Rainy landscape.
This was a rainy one. I even heard reports of snow in neighboring towns this morning—but here at Clam Cove, all I saw was rain. Light rain mostly. Mist sometimes, heavier rain at other times. It didn’t really let up all day. We do live on a water planet, after all.
White-throated sparrow.
Heard many crows early. And chickadees. About midday, I checked the online weather radar and noticed what looked to be a bit of a letup in the precip, so I grabbed Jack’s leash, my camera, my binoculars, and some poop bags. Pulled on a hooded sweatshirt and my raincoat and my Coastal Mountains Land Trust cap. But just as we were about to head out the door, I saw a bird flitting about on the hill out back. A white-throated sparrow. I got a single photo before it darted away, then heard its tseet note as we jumped in the truck.
Lightly misting as we pulled into the Beech Hill parking lot. No other cars (of course). As we set off, I heard a couple chickadees calling to each other while hunting up grub in the trees above us. They like to keep in touch that way.
Climbing the trail, we walked fast right into spatters of chill rain. Not heavy rain, but effectively dampening over time. I figured the black-capped chickadee would be my only bird species today.
From the summit, you couldn’t see much of anything except a distant misty landscape. A plain, brown-gray, barren landscape—though the grass is still green in places. Last night’s freeze left remnant ice on sections of trail.
I was wrong about the black-capped chickadee: as we descended, I heard the cries of jays from down the souther slope. Then, behind us, the note of a solitary flicker. I imagine it’s the same flicker that’s been calling down there for the past couple weeks. Just a single, sharp note, repeated every half minute. Or minute. Or two.
Bayberry.
The photogenic birch is remained so. The bayberry bushes along the trail showed off their dripping waxy fruit.
A chill in the air. A muddy trail. Damp clothing.
But Jack and I didn’t mind.
Beech Hill List
Beginning at 12:45 p.m., I hiked the open trail.
1. Black-capped chickadee (voice)
2. Blue jay (voice)
3. Northern flicker (voice)
Elsewhere
4. American crow
5. White-throated sparrow
6. Herring gull
Beech Nut view.
Tags: American crow, black-capped chickadee, blue jay, herring gull, northern flicker, white-throated sparrow
