Yellow-rumped warbler.
Now this was a birdy morning. Just a few days from fall, the sun rising late from Penobscot Bay into a cloudless sky, temperatures possibly as low as the upper-40s. [I need to revamp my weather station.] Jack and I got to the Beech Hill trail at about twenty minutes to seven.
Scarlet tanager (juvenile and/or female).
Not much right away. A hairy woodpecker’s voice. A couple chickadees. A crow in the distance. Towhee, goldfinch, catbird—the usual. But as the sun warmed the eastern sides of things, I knew just where to slow my pace and sneak around curves in the trail to watch for little birds in the warming foliage. Seems the night was good for migration, or something. Because nearly every such spot paid off.
By the time we reached first, about half-way up, I was already hearing the distinctive chip! notes of yellow-rumped warblers—these little guys seem to migrate early, both in spring and fall, and in large numbers—and sure enough they flitted into the very trees I’d stopped to survey. We must’ve stayed there ten minutes snapping photos. And, as usual, other species made an appearance: the voices of flicker and white-throat and jay and nuthatch, and a solitary female (maybe juvenile?) scarlet tanager that hopped up onto a twig not thirty feet away.
American robin (juvenile).
The next such spot also bore fruit: coming up into the open trail just before the summit, we paused to listen to more chip! notes and snap more photos of yellow-rumps. And shortly after, in the spruce grove at the summit, still more ‘rumps. Man, that species is abundant.
But less abundant birds also showed up today—in some cases, surprisingly. Coming down the open trail, I couldn’t help but notice several small birds in overflight, apparently in migration, some chipping like warblers, some peeping like finches. Then a couple small birds flew down close to the field and landed near Beech Nut: juncos. And seconds later, I spotted a pair of kestrels flapping lazily by, scanning the southern slope.
Yellow-rumped warbler.
Down at Beech Hill Road, I caught sight of the resident cardinal family (and heard their chip notes). A tight flock of waxings flew over. And I heard the sudden repetitive cu! notes of a black-billed cuckoo.
Coming back up and over, more ‘rumps in the spruce grove. And the sudden sound of Canada geese coming from somewhere toward the northwest, out in the direction of misty Blue Hill. Then diving into the lower wooded trail we came upon a riotous gang of songbirds: titmice and warblers (redstart, black-throated blue, black-and-white) and chickadees and brown creepers. There were little birds everywhere. One of the black-throated blues was even singing. Alas, it’s hard to get a good photo at any distance in the dim greenery down there.
But because of the bodacious bird activity, we ended up spending more time than usual on the hill this morning. And I left feeling more of a thrill.
For a birder, not many times of year match the start of fall migration.
Brown creeper.
Beech Hill List
Beginning at 6:45 a.m., I hiked all trails.
1. Hairy woodpecker (voice)
2. Black-capped chickadee
3. American crow
4. Eastern towhee
5. American goldfinch (voice)
6. Gray catbird
7. American robin
8. White-throated sparrow
9. Blue jay
10. Yellow-rumped warbler
11. Northern flicker
12. White-breasted nuthatch (voice)
13. Scarlet tanager
14. Song sparrow (voice)
15. Eastern phoebe
16. Savannah sparrow
17. Dark-eyed junco
18. American kestrel
19. Northern cardinal
20. Red-eyed vireo
21. Cedar waxwing
22. Black-billed cuckoo (voice)
23. Canada goose (voice)
24. Tufted titmouse (voice)
25. American redstart
26. Black-throated blue warbler
27. Black-and-white warbler
28. Brown creeper
Elsewhere
29. Herring gull
30. Greater black-backed gull
Mount Desert.
Tags: American crow, American goldfinch, American kestrel, American redstart, American robin, black-and-white warbler, black-billed cuckoo, black-capped chickadee, black-throated blue warbler, blue jay, brown creeper, Canada goose, Cedar waxwing, dark-eyed junco, eastern phoebe, eastern towhee, gray catbird, greater black-backed gull, hairy woodpecker, herring gull, northern cardinal, northern flicker, red-eyed vireo, savannah sparrow, scarlet tanager, song sparrow, tufted titmouse, white-breasted nuthatch, white-throated sparrow, yellow-rumped warbler
