Within seconds after dog and I started up the wooded trail this morning, my world shifted. Up ahead of us I saw that the big mama maple tree near the trailhead, likely progenitor of the many other maples in the sugarbush there, had fallen across the trail. A huge tree she was, and handsome enough that I’ve taken dozens (scores?) of photos of her over the years, and there before us lay her fat trunk and thick leafy branches—some of them broken, some nearby trees scraped from nearby trees… What a surprise, what a shock, what a sound she must’ve made at the end.
Somehow, we wiggled through the obstacles and continued on a hike that was very different from usual—and will surely be a memorable one.
Birds were good—two vocal, chasing ravens among them—but they were not the most notable part of this day.
Beech Hill List
Starting at 7:09 a.m. EST (8:09 DST), I hiked all trails.
1. Red-eyed Vireo** (v)
2. American Goldfinch
3. Ovenbird** (v)
4. Wood Thrush (v)
5. Veery (v)
6. Blue Jay (v)
7. Pileated Woodpecker (v)
8. Eastern Wood-pewee (v)
9. Black-capped Chickadee**
10. Common Raven
11. Osprey (v)
12. Brown Creeper (v)
13. White-breasted Nuthatch (v)
14. Gray Catbird
15. Eastern Towhee
16. American Crow* (v)
17. Hermit Thrush (v)
18. Chestnut-sided Warbler
19. Alder Flycatcher (v)
20. Song Sparrow**
21. Ruby-throated Hummingbird
22. Common Yellowthroat
23. Field Sparrow (v)
24. Yellow Warbler (v)
25. American Robin (v)
26. Northern Flicker
27. Black-throated Green Warbler** (v)
28. Tufted Titmouse (v)
29. Rose-breasted Grosbeak (v)
30. Eastern Bluebird (v)
31. Cedar Waxwing (v)
32. Eastern Phoebe
33. Black-and-white Warbler**
Elsewhere
34. Mallard
35. Mourning Dove
36. Herring Gull
37. House Finch
38. Swamp Sparrow† (v)
39. Red-winged Blackbird (v)
(v) Voice only
*Also elsewhere
**Voice only elsewhere
†First-of-year
Tags: alder flycatcher, American crow, American goldfinch, American robin, black-and-white warbler, black-capped chickadee, black-throated green warbler, blue jay, brown creeper, Cedar waxwing, chestnut-sided warbler, common raven, common yellowthroat, eastern bluebird, eastern chipmunk, eastern phoebe, eastern towhee, eastern wood-pewee, field sparrow, gray catbird, hermit thrush, herring gull, house finch, mallard, mourning dove, northern flicker, osprey, ovenbird, pileated woodpecker, red-eyed vireo, red-winged blackbird, rose-breasted grosbeak, ruby-throated hummingbird, song sparrow, swamp sparrow, tufted titmouse, veery, white-breasted nuthatch, wood thrush, yellow warbler
