Savannah sparrow.
Some days—like, in this particular fledgling time of year—wild birds make themselves scarce, so the challenge is to manage to see them. You can nearly always hear them if they’re around, but actually seeing them becomes tricky. Today was one of those days.
I awoke this morning to the chatterings of a phoebe out back. One of the resident phoebes, I feel sure. (I didn’t know they’d make so much noise around their nests even after the young birds had flown.) Soon after, I had an event to attend in town for much of this gray, moist Sunday. Thus, I could list the usual town birds—herring gull, starling, pigeon. One nice surprise came when I heard the screams of an osprey, looked up, and saw a family of five or six of the big fishhawks circling high over the harbor. Reminded me of the raven family yesterday.
Wild turkey.
(I’m lucky to live in the land of the osprey, prince of shores.)
So Jack and I didn’t make it up Beech Hill until rather late in afternoon. The air was muggy if not exactly warm. I heard the familiar vireos, chestnut-sided warblers, redstarts, ovenbirds. Didn’t see them, though. In fact, the first bird managed to catch sight of today was a yellowthroat sneaking about in the brush near its nest (doubtless). I did, however, notice that berries are beginning to ripen: wild strawberries, raspberries, and high bush blueberries. I even picked and ate a strawberry.
The next bird I saw was a chestnut-sided warbler calling from a tangle of tree leaves. And the third was catbird mewing up along the edge of the summit fields. I felt sure I’d see the savannah sparrow at Beech Nut—and I sure enough did. It sat chipping at us from atop the porch wall, as usual.
Returning I got a glimpse of a flitting song sparrow just before entering the woods. In the woods, I heard a hermit thrush singing magically very nearby—and although we stood there for three or four minutes, at least, I simply couldn’t spot it. I did, however, see an ovenbird zip away from the trail at our approach.
Finally, nearing the parking lot again, I saw a phoebe leave its nest. I saw the phoebe for about a half a second, tops.
And that was it. Until we began driving away up Rockville Street and a wild turkey dipped away from the road into the weeds of the Beech Hill property. That made seven species seen of twenty-one on my list today—an even third.
High bush blueberry.
On our drive home, coincidentally (or, more like it, because of some seasonal habit or need), I saw another turkey hurrying away from South Street. And I heard a chipping sparrow singing from the trees near a motel at the top of Powerhouse Hill.
But tonight, while writing this, the osprey family stands out. I love those birds.
Beech Hill List
Beginning at 4:15 p.m., I hiked the wooded trails.
1. Red-eyed vireo (voice)
2. Chestnut-sided warbler
3. Ovenbird
4. American redstart (voice)
5. Common yellowthroat
6. American robin (voice)
7. Eastern towhee (voice)
8. Black-capped chickadee (voice)
9. American goldfinch (voice)
10. Cedar waxwing (voice)
11. American crow (voice)
12. Gray catbird
13. Mourning dove (voice)
14. Song sparrow
15. Savannah sparrow
16. Yellow warbler (voice)
17. Eastern wood-pewee (voice)
18. Hermit thrush (voice)
19. Veery (voice)
20. Eastern phoebe
21. Wild turkey
Elsewhere
22. House finch
23. Herring gull
24. House sparrow
25. European starling
26. Rock pigeon
27. Osprey
28. Chipping sparrow
Tags: American crow, American goldfinch, American redstart, American robin, black-capped chickadee, Cedar waxwing, chestnut-sided warbler, common yellowthroat, eastern phoebe, eastern towhee, eastern wood-pewee, European starling, gray catbird, hermit thrush, herring gull, house finch, house sparrow, mourning dove, ovenbird, red-eyed vireo, rock pigeon, savannah sparrow, song sparrow, veery, wild turkey, yellow warbler
