This morning dawned sunny and pleasantly cool, mid- to upper-50s (F). The forecasters suggested it’d get warmer, which gave me the idea of hiking over the hill and down the trail to the Erickson Fields Preserve. So that’s what dog and I did.
Was a long hike—both time-wise and miles-wise—but well worth it. The Erickson Fields trail traverses quite a different habitat from Beech Hill’s hardwoods and barrens (old-growth spruce/pine and grasslands), which support a notably different array of wild birds. Had multiple Black-throated Blue Warblers, saw a bunch of Ruby-crowned Kinglets, even heard the very high-pitched song of a Blackburnian Warbler. And at the far end was a grassy field with Barn Swallows zipping around.
I’m astonished that I waited so long to take that lovely hike. We’ll be doing it again real soon, dog and I.
Beech Hill/Erickson Fields List
Starting at 6:09 a.m. EST (7:09 DST), I hiked all trails at both preserves.
1. Red-eyed Vireo** (v)
2. Ovenbird**
3. Brown Creeper (v)
4. Song Sparrow*
5. Eastern Wood-pewee (v)
6. Chestnut-sided Warbler **
7. Veery
8. American Goldfinch**
9. American Crow*
10. Eastern Towhee
11. Tufted Titmouse (v)
12. Gray Catbird* (v)
13. Hairy Woodpecker
14. Black-and-white Warbler (v)
15. Hermit Thrush (v)
16. American Robin*
17. Cedar Waxwing
18. Common Yellowthroat (v)
19. Alder Flycatcher (v)
20. Osprey
21. Herring Gull*
22. Yellow Warbler
23. Field Sparrow
24. Eastern Bluebird
25. American Redstart
26. Eastern Phoebe*
27. Black-throated Green Warbler (v)
28. Common Raven (v)
29. Red-winged Blackbird (v)
30. Chipping Sparrow
31. Ruby-crowned Kinglet
32. Northern Cardinal (v)
33. Scarlet Tanager (v)
34. Ruby-throated Hummingbird
35. Blue-headed Vireo
36. Least Flycatcher (v)
37. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
38. Black-throated Blue Warbler
39. Blue Jay (v)
40. Mourning Dove*
41. Pileated Woodpecker (v)
42. Barn Swallow
43. White-breasted Nuthatch (v)
44. Blackburnian Warbler (v)
45. Northern Parula (v)
46. Black-capped Chickadee
47. Red-breasted Nuthatch (v)
48. Purple Finch (v)
49. Turkey Vulture
(v) Voice only
*Also elsewhere
**Voice only elsewhere
†First-of-year
Tags: alder flycatcher, American crow, American goldfinch, American redstart, American robin, barn swallow, black-and-white warbler, black-capped chickadee, black-throated blue warbler, black-throated green warbler, blackburnian warbler, blue jay, blue-headed vireo, brown creeper, Cedar waxwing, chestnut-sided warbler, chipping sparrow, common raven, common yellowthroat, eastern bluebird, eastern phoebe, eastern towhee, eastern wood-pewee, field sparrow, gray catbird, hairy woodpecker, hermit thrush, herring gull, least flycatcher, mourning dove, northern cardinal, northern parula, osprey, ovenbird, pileated woodpecker, purple finch, red-breasted nuthatch, red-eyed vireo, red-winged blackbird, ruby-crowned kinglet, ruby-throated hummingbird, scarlet tanager, song sparrow, tufted titmouse, turkey vulture, veery, white-breasted nuthatch, yellow warbler, yellow-bellied sapsucker
