I didn’t expect to awaken to a foggy morning today, but there it was. The fog made for a cooler ascent for dog and me, however, and when it lifted—before too awful long—things warmed up pretty quickly. But every day is its own miracle, and the bird life will always surprise.
Notable, today, might be the fact that I had four woodpeckers on my list—a fourth of my final species count. Migratory birds are still gearing up for takeoff, clearly. It’ll be happening soon enough.
Can hardly wait.
Beech Hill List Starting at 7:22 a.m. EST (8:22 DST), I hiked all trails.
1. Gray Catbird** 2. American Crow* (v) 3. Red-bellied Woodpecker (v) 4. Song Sparrow 5. Downy Woodpecker (v) 6. Northern Flicker 7. Red-breasted Nuthatch (v) 8. Pileated Woodpecker (v) 9. American Goldfinch (v) 10. Cedar Waxwing 11. Yellow-rumped Warbler 12. Common Yellowthroat (v) 13. Hairy Woodpecker (v) 14. Black-capped Chickadee 15. Blue Jay (v) 16. Eastern Wood-pewee (v)
Elsewhere
17. Herring Gull 18. Mourning Dove
(v) Voice only *Also elsewhere **Voice only elsewhere †First-of-year
Yet another warm, humid morning—albeit not quite as warm or humid as the past couple of days. Many more species than yesterday, including a few raptors, among them a first harrier since last spring (sign of early migration).
Several species posed for photos, too, but my favorite happened to be a woodpecker who posed for the last photo I took this day.
Beech Hill List Starting at 7:15 a.m. EST (8:15 DST), I hiked all trails.
1. Blue Jay (v) 2. Red-eyed Vireo (v) 3. Black-capped Chickadee 4. Tufted Titmouse (v) 5. Gray Catbird (v) 6. American Crow* 7. Hermit Thrush 8. Eastern Towhee (v) 9. Black-and-white Warbler (v) 10. Eastern Phoebe 11. Common Yellowthroat 12. Cedar Waxwing 13. Yellow-rumped Warbler 14. American Goldfinch** (v) 15. Northern Harrier 16. Osprey* 17. Sharp-shinned Hawk 18. Song Sparrow 19. Broad-winged Hawk 20. Hairy Woodpecker
Another warm one (hot one?)—a little warmer than yesterday’s room temperature experience at the beginning of my hike up the wooded trail with dog. Captain Jack spent more of our excursion panting.
Before we hiked, though, first thin in the morning, I found the carcass of a crow lying on the lawn. I spoke to the dead bird as I picked its mortal remains gently up and tossed them off into a bushy green patch.
The rest of the birds we encountered were all alive and well—although we didn’t encounter many on account (I suppose) of the heat and humidity.
Beech Hill List Starting at 7:24 a.m. EST (8:24 DST), I hiked all trails.
1. Pileated Woodpecker (v, drumming) 2. Blue Jay 3. Eastern Wood-pewee (v) 4. Black-capped Chickadee** 5. White-breasted Nuthatch (v) 6. Red-eyed Vireo (v) 7. Hermit Thrush (v) 8. Song Sparrow* 9. Common Yellowthroat 10. American Goldfinch** 11. Turkey Vulture
Elsewhere
12. Carolina Wren (v) 13. Herring Gull 14. Wild Turkey 15. House Sparrow 16. Rock Pigeon 17. Mourning Dove
(v) Voice only *Also elsewhere **Voice only elsewhere †First-of-year
