A nearly cloudless, chilly morning—chilly in a good Maine spring way. Was quiet coming up the wooded trail, but by the end of things, I had a goodly number of species on my list.
Most notable today was the celebratory appearance of a House Wren atop the post of the bluebird box down near Beech Hill Road. Singing his head off, he was. Sprays of brown grass tumbled out of the box hole. Could it be we’ll have a wren’s nest this year.
Grackle was another first-of-preserve bird—a flyover.
A lovely first of June day.
Beech Hill List Beginning at 7:37 a.m., I hiked all trails.
1. Red-eyed Vireo** 2. Eastern Phoebe 3. Ovenbird** 4. Black-throated Green Warbler** (v) 5. Song Sparrow** 6. Common Yellowthroat 7. Northern Cardinal** (v) 8. Chestnut-sided Warbler 9. Downy Woodpecker 10. Pileated Woodpecker (drumming) 11. American Redstart** 12. Veery** 13. Gray Catbird** 14. Blue Jay (v) 15. American Goldfinch 16. American Crow* 17. Eastern Towhee 18. Black-capped Chickadee** 19. Alder Flycatcher 20. Yellow Warbler 21. Field Sparrow (v) 22. Tree Swallow 23. American Robin* 24. Prairie Warbler (v) 25. Savannah Sparrow 26. Eastern Bluebird 27. House Wren† 28. Common Raven (v) 29. Scarlet Tanager 30. Tufted Titmouse** 31. Common Grackle† 32. Chipping Sparrow** 33. Eastern Wood-pewee
Elsewhere
34. Mallard 35 Herring Gull
(v) Voice only *Also elsewhere **Voice only elsewhere †First-of-year
Cooled off a lot overnight, and dawn revealed a foggy landscape. Drippy trees, but only a little drizzle during my hike with my favorite dog of all time.
Nearly thirty species despite the lowery weather. No new migrants, but Wood Thrush and Scarlet Tanager again. (Two of the former, in fact.) Saw no one else on the damp hill until we’d almost finished our hike, when we met a little batch of kids being led in the drizzle by (what appeared to be) two dads.
(Start ’em young, young parents. Get those kiddos out in the woods.)
Beech Hill List Beginning at 7:25 a.m., I hiked most trails.
1. Ovenbird** 2. Black-throated Green Warbler** (v) 3. Tufted Titmouse (v) 4. Pine Warbler** (v) 5. Eastern Phoebe* 6. Northern Parula 7. Blue Jay 8. Chestnut-sided Warbler 9. Black-and-white Warbler 10. American Crow* (v) 11. American Robin 12. Northern Cardinal** (v) 14. Black-capped Chickadee (v) 15. Northern Flicker (v) 16. Eastern Towhee 17. Common Yellowthroat 18. Song Sparrow** 19. Yellow Warbler (v) 20. Wild Turkey 21. Tree Swallow 22. White-throated Sparrow (v) 23. Field Sparrow (v) 24. Hermit Thrush (v) 25. Chipping Sparrow (v) 26. Yellow-rumped Warbler 27. Mourning Dove 28. Wood Thrush (v) 29. Scarlet Tanager (v)
Elsewhere
30. Mallard
(v) Voice only *Also elsewhere **Voice only elsewhere †First-of-year
It was pretty warm already when Captain Jack and I hit the lower wooded trail this morning, earlier than the past few. Mid- to upper-60s to start (and mid- to upper-70s when we got done). So it was a bit slow for Jack, with his thick coat and all.
But we made it OK—and my list happened to end up with a bodacious number of bird species.
Three of which were firsts-of-year, none of which I saw—but their voices gave ’em away (Wood Thrush, Least Flycatcher, and Scarlet Tanager). Maybe tomorrow I’ll get a photo of one or the other.
Mid-may is a wondrous time of year for a bird nerd.
Beech Hill List Beginning at 7:17 a.m., I hiked all trails.
