No fog this morning for a change! Gray skies, mist in the hills, a humid, drippy atmosphere—but the fog waited until we’d hiked about an hour, dog and I. And, bird-wise, all about us were the sounds of begging from fledglings and notes of alarm from adults with their mouths full.
It’s that season.
Most notable today was a woodcock we flushed down in the lower woods—flushed it twice, actually. It’s a rich, wet, warm time of year.
Beech Hill List Starting at 6:37 a.m. EST (7:37 DST), I hiked all trails.
On the eighth straight day of morning fog, I spied a baby Chestnut-sided Warbler. The little fledgling warbler also spied me. It had no tail to speak of, but it could flutter away on its brand new feathered wings. A highlight of my hike today with dog.
Fog turned to drizzle later, then a more soaking sort of rain. We have no drought here this year, seems like. (More rain in the forecast.) In fact, I ate my first ripe wild blueberries.
Beech Hill List Starting at 6:48 a.m. EST (7:48 DST), I hiked all trails.
1. Chestnut-sided Warbler** 2. Red-eyed Vireo** 3. American Goldfinch 4. Black-and-white Warbler (v) 5. Black-capped Chickadee 6. Veery (v) 7. Eastern Wood-pewee 8. American Redstart 9. Song Sparrow 10. Mourning Dove 11. American Crow* 12. American Robin 13. Field Sparrow 14. Gray Catbird** 15. Eastern Towhee** 16. Common Yellowthroat (v) 17. Eastern Bluebird 18. Ovenbird (v) 19. Yellow Warbler 20. Rose-breasted Grosbeak (v) 21. Cedar Waxwing 22. Northern Parula (v) 23. Blue Jay (v) 24. Alder Flycatcher (v) 25. Eastern Phoebe 26. Tufted Titmouse 27. Hermit Thrush (v) 28. Black-throated Green Warbler (v) 29. Wood Thrush (v) 30. Hairy Woodpecker (v) 31. Downy Woodpecker (v)
Elsewhere
32. Mallard 33. Wild Turkey 34. Pine Warbler (v)
Mammals
American Red Squirrel
(v) Voice only *Also elsewhere **Voice only elsewhere †First-of-year
Foggy again. How many mornings in a row is that? Wait a sec, lemme check… appears this was the seventh day. Not that I mind too much, since the birds gotta make a living regardless. (As do we all, I suppose.)
Highlights of today were the alarm notes of a Wood Thrush, the song of a cardinal, the flushing of a woodcock—and the fact that there are fledgings everywhere these days.
Beech Hill List Starting at 7:15 a.m. EST (8:15 DST), I hiked all trails.
1. Ovenbird** 2. Wood Thrush 3. Red-eyed Vireo** 4. Veery** 5. Chestnut-sided Warbler 6. Eastern Towhee 7. Eastern Wood-pewee (v) 8. Black-throated Green Warbler** (v) 9. Northern Cardinal (v) 10. Hermit Thrush 11. American Crow* 12. American Goldfinch 13. Alder Flycatcher (v) 14. Gray Catbird 15. Common Yellowthroat (v) 16. Yellow Warbler (v) 17. Song Sparrow 18. Cedar Waxwing (v) 19. Field Sparrow (v) 20. Purple Finch (v) 21. White-breasted Nuthatch (v) 22. Black-capped Chickadee 23. Mourning Dove* (v) 24. Black-and-white Warbler (v) 25. Northern Flicker (v) 26. Blue Jay (v) 27. Eastern Bluebird 28. Eastern Phoebe 29. Tufted Titmouse (v) 30. American Redstart 31. American Woodcock 32. Hairy Woodpecker
Elsewhere
33. Mallard
Mammals
Eastern Chipmunk
(v) Voice only *Also elsewhere **Voice only elsewhere †First-of-year
