Eastern phoebe.
After yesterday’s aborted Beech Hill hike, I had no trouble rolling out of bed early on this sunny morning—a lovely, clear morning, with plenty of bird activity. We ascended the hill slowly, dog and I, so I could take full advantage of the chance that the rising sun behind us might illuminate a perfect photo. Warblers calling again, and red-eyed vireos everywhere. Most other resident species, too, including alder flycatcher (several), towhee (many), catbird (a few), towhee (gobs).
Eastern towhee.
And I could just tell there were nestlings everywhere. The birds lately have been furtive and shy. much easier to hear them than see them. And when you do see them, they tend to have their mouths full of something—like the big leggy spider (or whatever it was) in the beak of a female towhee I spotted in a little sunny glade on the way up. The thrushes and yellowthroats are being especially secretive. Even the relatively tame yellow warblers were darting away behind the cover of leaves as we approached.
Oh, I caught sight of a few species—a little flock of waxwings, a vireo, a flycatcher emitting an alarm note as we approached the area of its nest—but not overly many. Then again, I did spy an osprey flying over the summit in exactly the direction (and with similarly few wing-flaps) as the big bird I saw up there yesterday. The same bird, I feel sure of it.
Heard a Nashville warbler down toward Beech Hill Road. And on the way back up and over, I heard a raven’s croak then saw the bird flying fast away from an attacking crow. (More evidence of nestlings.)
Back home, too, there’s some nesting going on. The phoebes out back were particularly busy and made it clear that they didn’t want to be bothered. I even got a peak at the little motionless heads of a couple hatchlings. And the nuthatch’s young are noisy enough to hear begging up in their nesting cavity in the oak limb.
Savannah sparrow.
Took a nice bike ride this afternoon and heard plenty of calling redstarts, a cardinal, robins, song sparrows, at least one chippy.
Tonight I hear crickets and see the moon caught in the crowns of the dark oak trees. I do rather like this solstitial time of year.
Beech Hill List
Beginning at 7:15 a.m., I hiked all trails.
1. Red-eyed vireo
2. Chestnut-sided warbler
3. American redstart (voice)
4. Ovenbird (voice)
5. American goldfinch (voice)
6. Veery (voice)
7. Black-and-white warbler
8. Eastern towhee
9. Alder flycatcher
10. Black-capped chickadee
11. Cedar waxwing
12. Common yellowthroat (voice)
13. American crow
14. Yellow warbler
15. Song sparrow
16. Gray catbird (voice)
17. Osprey
18. Eastern phoebe
19. Chipping sparrow (voice)
20. Herring gull
21. Savannah sparrow
22. Great crested flycatcher (voice)
23. American robin
24. Hermit thrush (voice)
25. Nashville warbler (voice)
26. Rose-breasted grosbeak (voice)
27. Mourning dove (voice)
28. Common raven
29. Tufted titmouse (voice)
30. Northern parula (voice)
31. Black-throated green warbler (voice)
32. Eastern wood-pewee (voice)
Elsewhere
33. House finch
34. House sparrow
35. European starling
36. Rock pigeon
37. Northern cardinal
38. White-breasted nuthatch
Tags: alder flycatcher, American crow, American goldfinch, American redstart, American robin, black-and-white warbler, black-capped chickadee, black-throated green warbler, Cedar waxwing, chestnut-sided warbler, chipping sparrow, common raven, common yellowthroat, eastern phoebe, eastern towhee, eastern wood-pewee, European starling, gray catbird, great crested flycatcher, hermit thrush, herring gull, house finch, house sparrow, mourning dove, Nashville warbler, northern cardinal, northern parula, osprey, ovenbird, red-eyed vireo, rock pigeon, rose-breasted grosbeak, savannah sparrow, song sparrow, tufted titmouse, veery, white-breasted nuthatch, yellow warbler
