Morning sun.
Dog and I didn’t waste much time in heading for Beech Hill this morning. Even oversleeping a bit, we managed to arrive right at 7:30 a.m. The air was damp and fairly still, though overlapping layers of clouds were flying over quickly from the southwest, revealing scraps of blue here and there. Yellow-rumps were the first species I heard—then saw—followed by sparrow and nuthatch and crow. The rising sun seemed a fast-moving thing hanging out over the bay, dipping and rising, blinking off and on, at one point shooting a fan of light at an angle onto the water.
Yellow-rumped warbler.
The little ‘rumps flitted in the trailside brush or flapped rapidly overhead, seemingly shyer than they’ve been lately. All the hillside glowed a dull yellow, and small fields of sunlight illuminated the inland hills. We continued through the spruce grove and down to the corner field, picking up several tiny ticks in the process. Picked off the ticks. Surprised a chipmunk. Returning, I saw four robins flying together, southbound.
On the way back down, as we rounded a curve, I caught sight of some dark wings and crept closer to a gang of crows I knew were gathering on the other side of a little thicket. They took flight too soon for a decent photo.
A song sparrow chipped at us briefly before disappearing into the undergrowth.
The calls of jays and robins and a flicker sounded from the southern slope as we descended. The light in the sky seemed like some kind of magic, so Jack and I stopped to soak up the view and the smell and the feel of this little piece of our tilted planet … and then began to walk again, amid the chips of yellow-rumps, to the pickup.
Song sparrow.
The day’s forecast promised rain, so I jumped on my bicycle earlier than usual. Climbing Powerhouse Hill, I glanced over at Clam Cove and saw a tight flock of black ducks take off suddenly and hurry away low across the water. Then I saw, above them, the huge dark wings of an adult bald eagle, circling lazily, almost carelessly, in the lumpy gray sky.
I learned today to turn my eyes upward in the event of the sudden rise of October ducks.
Today’s ride was a fast one, and I got back to the office just as the first few raindrops began spattering. A good ride.
Tonight, after a social event in Camden, the bright moon shone clear and round and high in a black sky, amid stars and not far to the northeast of bright Jupiter. Tomorrow it’ll be full, the moon.
Eastern chipmunk.
Beech Hill List
Beginning at 7:30 a.m., I hiked the open trail.
1. Yellow-rumped warbler
2. White-throated sparrow
3. White-breasted nuthatch
4. American crow
5. Song sparrow
6. Blue jay (voice)
7. Northern flicker (voice)
8. Black-capped chickadee
9. American robin
Elsewhere
10. Herring gull
11. Black duck
12. Bald eagle
13. Tufted titmouse
Sky over the bay.
Tags: American crow, American robin, bald eagle, black duck, black-capped chickadee, blue jay, herring gull, northern flicker, song sparrow, tufted titmouse, white-breasted nuthatch, white-throated sparrow, yellow-rumped warbler
