Blueberry field.
What started as a brilliant day—morning sunlight on new-fallen snow—soon became moody and winter-like. Deep blue clouds moved out over the bay as smaller white clouds rushed by on this side of them, and the sun came in and out, in and out. House sparrows chirped from across the road, and chickadees sang out back.
The open trail.
The air temperature seemed colder today, and a light wind blew. Icicles hung from the eaves. The parking lot had developed long slick spots in the places where my tires had gone.
In early afternoon, Jack and I jumped in the pickup, both of us excited to be heading for the hill. A solitary blue jay flew across South Street just as we made the turn onto Beech Hill Road. We found no other vehicles in the parking lot—but evidence of previous hikers. Little if any snow had melted from yesterday’s surprising storm.
Walking around and up the open trail I heard the voices of several crows in the periphery. Drifts lined the southern trail-edge, and more than once we had to step through deep snow. For a southern dog, Jack seems to have an uncommon appreciation of snow: he pretty much jumped and pranced and danced the whole way up the hill.
I’d left my gloves in the truck, and my hands could’ve used ’em. Rounding the upper curve, I saw three big birds flapping together in the distance out toward the bay. My first thought was they were cormorants—but they would’ve surely been great cormorants, if so, and their wingbeats didn’t seem rapid enough. The view through my binoculars convinced me they were geese, but I snapped some photos for confirmation later.
Three geese.
Nearing the summit, I heard the cries of a lark. The same bird as yesterday? Who knows—but it was sounding the alarm, for sure.
Beech Nut stood firm and stately against a slate-colored northern sky. Icicles hung from its roof-edge also. Away out above and beyond Blue Hill, ribbed clouds circled a patch of blue.
Rounding the hut, I spotted a big bird flying low down the snowy western field—a harrier, looked like. Would there still be harriers here? I’ve seen plenty of ’em, and this sure appeared to be one, but (again) I took a photo for further inspection.
As we descended, the sun made a hazy appearance above Dodges Mountain and the Rockville ridge. The southern sky was a jumble of colors and shades and hues. Kept expecting to hear a chickadee, but there were none—although we met another man and dog ascending.
Northern harrier.
Later, in town, I saw plenty of the usual cold-weather gulls.
Later still, I looked at my photos and confirmed to IDs of the geese and harrier.
Tonight, it appears the sky has cleared. I see Jupiter at least, and a bunch of stars. I also find myself hankering for the winter solstice and feeling grateful for the new December moon.
Beech Hill List
Beginning at 1:30 p.m., I hiked the open trail.
1. American crow
2. Canada goose
3. Horned lark
4. Northern harrier
Elsewhere
5. House sparrow
6. Black-capped chickadee
7. Blue jay
8. Herring gull
9. Ring-billed gull
Beech Nut.
Tags: American crow, black-capped chickadee, blue jay, Canada goose, herring gull, horned lark, house sparrow, northern harrier, ring-billed gull
