Moon.
Bugs are out, but I can’t complain. Oh, I suppose I could complain—mosquitoes and horse flies circling my head as I hike the wooded Beech Hill trail with Jack. And Jack, spinning, snapping, shaking his head, carefully avoiding bumblebees. Little woodland moths and high-ground butterflies. Cicadas in the trees. I could complain, but I won’t. Because they’ve got a purpose. Bird food.
Cedar waxwing.
They’ve got other purposes, of course. Pollination and the like. But they’re definitely a part of Maine summer.
As is a warm sun, a humid breeze, mist on the water, fledglings on the move. This early morning came the voices of house finch and cardinal and robin and song sparrow. An overcast settled for a while then moved away. I took a nice bike ride this afternoon—during which I heard house and chipping sparrows, saw gulls and starlings, enjoyed a surge of endorphins, felt the wind in my ears.
After work, dog and I hit the hill. Along with the aforementioned bugs, we walked through a wooded place of vireos, ovenbirds, veeries, chickadees. We heard a grosbeak, several yellowthroats, catbirds, waxwings. (Granted, I paid closer attention than Jack to these things.) About half-way up, we flushed a woodcock on the trail—a nice surprise. At the summit, a mourning dove called and a savannah sparrow perched at the peak of the Beech Nut roof. And we chatted for a while with a couple visitors from England.
Coming back down, I heard two pewees, a hermit thrush, and a sharp chip! in the trees that turned out to belong to a black-throated green warbler. Finally, just as we turned out onto Rockville Street, I spotted a turkey dashing off into the brush along the land trust property. Twenty-four species today.
Pulling into the parking lot back home, we startled the local pair of cardinals hunting near the base of the stairs.
Mourning dove.
And on the deck tonight, a minute ago, with a lovely cool breeze cooling things, I admired the cold flashing lights of fireflies in the undergrowth. Just another kind of bug to appreciate on a summer day in Maine.
Beech Hill List
Beginning at 5:45 p.m., I hiked the wooded trails.
1. Red-eyed vireo (voice)
2. American crow (voice)
3. Chestnut-sided warbler (voice)
4. Ovenbird (voice)
5. American robin
6. Black-capped chickadee (voice)
7. Veery (voice)
8. Rose-breasted grosbeak (voice)
9. Eastern towhee (voice)
10. Common yellowthroat
11. American woodcock
12. Yellow warbler (voice)
13. Cedar waxwing
14. American redstart
15. American goldfinch (voice)
16. Song sparrow (voice)
17. Gray catbird (voice)
18. Mourning dove
19. Savannah sparrow
20. Eastern phoebe
21. Eastern wood-pewee (voice)
22. Hermit thrush (voice)
23. Black-throated green warbler
24. Wild turkey
Elsewhere
25. House finch
26. Northern cardinal
27. Herring gull
28. House sparrow
29. European starling
30. Chipping sparrow
Tags: American crow, American goldfinch, American redstart, American robin, American woodcock, black-capped chickadee, black-throated green warbler, Cedar waxwing, chestnut-sided warbler, chipping sparrow, common yellowthroat, eastern phoebe, eastern towhee, eastern wood-pewee, European starling, gray catbird, hermit thrush, herring gull, house finch, house sparrow, mourning dove, northern cardinal, ovenbird, red-eyed vireo, rose-breasted grosbeak, savannah sparrow, song sparrow, veery, wild turkey, yellow warbler
