Another clear sky with a breeze from a favorable direction, but I didn’t expect early fall migration would grace me with so many species during my morning hike with dog. Thirty.
Notable additions to the usual suspects were a pair of hawks (sharpie and broad-winged), White-throated Sparrow (rarely seen since spring), Ruby-crowned Kinglet—and at the end of our hike we spooked an American Woodcock.
A week from today, dog and I will be Monhegan bound for an even more exciting glimpse of fall migration in action.
Beech Hill List Beginning at 7:25 a.m., I hiked all trails.
1. American Crow* 2. Hermit Thrush 3. Blue Jay** 4. Black-capped Chickadee* 5. Red-breasted Nuthatch** 6. Gray Catbird 7. Common Yellowthroat 8. Hairy Woodpecker (v) 9. American Redstart 10. Black-and-white Warbler 11. Red-eyed Vireo 12. Red-bellied Woodpecker (v) 13. Northern Flicker 14. American Robin* 15. White-breasted Nuthatch 16. American Goldfinch 17. Eastern Towhee 18. Yellow-rumped Warbler 19. White-throated Sparrow 20. Cedar Waxwing 21. Song Sparrow 22. Savannah Sparrow 23. Eastern Bluebird 24. Sharp-shinned Hawk 25. Chipping Sparrow 26. Broad-winged Hawk 27. Ruby-crowned Kinglet 28. Tufted Titmouse (v) 29. Brown Creeper (v) 30. American Woodcock
Elsewhere
31. Carolina Wren (v) 32. Northern Cardinal (v)
Mammals
Eastern Gray Squirrel Eastern Chipmunk
(v) Voice only *Also elsewhere **Voice only elsewhere †First-of-year
Another lovely morning hike—a fair morning this day, with cool temps and fragrant air. A good selection of birds, including a couple warblers, a couple woodpeckers, a couple nuthatches, and a hawk.
I only got a glimpse of the hawk through a window in the summit spruces, and the first thing I noticed was its sideburns, and I thought I might have one of only a few peregrines I’ve ever seen on the hill. Only later, after I took a close look at the photos (and then checked in with a bird ID expert pal) did I realize it was not a falcon at all. Turned out to be a Broad-winged Hawk—the commonest hawk in Beech Hill Preserve.
Still I neat sighting though. (So that’s why it was so quiet up there for a change!)
(Earlier, at home, I heard the Carolina Wren again. Love that sound.)
Beech Hill List Beginning at 7:21 a.m., I hiked all trails.
1. Great Crested Flycatcher (v) 2. Blue Jay (v) 3. Red-eyed Vireo 4. American Crow* (v) 5. Black-capped Chickadee 6. American Goldfinch** (v) 7. Hairy Woodpecker 8. Eastern Wood-pewee (v) 9. White-breasted Nuthatch 10. Red-breasted Nuthatch 11. Tufted Titmouse** 12. Eastern Towhee 13. Gray Catbird 14. Cedar Waxwing 15. Chestnut-sided Warbler 16. American Redstart 17. Common Yellowthroat (v) 18. Broad-winged Hawk 19. Song Sparrow 20. American Robin 21. Herring Gull* 22. Eastern Phoebe 23. Pileated Woodpecker (v) 24. Ruby-throated Hummingbird
A rather auspicious hike with dog this morning. First, the sun emerged after a couple misty days, which mixed things up a bit. Second, we encountered lesser-seen species like hummingbirds, hawks, osprey. Third, we got closer to a wild raven than we ever have.
It was a young bird, and it was in the field near the trail, eating blueberries for breakfast. I’d been checking a birch across from the raven, where I thought I saw a warbler, when it croaked. Its nearness startled me. Just there, not thirty feet away. I managed to grab a few photos, even a video or two, while it popped blueberries into its mouth, croaking occasionally. Then it flapped up into the bird I’d been scanning and preened for a while.
I count it as something of a blessing.
Beech Hill List Beginning at 7:49 a.m., I hiked most trails.
1. Blue Jay 2. White-breasted Nuthatch 3. Black-capped Chickadee 4. American Crow 5. Red-eyed Vireo 6. Hairy Woodpecker 7. American Goldfinch 8. Eastern Wood-pewee 9. Red-bellied Woodpecker 10. Brown Creeper 11. Eastern Towhee 12. Gray Catbird 13. Cedar Waxwing 14. Purple Finch 15. Ruby-throated Hummingbird 16. Least Flycatcher 17. Black-throated Green Warbler 18. Savannah Sparrow 19. Song Sparrow 20. Cooper’s Hawk 21. Common Raven 22. American Robin 23. Common Yellowthroat 24. Broad-winged Hawk 25. Yellow-rumped Warbler 26. Osprey 27. Red-breasted Nuthatch 28. Hermit Thrush
Elsewhere
29. Mourning Dove 30. Herring Gull
Mammals
Eastern Gray Squirrel
(v) Voice only *Also elsewhere **Voice only elsewhere †First-of-year
