Black-and-white warbler (female).
Foggy in the morning. Kind of thick-seeming air. I puttered around a bit and then figured I should get some gas and a few important groceries (i.e., beer) before any hurricanes and/or tropical storms arrive this weekend. Lots of traffic on the roads, but I got in and out of both gas station and supermarket in pretty good time.
Savannah sparrow.
Since my friend Liz was in the neighborhood, she met Jack and me this mid-afternoon for our daily hike. Quite a few cars in the lot, hikers and dogs on the trail, a cedar waxwing in the tip of a tree by the road. Also goldfinches flying around up there somewhere. Being sort of a novice birder, Liz has to suffer through my little identification tips—like the way goldfinches sing when they fly with a sound that reminds me of “perk chickory!”
“Hear that?” I’d say when the sharp chip! of a savannah sparrow sounded from a blueberry field. “Savannah sparrow.” And down by the blackberries, where I knew common yellowthroats hang out, I played a yellowthroat call on my iPhone, and sure enough a couple began flitting about in the understory.
I must kind of like to show off or something.
We did get nice looks at a couple savannah sparrows. Heard a catbird. I saw a flicker hurry away from the trail ahead of us (although Liz missed that one). And then we saw a line of double-crested cormorants.
Bee.
Returning, I heard some high, percussive chips in the canopy down in the woods, and we stopped. I remarked that the notes sounded like warblers, but I wasn’t sure what species. Unless they were black-and-whites. Which I thought maybe they were, but I couldn’t put ’em on my list without confirmation. Sure enough, the warblers came near—near enough to spot. And, by golly, it was a little family of black-and-white warblers. I was pretty proud of that ID.
“I’m pretty proud of that ID,” I said.
When one of the birds perched overhead, I managed to snap a couple shady photos—but I was surprised to see it was a red-eyed vireo. Another bird on the today’s list. We also heard the tseet! of a white-throated sparrow, the call of a chickadee, and the bright notes of another vireo down by the parking lot. Then a family of about a half-dozen jays appeared, jeering at each other rather quietly (for jays). All in all, a pretty fruitful birding day.
Only later, when I looked at my photos, did I realize the “vireo” I’d photographed was, in fact, a black-and-white warbler. A female. Guess I’m not so infallible, after all.
Two islands.
Tonight, not long ago, it began to rain lightly. A faint rush in the foliage. A calm night—but the cool air feels faintly thick and tropical. I suppose that’s because this is the leading edge of a massive tropical storm.
Beech Hill List
Beginning at 3:30 p.m., I hiked the open trail.
1. Cedar waxwing
2. American goldfinch (voice)
3. American crow (voice)
4. Savannah sparrow
5. Eastern towhee
6. Common yellowthroat
7. Gray catbird
8. Northern flicker
9. Double-crested cormorant
10. Black-and-white warbler
11. White-throated sparrow
12. Red-eyed vireo (voice)
13. Black-capped chickadee (voice)
14. Blue jay
Elsewhere
15. House sparrow
16. Herring gull
17. Rock pigeon
18. Laughing gull
19. Northern cardinal
20. Mourning dove
Tags: American crow, American goldfinch, black-and-white warbler, black-capped chickadee, blue jay, Cedar waxwing, common yellowthroat, double-crested cormorant, eastern towhee, gray catbird, herring gull, house sparrow, laughing gull, mourning dove, northern cardinal, northern flicker, red-eyed vireo, rock pigeon, savannah sparrow, white-throated sparrow
