Tufted titmouse.
Awoke to two-three inches of fresh, fluffy snow. Then the sun came out, I swept away snow with a push broom, and birds began to sing. House finches, nuthatches, titmice. The titmice were especially active, singing and calling insistently. At one point in afternoon, I watched three of the birds hop about and holler at each other—two males vying for a female, was my guess.
At Beech Hill I heard only chickadees and a flicker. But elsewhere, robins were still flocking, and starlings, and a little family of mourning doves on a utility line along South Street.
Tonight the temperature has dipped into the teens (F). Come Thursday, we might be looking at 50 degrees.
Ah, spring.
Beech Hill List
Beginning at 3:45 p.m., I hiked the open trail.
1. Black-capped chickadee (voice)
2. Northern flicker (voice)
Elsewhere
3. American crow
4. Tufted titmouse
5. House finch
6. Herring gull
7. White-breasted nuthatch
8. European starling
9. American robin
10. Rock pigeon
11. Ring-billed gull
12. Mourning dove
Tags: American crow, American robin, black-capped chickadee, European starling, herring gull, house finch, mourning dove, northern flicker, ring-billed gull, rock pigeon, tufted titmouse, white-breasted nuthatch
