This morning dawned gray and thawy. Light rain fell—I think, though I spent most all the morning inside. I did hear crows hollering from the oaks through the southern windows. After hours of staring at a computer screen while sipping coffee, I felt my legs begin to cramp up, and I looked up to see light snow falling. OK. No problem. About time for a hike up Beech Hill.

So Jack and I took off. We were the only ones there on our arrival—but it was clear from their tracks that others had come before. Their slushy tracks. Because the trail was slop. I’d thought of pulling on snowshoes but figured, nah. About half way up, after slipping and slogging and splashing unseen water everywhere, I began to second-guess that decision.

But the hike was fine—even better cardio than usual. Chickadees called from the first turn up. Then, coming into the wide curve toward the summit, I heard a call in the wind somewhere. A flicker. A winter flicker. Clearly one or two have decided to hang around up there all year.

The snow seemed to increase as we ascended, carried from the west on a pretty stout breeze. Which of course meant we’d be heading straight into it on our way down.

As we reached the top I couldn’t help but think about yesterday’s vole up there and begin to scan the eastern yard. But the yard, in twenty-four hours, had mostly cleared of snow, and no vole appeared. However, very near where we saw it burrow down yesterday, I spotted something. I moved closer. A feather. A single, smallish, grayish, nondescript feather. I took its photo then picked it up and stuck it in my pocket.

I looked at it later, the feather. Too big for a chickadee or titmouse or sparrow-sized bird. Wrong color for a crow or hawk or owl. Not a turkey feather. Mourning dove, perhaps? Possibly a robin. I don’t much know my bird feathers.

Very light snow has continued into this evening. And the temperature has been dipping slowly. I hear we’ll have some clearing later in the day tomorrow.

Beech Hill List
Beginning at 3:45 p.m., I hiked the open trail.

1. Black-capped chickadee (voice)
2. Northern flicker (voice)

Elsewhere

3. American crow

Tags: American crow, black-capped chickadee, northern flicker

This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 19th, 2011 at 8:36 pm and is filed under Lists, Observations. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.