8 February 2025

Overcast

Tuesday, May 16th, 2023
Scarlet Tanager (male), Beech Hill Preserve, Rockport, Maine, 16 May 2023.
Scarlet Tanager (male).

A wonderfully overcast day. I love sunny days, of course, and snowy winter days, and days of every other kind of skies—but every so often comes a special overcast that seems to me protective, like a blanket. This was one of those.

What’s more, lots of birds—including a couple of firsts-of-year: Red-eyed Vireo and Great Crested Flycatcher. (Also a two firsts elsewhere.) And plenty of other resident species have yet to arrive, which makes for the certainty of near-future excitement.

Also had the honor of holding a Red-bellied Snake, for a moment, gently. The snake was another first of year.

The trails were dry this morning for the first time in a while, but a few overnight rain showers are forecast, then sun tomorrow. Already imagining what sort of day it’ll be.

Beech Hill List
Beginning at 6:18 a.m. sun time (7:18 DST), I hiked all trails.

1. Ovenbird**
2. Black-throated Green Warbler** (v)
3. American Goldfinch** (v)
4. Black-and-white Warbler** (v)
5. Chestnut-sided Warbler**
6. Scarlet Tanager
7. Gray Catbird**
8. Blue Jay** (v)
9. Eastern Towhee**
10. Wood Thrush (v)
11. Black-capped Chickadee**
12. Rose-breasted Grosbeak (v)
13. Red-eyed Vireo†
14. Eastern Phoebe (v)
15. Veery (v)
16. Nashville Warbler (v)
17. American Crow*
18. Field Sparrow (v)
19. Northern Parula (v)
20. Chipping Sparrow
21. Song Sparrow*
22. Common Yellowthroat**
23. Eastern Bluebird
24. Yellow Warbler** (v)
25. White-breasted Nuthatch**
26. Hairy Woodpecker
27. Mourning Dove* (v)
28. American Robin*
29. Brown-headed Cowbird
30. Hermit Thrush (v)
31. Northern Cardinal** (v)
32. Tufted Titmouse** (v)
33. Black-throated Blue Warbler (v)
34. Red-breasted Nuthatch (v)
35. Great Crested Flycatcher† (v)
36. Wild Turkey (v)
37. Dark-eyed Junco

Elsewhere

38. Herring Gull
39. House Sparrow
40. House Finch
41. Laughing Gull†
42. Ruby-throated Hummingbird†
43. European Starling
44. Osprey
45. Canada Goose

Reptiles

Red-bellied Snake

(v) Voice only
*Also elsewhere
**Voice only elsewhere

†First-of-year

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Bird Report is a (sometimes intermittent) record of the birds I encounter while hiking, see while driving, or spy outside my window. —Brian Willson



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