
And by golly, the birds showed up. A year-so-far record of 28 species, including eagles, a harrier, kestrels, a red-tail, a flushed grouse, three woodpecker species—I could go on and on.
The coming weeks will fly by, and then the months, yet I hope to slow myself down to soak ’em right up. (Also took my bike in for a tuneup.)
P.S. First deer tick today, too.
Beech Hill List
Beginning at 6:27 a.m. real time (7:27 DST), I hiked all trails.
1. American Crow*
2. Northern Cardinal** (v)
3. Black-capped Chickadee*
4. Brown Creeper (v)
5. White-breasted Nuthatch (v)
6. Downy Woodpecker** (v)
7. Tufted Titmouse**
8. Red-winged Blackbird
9. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (drumming)
10. American Goldfinch
11. Ruffed Grouse
12. Pileated Woodpecker (v)
13. American Robin*
14. Eastern Bluebird
15. Herring Gull*
16. Blue Jay (v)
17. Golden-crowned Kinglet
18. Song Sparrow**
19. Common Loon
20. American Kestrel
21. Turkey Vulture
22. Wild Turkey*
23. Eastern Phoebe** (v)
24. Bald Eagle
25. Red-tailed Hawk
26. Northern Harrier
27. Canada Goose
28. Snow Bunting
Elsewhere
29. Mallard
(v) Voice only
*Also elsewhere
**Voice only elsewhere
†First-of-year
Tags: American crow, American goldfinch, American kestrel, American robin, bald eagle, black-capped chickadee, blue jay, brown creeper, Canada goose, common loon, downy woodpecker, eastern bluebird, eastern phoebe, golden-crowned kinglet, herring gull, mallard, northern cardinal, northern harrier, pileated woodpecker, red-tailed hawk, red-winged blackbird, ruffed grouse, snow bunting, song sparrow, tufted titmouse, turkey vulture, white-breasted nuthatch, wild turkey, yellow-bellied sapsucker