Rose-breasted grosbeak.
Fledglings are leaving the nest. It depends on the species, of course—early nesters have long gone, and later migrants are still feeding nestlings. But you can tell which young birds are venturing out if you pay attention. I’ve noticed more adult birds have begun singing again, for instance, which I think must have to do with fledglings on the loose. Time to learn that particular song.
Common raven.
The white-throated sparrow singing yesterday might be such an indication. The titmice and mourning doves singing again. And today at Beech Hill, I heard two rose-breasted grosbeaks singing at different points on the hill. (One even posed for a photo atop one of the spruces at the summit.)
Certainly, though, this year’s ravens flew today.
Jack and I had just reached the upper fields, and I was attempting a too-distant photo of a yellow warbler when I first heard a strange guttural sound on the other side of some low trees. Dog heard it, too. We stopped, listening, and a pair of ravens suddenly lifted up into the cloudless blue of this warm day, croaking and crying. The croak was an adult’s, I figured, and the cry—well, that was a juvenile. It was the same sound I’ve heard for a week or more coming from down in the woods behind us. Then I saw another pair of ravens, maybe three, chasing and diving in the sky up near the summit. I noticed a pair of hikers on the open trail up there had stopped to watch.
I saw at least four of the birds, like big elegant black airborne cadillacs or something, swooping and turning and veering after one another. They were making a lot of noise. Then, as I watched, one of the birds separated from the group and started to approach. It was the kind of experience when I lose myself in the moment—the bird was clearly headed our way. Vaguely, I thought about trying for a photo, but the raven soon got too close to find in my zoom lens. It flew directly toward us, clearly checking us out. It dipped within about thirty feet of us and circled behind us. I saw its face, its beak slightly open, its eye fixed on dog and me. Amazing.
Song sparrow.
Perhaps needless to say, I didn’t get a decent photo. But I did then get to watch the whole family—I counted five birds—fly together off over the trees down the far eastern slope. The adults were croaking; the youngsters’ voices had not yet changed.
The ravens have left the nest.
The rest of our hike was relatively uneventful. Jack panted, I worked up a sweat. On our way back up and over was when I saw the grosbeak in the little spruce grove. No clouds at all in the sky just then, although a low white sheet of fog had spread far over the islands.
Earlier, at home, the phoebe had been singing like crazy—so insistently, in fact, that the commotion drew the attention of a titmouse, which came close to see what was up.
Tonight is a night of fireflies and fog horns.
Beech Hill List
Beginning at 4:45 p.m., I hiked all trails.
1. Red-eyed vireo (voice)
2. Chestnut-sided warbler (voice)
3. Common yellowthroat
4. Ovenbird (voice)
5. American redstart (voice)
6. American goldfinch
7. Eastern towhee
8. Veery (voice)
9. Cedar waxwing
10. Mourning dove
11. Black-and-white warbler
12. American robin
13. Song sparrow
14. Yellow warbler
15. Common raven
16. Savannah sparrow
17. Gray catbird (voice)
18. Black-capped chickadee (voice)
19. American crow (voice)
20. Chipping sparrow (voice)
21. Barn swallow
22. Blue jay (voice)
23. Rose-breasted grosbeak
24. Hermit thrush (voice)
25. Northern parula (voice)
26. Black-throated green warbler (voice)
Elsewhere
27. House finch
28. Eastern phoebe
29. Tufted titmouse
30. Laughing gull
31. Herring gull
32. Common grackle
33. Northern cardinal
Tags: American crow, American goldfinch, American redstart, American robin, barn swallow, black-and-white warbler, black-capped chickadee, black-throated green warbler, blue jay, Cedar waxwing, chestnut-sided warbler, chipping sparrow, common grackle, common raven, common yellowthroat, eastern phoebe, eastern towhee, gray catbird, hermit thrush, herring gull, house finch, laughing gull, mourning dove, northern cardinal, northern parula, ovenbird, red-eyed vireo, rose-breasted grosbeak, savannah sparrow, song sparrow, tufted titmouse, veery, yellow warbler
