Two islands.
A cloudy day. Often, oddly, cloudy days improve my mood. They’re so insular and womb-like—although it helps if they’re accompanied by relatively mild temperatures. The clouds today spread like a woolen blanket.
Golden-crowned kinglet (24 October 2010).
My dog and I didn’t get manage to get outside until mid-afternoon, when we heard Beech Hill calling. You could just barely make out a hazy patch in the southwest sky where the sun hung beyond the clouds. The landscape en route was gray and russet and plain. The several cars in the parking lot surprised me—and so did the three species of small birds flitting about in the trees above the lot: chickadees, kinglets, and at least one titmouse. The kinglets were particularly active, darting and chasing high in the conifers and low in the spare, brown undergrowth. As we stood quietly on the trail, Jack and I, a pair of kinglets zoomed very near and lit in some bare brush, one flashing its seldom-seen orange-red crown patch. Too dim and quick for a photo, alas.
Climbing the open trail, I heard the voice of a jay. Not much wind. Really nice conditions for a quick hike.
At the summit, I was surprised (again) to meet my friend Kristen and a couple of her fellow Coastal Mountains Land Trust people, Scott and Joe, along with a reporting team for the Portland Press Herald. Beech Nut was open, and there was an interview going on. Jack (an Australian cattle dog mix) enjoyed meeting the reporter’s dog (also an Australian cattle dog mix). The resident flicker called from down the eastern slope, as usual.
Tufted titmouse.
A sprinkling of bay islands floated photogenically in the offshore gray. The distant Owls Head light burned brightly. Kristen was talking of the hill’s nesting towhees and savannah sparrows and the frequency of harriers. After hanging out a while, Jack and I headed back down.
At the base of the hill, kinglets were still flitting and calling. (I love those little birds.) From the distance came the caws of a crow. And some time later I heard from Kristen that she’d seen a handsome young harrier sailing around the hill. (I learned from her today that, curiously, juvenile harriers have brighter plumage than streaky adult females.) have I was sorry to have missed it.
Tonight is almost balmy. Calm and still overcast—though I think can see the faint outline of the moon.
Beech Hill List
Beginning at 2:30 p.m., I hiked the open trail.
1. Black-capped chickadee
2. Golden-crowned kinglet
3. Tufted titmouse
4. Blue jay (voice)
5. Northern flicker (voice)
6. American crow (voice)
Elsewhere
7. Herring gull
8. Northern cardinal
Inland hills.
Tags: American crow, black-capped chickadee, blue jay, golden-crowned kinglet, herring gull, northern cardinal, northern flicker, tufted titmouse
