16 February 2025

Hark, a Lark

Saturday, September 23rd, 2023
Horned Lark (immature male), Beech Hill Preserve, Rockport, Maine, 23 September 2023.
Horned Lark (immature male)

This first day of autumn brought a morning much like yesterday’s: sunny, cool, and fragrant. It also brought a surprising bird species: a Horned Lark. They’re not rare on the hill, but they typically come in small flocks. I rarely see just one, as I did today. An immature male, the bird was poking around the edges of the main trail—and at one point got very near to dog and me as we stood still, and I took photos.

Another oddball was a Nashville Warbler (haven’t seen any since spring, and few then), adult and juvie Hermit Thrush, and a bunch of the usual suspects.

All in all, a fun one.

Beech Hill List
Starting at 7:24 a.m. EST (8:24 DST), I hiked all trails.

1. Brown Creeper (v)
2. Black-capped Chickadee**
3. Blue Jay (v)
4. Downy Woodpecker (v)
5. Red-eyed Vireo (v)
6. White-breasted Nuthatch**
7. Tufted Titmouse (v)
8. Hairy Woodpecker (v)
9. White-throated Sparrow (v)
10. Nashville Warbler
11. Hermit Thrush
12. Gray Catbird
13. Purple Finch (v)
14. Eastern Towhee (v)
15. American Goldfinch (v)
16. Horned Lark
17. Song Sparrow
18. Yellow-rumped Warbler
19. Eastern Bluebird
20. American Crow* (v)

Elsewhere

21. Northern Cardinal
22. Herring Gull
23. Belted Kingfisher (v)
24. Canada Goose (v)

Mammals

Eastern Chipmunk (v)

(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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