Eastern phoebe hatchling.
The sun rose earlier than yesterday—and yesterday it rose pretty darn early. I heard many birds singing at first light: robin, mourning dove, cardinal, song sparrow, house finch. The phoebe was flitting about out back, so I figured I’d take a peek at the nest, where one hatchling sat low and still, its eyes closed. Clearly, the young bird I saw yesterday was not a phoebe. Could’ve been any number of resident species.
Song sparrow.
The day grew warm. I took care of business for much of it but managed to tear myself away in mid-afternoon for a bike ride. Plenty of birds calling along my usual route, including redstarts, chipping sparrows, and a parula near the bowling lanes.
Late in the day, a bit of haze blew over, so I checked the weather online and saw a thundershower a ways inland headed this way, so I wrapped things up a little early and took Jack to Beech Hill. By the time we arrived, the sun had gone and a deep, diffuse blue had risen in the western sky. Warm enough (upper 70s (F)?) that I wore only a T-shirt—which I soon regretted, considering the swarms of mosquitos up there.
But with mosquitos come flycatching birds, and there were plenty on the hill today. Warblers, vireos, alder flycatcher, phoebe. Heard a black-and-white warbler for the first time in a few days. (But, oddly, I didn’t hear any ovenbirds until late in our hike.) At one point a redstart flew into a branch directly above of us, but the light was too dim for a decent photo.
Eastern phoebe.
Song and savannah sparrows at the summit, but it looked like the thundershower had dispersed—only a single, great gray cloud hung overhead. Still, as we turned to descend, it began to rain a little. Hermit thrush, an ovenbird (finally), chickadees, and a wood-pewee in the lower woods. And plenty of mosquitos.
Back home, the phoebe was peeping at us as we climbed the back stairs. Later, about 9 p.m., plenty of light remained in the sky, and I spotted a bat fluttering above the parking lot. (First bat I’ve seen since last year.) And soon after that I spotted three birds—small ducks—flying quickly inland.
Beech Hill List
Beginning at 4:30 p.m., I hiked the wooded trails.
1. Red-eyed vireo (voice)
2. Veery (voice)
3. Chestnut-sided warbler
4. Eastern towhee (voice)
5. Common yellowthroat
6. Song sparrow
7. Yellow warbler (voice)
8. Black-capped chickadee (voice)
9. American redstart
10. Black-and-white warbler (voice)
11. Black-capped chickadee (voice)
12. American crow (voice)
13. Herring gull (voice)
14. Rose-breasted grosbeak (voice)
15. American goldfinch (voice)
16. Gray catbird
17. Eastern phoebe
18. Savannah sparrow
19. Hermit thrush (voice)
20. Eastern wood-pewee (voice)
21. Ovenbird (voice)
22. Cedar waxwing (voice)
Elsewhere
23. House finch
24. Mourning dove
25. Northern cardinal
26. House finch
27. Northern parula
28. Chipping sparrow
Beech Nut.
Tags: American crow, American goldfinch, American redstart, black-and-white warbler, black-capped chickadee, Cedar waxwing, chestnut-sided warbler, chipping sparrow, common yellowthroat, eastern phoebe, eastern towhee, eastern wood-pewee, gray catbird, hermit thrush, herring gull, house finch, mourning dove, northern cardinal, northern parula, ovenbird, red-eyed vireo, rose-breasted grosbeak, savannah sparrow, song sparrow, veery, yellow warbler
