Birch.
Not much to report on this day. It was short. The briefest of photoperiods. I did some work. I goofed off some. I hiked with Jack up Beech Hill.
Considering the cold and overcast and gusty wind, I was surprised to see two vehicles in the parking lot. We hadn’t gone far before we met their owners walking hurriedly down. And soon after I heard the thin, high calls of kinglets. I even spotted one of the birds flitting frenetically amid the naked branches and twigs of the little mixed wood near the base of the hill. Too tiny and frenetic for photographs.
A dim, gray, anxious day. The trail, mushy just yesterday, had gone hard underfoot. We walked swiftly up, didn’t spend long at the summit. The wind came mostly from the north, I noticed. Below, a stream of car lights snaked with Route 17 along the shore of Chickawaukie Lake. Returning, I put on gloves and raised my hood.
Back at the parking lot, we saw Joe, just making a check of the place. As we chatted briefly, I heard the voice of a chickadee.
Twilight came early. Looks like we’re in for a long, blustery night.
Beech Hill List
Beginning at 2:30 p.m., I hiked the open trail.
1. Golden-crowned kinglet
2. Black-capped chickadee
Elsewhere
3. White-breasted nuthatch
4. American crow
5. Herring gull
Tags: American crow, black-capped chickadee, golden-crowned kinglet, herring gull, white-breasted nuthatch
