Black-throated green warbler.
I’d expected rain. That’s what the forecasts called for, anyway. But when I awoke early and peeked out between the blinds, the world was gray but dry. So I rolled out of bed, and dog and I headed straight for Beech Hill. (Noticed the dependable mourning dove on the utility line on our way up there.)
Chestnut-sided warbler.
The first bird I heard as we emerged from the pickup was a herring gull crying from over toward the little cow farm up Rockville Street. Then, in quick succession, an ovenbird—and two more ovenbirds, all hollering to each other—a black-throated green warbler, a tufted titmouse. And then the thin squee! of a broad-winged hawk coming from across the road where I’d seen one a few days ago. I wonder if they’ve got a nest in there.
Coming up the trail I heard the usual birds—including the recently arrived rose-breasted grosbeak—as well as a pair of overflying grackles. Also, among the many warblers, a northern parula. First parula I’ve seen there this spring.
(As I was waiting to get a look at the parula in the little poplar grove, Jack and I both heard a sudden sound, looked off, and saw a snowshoe hare bounding by from right to left. It looked to have its warm-weather coat already.)
As I was focusing my binoculars on a little group of yell0w-rumps, I saw a tiny plain-looking bird among them, took a closer look, and recognized it as a ruby-crowned kinglet. It wasn’t singing—unlike the yell0w-rumps, chestnut-sideds, black-and-whites, yell0wthroats, and another black-throated green. (Still waiting for redstart, black-throated blue, magnolia, and whatever other warblers might arrive.)
Also heard crows, a cardinal, jays, a couple woodpeckers, a turkey gobbling from off somewhere. At the foggy upper field, I heard song sparrows, towhees, more yell0w-rumps, savannah sparrows, and tree swallows. At the little corner by the fence, I noticed little birds flitting about everywhere, so we stopped. A big wave of warblers. Most seemed to be ‘rumps, but among them were black-throated greens, black-and-whites, and yellows. We stayed there quite a while—and I wished it were sunnier for the sake of photos.
American kestrel.
Finally, as we continued up toward the last rise, I spotted a solitary raven fly over. A big black bird with wedge-shaped tail.
As we climbed the last stretch to the summit, I caught sight of the resident phoebes, which I realized made twenty-nine birds on my list. Well, naturally, I had hopes for an even thirty, so we slowed a bit. Suddenly I thought I saw a good-sized, narrow-winged bird swoop off Beech Nut’s far roof-edge off into the fog. It looked like a kestrel, but I couldn’t be sure. Damn. But then I heard the voice of a field sparrow. An even thirty.
As we rounded Beech Nut, sure enough, a kestrel rose from the grass and sailed away. Perhaps with all the fog, the bird was hunting from a low perch. I watched it fly up to the crown of a small tree, where it stayed for a moment. I saw a second kestrel on the branches of a tree farther down the western slope. The pair of them then flew away to the southwest.
I saw the kestrels again as we descended the open trail, one of them actually perched on one of the little trail-side posts. Several other birds showed up, as well—goldfinch, Nashville warbler, chipping sparrow, mourning dove—and I met my birding pal Ed coming up. As we chatted, I heard the voice of a brown-headed cowbird. Thirty-eight species at that point.
Yellow-rumped warbler.
Down at the parking lot, I was watching a pair of hairy woodpeckers, when a turkey vulture flew over. Back at the summit, a purple finch was calling from the little spruce grove. (That makes, I think, three days I’ve heard one up there.) Back over and along the eastern hillside, the wave of warblers was still going strong. I could’ve stood there for an hour. It got my thinking: most of the best photos I’ve taken happened when I’d stopped at a place attractive to roving birds, and simply waited for them to appear. Often, they’re surprise birds. I.e., I’ve often been focused on photographing one species and ended up with a nice photo of another.
By now I had thirty-nine birds and was hoping for forty—and about half-way down through the lower wooded trail, I heard the call of a pileated woodpecker. Nice. I also heard a turkey gobble down among the big oaks, and as we rounded the curve and looked down the long trail, there it was, way at the bottom. A tom. It must’ve seen us, too, because it hurried away and was gone.
Coming along above the vernal pool, I looked for mallards but saw none. However, a silent brown bird flitted up into a low perch. We froze. It was a veery. Forty-one species on an overcast early morning.
Veery.
Soon after we returned home, the sun came out—and it turned into a sunny, gorgeous day. I had half a mind to take a second hike up the hill, but I didn’t. In fact, I took a nap in afternoon. Later, I watched the nuthatches “sweep” the limb above their nesting cavity out over the deck. And in twilight, I heard the flight song of a woodcock.
Beech Hill List
Beginning at 7 a.m., I hiked all trails.
1. Herring gull
2. Ovenbird (voice)
3. Black-throated green warbler
4. Tufted titmouse (voice)
5. Broad-winged hawk (voice)
6. Gray catbird
7. Eastern towhee
8. Hairy woodpecker
9. Rose-breasted grosbeak (voice)
10. Black-and-white warbler
11. Common grackle (voice)
12. Yellow-rumped warbler
13. Northern parula
14. Chestnut-sided warbler
15. American crow
16. Northern cardinal (voice)
17. Common yellowthroat
18. Ruby-crowned kinglet
19. Blue jay
20. White-throated sparrow
21. Black-capped chickadee
22. Song sparrow (voice)
23. Northern flicker
24. Wild turkey
25. American robin
26. Savannah sparrow
27. Yellow warbler
28. Tree swallow
29. Common raven
30. Eastern phoebe
31. American kestrel
32. Field sparrow (voice)
33. American goldfinch (voice)
34. Nashville warbler (voice)
35. Mourning dove (voice)
36. Chipping sparrow (voice)
37. Turkey vulture
38. Brown-headed cowbird (voice)
39. Purple finch (voice)
40. Pileated woodpecker (voice)
41. Veery
Elsewhere
42. House finch
43. Rock pigeon
44. White-breasted nuthatch
45. American woodcock
Tags: American crow, American goldfinch, American kestrel, American robin, American woodcock, black-and-white warbler, black-capped chickadee, black-throated green warbler, blue jay, broad-winged hawk, brown-headed cowbird, chestnut-sided warbler, chipping sparrow, common grackle, common raven, common yellowthroat, eastern phoebe, eastern towhee, field sparrow, gray catbird, hairy woodpecker, herring gull, house finch, mourning dove, Nashville warbler, northern cardinal, northern flicker, northern parula, ovenbird, pileated woodpecker, purple finch, rock pigeon, rose-breasted grosbeak, ruby-crowned kinglet, savannah sparrow, song sparrow, tree swallow, tufted titmouse, turkey vulture, veery, white-breasted nuthatch, white-throated sparrow, wild turkey, yellow warbler, yellow-rumped warbler
