Cedar waxwing.
It was kind of overcast first thing. Kind of still. Kind of cool and kind of warm. A wishy-washy seeming day. By the time we got to Beech Hill, the sun had come out—partially.
Gray catbird.
Beyond an awkward moment involving a leashless dog in the parking lot, things seemed pretty ordinary at first. The usual suspects made their presence known as we ascending the wooded trail. Then a woodland jogger, a long lanky fellow, loped down around us, Jack and me. We all gave each other a polite greeting.
Heard a black-and-white warbler while ascending. Also a flicker. Those were mildly unusual.
Then the jogger loped up again and around us. I kind of gave an internal wince to think of the trailside birds he might’ve spooked; then again, he certainly broke through any webs or filaments crossing the trail—the ones that tend to hit me right in the mouth. A mixed blessing.
Approaching the summit, I spotted a wandering titmouse, and then the jogger loped back down around us. But he hadn’t seemed to scare away any of the birds flitting around in the spruces up top. Two or three species of sparrow up there. A yellow-rump. A phoebe. Nashville warbler. And a bunch of hummingbirds quarreling with each other—in fact, I watched three at one point all veering and soaring and chittering in a mad, wild chase.
Heard a random great crested flycatcher while descending the open trail. The sky had gone partly overcast by then. But the clouds were nice.
Ruby-throated hummingbird.
Coming down toward Beech Hill Road, I held out hope for the kind of active birdiness that I beheld yesterday, but it didn’t quite match up. That is, until I emerged into the little grassy corridor very near the parking lot. Bunch of warblers flitting around in the upper branches of the hardwoods. I spotted black-and-white and black-throated green. Also jays and some kind of finch and catbirds and a wildly peeping field sparrow.
Then I heard voices. Human voices. Men’s voices—and one woman. A group walking down toward the parking lot. To my surprise, the woman was my friend Kristen, leading an early tour of the hill. Jack and I said hello, and a double-crested cormorant flew over.
Kristen joined us on our hike back up the hill. We saw a great blue heron in flight and a hovering kestrel. Then we parted ways, and Jack and I headed down through the woods, where a black-throated blue was calling. First black-throated blue in a while.
Two islands.
Beech Hill List
Beginning at 7 a.m., I hiked all trails.
1. Red-eyed vireo (voice)
2. Black-capped chickadee
3. American goldfinch (voice)
4. American crow
5. Black-and-white warbler
6. American robin (voice)
7. Gray catbird
8. Eastern towhee
9. Common yellowthroat
10. Northern flicker (voice)
11. White-breasted nuthatch (voice)
12. Yellow warbler (voice)
13. White-throated sparrow
14. Tufted titmouse
15. Blue jay (voice)
16. Song sparrow (voice)
17. Eastern phoebe
18. Mourning dove
19. Yellow-rumped warbler
20. Ruby-throated hummingbird
21. Nashville warbler
22. Red-breasted nuthatch
23. Savannah sparrow
24. Great crested flycatcher (voice)
25. Scarlet tanager
26. Black-throated green warbler
27. Field sparrow
28. Double-crested cormorant (overflight)
29. Blue-headed vireo (voice)
30. Great blue heron (overflight)
31. American kestrel
32. Black-throated blue warbler (voice)
Elsewhere
31. Herring gull
Scarlet tanager (female).
Tags: American crow, American goldfinch, American kestrel, American robin, black-and-white warbler, black-capped chickadee, black-throated blue warbler, black-throated green warbler, blue jay, blue-headed vireo, common yellowthroat, double-crested cormorant, eastern phoebe, eastern towhee, field sparrow, gray catbird, great blue heron, great crested flycatcher, mourning dove, Nashville warbler, northern flicker, red-breasted nuthatch, red-eyed vireo, ruby-throated hummingbird, savannah sparrow, scarlet tanager, song sparrow, tufted titmouse, white-breasted nuthatch, white-throated sparrow, yellow warbler, yellow-rumped warbler
