May and October have some things in common here on the 44th parallel. May arrives with a leafless, empty landscape, and it departs full of the lush and green of spring; October comes with a heavy hint of high summer but ends amid the fragrant orange-brown husks of deep fall. Each month carries the full change of a season.

Now, today—a cool, dark, rainy day—the hillsides showed only a hint of color. Some yellow creeping into the maples, a few dead leaves sprinkled here and there. But change happens swiftly in October. The hillsides will look different every day.

I spent most of this day at my desk, catching up from my spectacular week away. Yesterday, I actually managed a bike ride, but today was a dreary, indoor sort of day. Jack and I finally got out late in it. Gulls in flight were the only birds I saw, though at some point I recall hearing the chips of a chickadee and cardinal (or two). After errands, we took a spin by Beech Hill.

I guess no one else thought to hike in the chill and drizzle, but we didn’t mind. Right away I heard the calls of a jay and crows. For the second straight day, I heard the notes of a brown creeper in the trees above the parking lot. Then nothing else until I spied a song sparrow on the trail up ahead. The slopes were mostly green still, the sky was layered in different shades of gray and blue. I heard fewer crickets. A faint mist fell.

On our return trip, I heard the chips of a single yellow-rump. It won’t be the last, I bet.

Tonight a blustery wind has risen. Water drips from the trees. It’s supposed to clear up tomorrow sometime—and get just a tad bit colder.

Beech Hill List
Beginning at 5:30 p.m., I hiked the open trail.

1. Blue jay (voice)
2. American crow (voice)
3. Brown creeper (voice)
4. Song sparrow
5. Yellow-rumped warbler (voice)

Elsewhere

6. Northern cardinal
7. Black-capped chickadee
8. Herring gull
9. Mallard
10. Double-crested cormorant

Tags: American crow, black-capped chickadee, blue jay, brown creeper, double-crested cormorant, herring gull, mallard, northern cardinal, song sparrow, yellow-rumped warbler

This entry was posted on Tuesday, October 4th, 2011 at 10:07 pm and is filed under Lists, Observations. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.