Blue jay.
Stayed up late last night following the Longhorns game. Got to feeling lazy this morning. Shower, breakfast, took the dog out, then sat at the kitchen table to do a little editorial work. Heard crows out there occasionally. Weather much like yesterday.
Pre-fall color.
Drank some coffee, got in The Zone. Not until late afternoon did I figure it was time to take patient Jack for a walk up Beech Hill.
Right away I heard jays—jays all over the place in the trees surrounding the parking lot. Clearly a family, with young ones hollering at their parents. They flapped around pecking at stuff. Got some photos.
Coming up the rise, an east wind whipped at our front sides and tried blow my cap off. No waxwing on the waxwing perch, but I heard one nearer, atop a birch along the trail. Wind ruffled its feathers as it clung tightly to its twig, which was waving around like crazy. Not surprisingly, I heard crows cawing from down the southern slope.
Still plenty of ripe blackberries down in the patch, but they’re starting to taste a little like blackberry wine, and the blueberries were kind of overripe. Heard a goldfinch, but no catbird, no towhee, no yellowthroat—no birds at all down there, in fact, that I could see or hear. They were feeling lazy also, I guess.
Cedar waxwing.
Returning down toward the parking lot, I heard a faint, high note that wasn’t a waxwing. Thought maybe a titmouse but couldn’t be sure—that is, until suddenly I heard two or three more nearby scolding each other like crazy. Nearly got a photo, but a family with an excitable dog walked up just then, and the birds did not oblige.
As is my habit, I looked around once more before hopping in the pickup and saw a little bird high in a hardwood nearby. Got out my binoculars and saw it was a black-throated green warbler. Nice surprise.
Driving home, I realized I hadn’t seen anything else but crows elsewhere, so I scanned for mourning doves on utility lines. The doves did oblige.
Cool and fragrant tonight. Crickets, the occasional frog. Supposed to get some rain tomorrow—which happens to be (by contrast) Labor Day.
Beech Hill List
Beginning at 3:45 p.m., I hiked the open trail.
1. Blue jay
2. Black-capped chickadee (voice)
3. Cedar waxwing
4. American crow (voice)
5. American goldfinch (voice)
6. Tufted titmouse
7. Black-throated green warbler
Elsewhere
8. Mourning dove
Bee.
Tags: American crow, American goldfinch, black-capped chickadee, black-throated green warbler, blue jay, Cedar waxwing, mourning dove, tufted titmouse
