Greenery.
I stayed up late, but I got up early. Early enough to reach the wooded Beech Hill trail by 8:30 a.m., at least. Jack seemed excited to be out so soon for a change. Considering the time of year, I figured I’d get to list a few more birds in morning than in afternoon. Besides, I’d better get used to it—come May, we’ll be up there by 6:30 or 7, at the latest.
Back at home, I’d heard a house finch and crows and a song sparrow and a cardinal. Then, within a dozen paces up the trail, I’d already heard four more species: flicker, robin, chickadee, and gull. Soon after, I heard a crow and a goldfinch. Then we saw a flicker take off from the trail in front of us and end up in a protected tangle of still-bare limbs, looking back at us. The air was cool—cold, even—and a stout breeze was rattling the upper branches. I pulled my hands up into the sleeves of my sweatshirt.
Northern flicker.
At the upper fields, I heard a song sparrow and stopped to look for it. But then I noticed a solitary bird soaring overhead. A hawk, soaring, scanning the fields. Hardly flapping at all. Through my fieldglasses I identified it as a red-tailed hawk. As I was watching the red-tail, I also heard the song sparrow’s bright voice—and the alarm note of another bird behind me. Not until the hawk grew distant did I realize what bird the alarm note belonged to: an eastern towhee. I turned and spotted the towhee hollering at me from the low scrub. It took off suddenly, crossed the trail, and flew over into another jumble of scrub farther away. It kept hidden, though. No chance for a photo. First towhee (of many to come) this year.
A titmouse was calling from somewhere, and another robin. At the summit, the resident phoebes were holding forth and flitting about. I thought I heard a warbler’s chip, but I never did see the bird.
Scanning the eastern slope from Beech Nut, I noticed a man sitting in the grass near the trail we’d just come up. He was sitting cross-legged, facing east. Looked to be meditating. Weird.
Acorn.
Coming down the open trail, we greeted a man and woman ascending into the chill wind. Always nice to meet other hardy hikers on a day like this. Down at the Beech Hill parking lot, I heard what I thought might be a hairy woodpecker, but then the bird that appeared in the upper reaches of a hardwood turned out to be a downy. I watched it for a while, then heard the croak of a raven. Turned to watch the raven fly over. And far beyond it in the sky, four double-crested cormorants flapped by. Odd to think those were the first of that species I’d seen this year.
Nothing new coming back up the hill, but I did hear the sudden caws of crows. I saw one of the crows above the crest, hollering at something up around the curve, and picked up my pace—thought it might be the raven and I might get a photo—but the crow flew swiftly over the summit to the northwest, cawing all the while. Then I met the hiking couple again coming down, and they mentioned seeing a hawk up there. From their description, I gather it was a harrier that the crows were yelling at. Sorry to have missed adding northern harrier to today’s list.
The meditating man was gone when we headed back down. Nothing new along the lower wooded trail—which wasn’t quite so muddy as it has been.
Double-crested cormorants
As we traveled back to town by way of Route 17, a little rain began to spatter the windshield. At Chickawaukie Lake, a noticed huge gang of cormorants perched on a float bouncing on the choppy waves. Rolled down my window, stuck my camera out, and fired off a few aimless photos. Geese and ducks at the little swimming beach.
Back home, as we climbed the stairs to the back deck, I looked up to see one of the nuthatches peering out of its nesting cavity.
The rest of the day was nondescript, cold, rainy. Now, tonight, everything’s just drippy, and the temperature has warmed noticeably. Tomorrow is supposed to be a nice, warm, partly-sunny day.
Beech Hill List
Beginning at 8:30 a.m., I hiked all trails.
1. Northern flicker
2. American robin (voice)
3. Black-capped chickadee
4. Herring gull
5. American crow
6. American goldfinch (voice)
7. Blue jay
8. Song sparrow (voice)
9. Red-tailed hawk
10. Eastern towhee
11. Tufted titmouse (voice)
12. Eastern phoebe
13. Downy woodpecker
14. Common raven
15. Double-crested cormorant
Elsewhere
16. House finch
17. Northern cardinal
18. Rock pigeon
19. Canada goose
20. Mallard
21. White-breasted nuthatch
Tags: American crow, American goldfinch, American robin, black-capped chickadee, blue jay, Canada goose, common raven, downy woodpecker, eastern phoebe, eastern towhee, hermit thrush, herring gull, house finch, mallard, northern cardinal, northern flicker, red-tailed hawk, rock pigeon, song sparrow, tufted titmouse, white-breasted nuthatch
