Yellow-rumped warbler.
Another day, another batch of yellow-rumped warblers.
Another brilliantly sunny morning—not quite so chilly. Very slight breeze. Again not many vocal species right away on the lower wooded Beech Hill trail, but their numbers increased as Jack and I climbed. A ruffed grouse exploded down the hillside, surprising us.
Veery (juvenile).
Then, in the same first sunny clearing where I’ve seen yellow-rumps the past three or four days, I saw them again this morning. Just yellow-rumps, maybe six or seven of them at a time, seemingly moving in and then away again, some flitting too near to photograph and looking at me curiously. Many younger ones, a few adults.
Not far beyond the ‘rumps, I noticed a solitary bird flitting up onto an open twig in a sunny patch not far off the trail. It was a juvenile thrush—I’m guessing a veery, from the fact that many of the species were singing like crazy in just this area last spring. It posed a while for photos.
Coming up the last stretch of open trail before the summit, I spotted a smallish hawk flapping up into the spruce grove. At first I thought it a kestrel, but it was behaving differently. It sized me up as I snapped off a few shots before it flapped past to the east of us, headed northward. On studying the photos, I decided it was a young cooper’s hawk—or maybe a sharp-shinned. And I likely saw the same bird land in a clump of bushes down the southern slope on our return up and over. At least it looked and behaved like the same bird.
Accipiter (juvenile).
By that time—our return trip up and over—low clouds had moved in from somewhere and the sky had become overcast. We both noticed a scattering of feathers near Beech Nut. Sparrow, looked like. I wondered if the hawk was responsible.
More ‘rumps at the spruce grove, a downy woodpecker at the edge of the wood coming down. Not many warblers today (yellowthroat and yellow aside from the ‘rumps), but a couple pileated woodpeckers. The last of these got both dog’s and my attention by chattering loudly from high in some trees we’d just passed directly under. Stopped and looked back, but it had donned its Cloak of Invisibility.
Later, I cycled past Lily Pond in Rockport and thought I might see some Canada geese in the belted galloway pasture. Instead, I saw good-sized flocks of wild turkeys.
Yellow-rumped warbler.
Beech Hill List
Beginning at 7:30 a.m., I hiked all trails.
1. American crow
2. Blue jay (voice)
3. Black-capped chickadee
4. Gray catbird (voice)
5. Pileated woodpecker (voice)
6. Eastern towhee
7. Ruffed grouse
8. American goldfinch
9. White-throated sparrow
10. Black-throated blue warbler
11. Yellow-rumped warbler
12. Veery
13. Red-eyed vireo (voice)
14. Northern flicker
15. Song sparrow
16. Cooper’s hawk
17. Alder flycatcher
18. Common yellowthroat
19. Yellow warbler
20. Eastern phoebe
21. White-breasted nuthatch
22. Tufted titmouse (voice)
23. Downy woodpecker
Elsewhere
24. Herring gull
25. Wild turkey
Common yellowthroat (first year bird).
Tags: alder flycatcher, American crow, American goldfinch, black-capped chickadee, blue jay, Cedar waxwing, common yellowthroat, cooper's hawk, downy woodpecker, eastern phoebe, eastern towhee, gray catbird, northern flicker, pileated woodpecker, red-eyed vireo, ruffed grouse, song sparrow, tufted titmouse, veery, white-breasted nuthatch, white-throated sparrow, yellow warbler, yellow-rumped warlber
