Beech Nut.
I have to say I was a little surprised to see sunshine this morning. A partly cloudy sky turned mostly sunny, even. Nice. Also nice were some highly active birds—a cardinal again, song and house sparrows, house finches, crows, a tufted titmouse, yellow warbler and redstart, and a gray catbird. All singing within the few minutes I took Jack out first thing.
Yellow warbler.
The day got busy then, and I got to thinking about a bike ride. Ultimately the day clouded over and I didn’t take one (tomorrow!), but Jack and I did make it to Beech Hill a little earlier than in recent days. And the hill did not disappoint.
I usually pay pretty close attention to my surroundings, but I have to confess to being a little extra-alert this late afternoon after hearing from my friend Kristen that a black bear has apparently been robbing some of the beehives on the hill. I’d love to see a bear up there (and a moose, and a bobcat), but I wonder what my dog would think. Never mind, though: no bear today.
But there were plenty of good birds. I heard the young raven again. I heard the voices of most of the usual residents. I also had several hairy woodpecker sightings, a blue jay sighting, a cedar waxwing sighting, and a good look at a fledgling phoebe begging in some berry tangles up toward the summit. I suspect it’s one of the young birds from the nest in the eaves of Beech Nut, but maybe not. Still, one of the coolest things was to be sneaking down toward its voice on our return and hearing the adult emit a sharp chip! and then noticing that the young bird go completely silent. Makes a lot of sense, though.
Eastern phoebe (fledgling).
The savannah sparrow as chipping from the roof of Beech Nut again. Heard the song of the parula down in the lower woods again—a fairly regular occurrence. I’ve noticed it comes from a small stand of tall pines. Clearly, it has a claim on that territory.
Oddly, I didn’t hear a veery until we were about half-way down. (They’ve been among the most vocal birds lately.) And I heard no hermit thrush at all. But another thrush would soon make up for that omission.
Back home, right at dusk, I stepped out onto the deck briefly as several species were singing their evening songs: finch, catbird, yellow warbler, ovenbird. And suddenly there came, from not far up the back hill, the resounding notes of a Swainson’s thrush. I’m not sure I’d ever heard that song before (though I’d seen the thrushes here once), but I knew what it was immediately. I.e., it wasn’t a veery, it wasn’t a hermit thrush, it wasn’t a wood thrush—not a robin, surely. It was a thrilling, remarkable call. I checked its voice online immediately after hearing it. Quick confirmation.
It’s nice to see some stars tonight. I have a feeling tomorrow will be a decent day.
house finch (female).
Beech Hill List
Beginning at 5 p.m., I hiked the wooded trails.
1. American goldfinch (voice)
2. Red-eyed vireo (voice)
3. Ovenbird (voice)
4. American redstart (voice)
5. Common yellowthroat
6. Chestnut-sided warbler (voice)
7. Common raven (voice)
8. Gray catbird
9. Eastern towhee
10. Black-capped chickadee
11. Hairy woodpecker
12. Song sparrow
13. Blue jay
14. Yellow warbler
15. Cedar waxwing
16. Eastern phoebe
17. Savannah sparrow
18. American robin
19. Northern parula
20. Black-throated green warbler
21. American crow
22. Veery
Elsewhere
23. House finch
24. Northern cardinal
25. Tufted titmouse
26. Herring gull
27. Mourning dove
28. Turkey vulture
29. Swainson’s thrush
Tags: American crow, American goldfinch, American redstart, American robin, black-capped chickadee, black-throated green warbler, blue jay, Cedar waxwing, chestnut-sided warbler, common raven, common yellowthroat, eastern phoebe, eastern towhee, gray catbird, hairy woodpecker, herring gull, houseo finch, mourning dove, northern cardinal, northern parula, ovenbird, red-eyed vireo, savannah sparrow, song sparrow, Swainson’s thrush, tufted titmouse, turkey vulture, veery, yellow warbler
