A partly cloud morning with plenty of blue sky. And against the blue sky when dog and I reached the summit, fluttered the usual gang of waxwings that hang out there because of the August fly hatch. (Or hatches, I should say—as I believe more than one species swarms up there.) Waxwings are beautiful birds; some are adults, some are juvies; I encounter them quite rarely at other times of year. But they’ve been in my eyes and on my mind these days.
Otherwise, mostly the usual suspects—although not many species today. Tomorrow will be different. Every day is different, its own miracle. That’s what makes life a wonder, to me.
Beech Hill List Starting at 7:11 a.m. EST (8:11 DST), I hiked all trails.
1. American Goldfinch** (v) 2. Red-bellied Woodpecker (v) 3. Eastern Wood-pewee (v) 4. Blue Jay (v) 5. American Crow* (v) 6. Black-capped Chickadee 7. Tufted Titmouse (v) 8. White-breasted Nuthatch (v) 9. Gray Catbird** 10. Cedar Waxwing 11. Song Sparrow 12. Common Yellowthroat 13. Eastern Towhee (v)
Elsewhere
14. Carolina Wren (v) 15. Mallard 16. Mourning Dove 17. Herring Gull 18. House Sparrow (v) 19. Ring-billed Gull (v) 20. Osprey 21. Rock Pigeon 22. Wild Turkey
(v) Voice only *Also elsewhere **Voice only elsewhere †First-of-year
Coolish again to start this day, but the flood of sun warmed things up soon enough. Not so many species as yesterday, but interesting encounters. Including, for the third straight day, another hawk flyby.
Raptors seem to take to the sky when they get that instinctual urge to move. That’s why there are so many hawk watches out there during migration—head to a high place and start counting. Today’s was an immature Broad-winged Hawk (along with another individual whose age I couldn’t gauge). They nest in these parts but migrate down to South America in fall.
Supposed to rain all day tomorrow. I wonder if dog and I will encounter a hawk in the rain.
Beech Hill List Starting at 7:33 a.m. EST (8:33 DST), I hiked all trails.
1. Black-capped Chickadee 2. American Goldfinch** 3. Gray Catbird** 4. Eastern Wood-pewee 5. Eastern Towhee 6. Red-eyed Vireo (v) 7. Black-and-white Warbler 8. Brown Creeper 9. Blue Jay (v) 10. White-breasted Nuthatch** 11. American Crow* 12. American Redstart 13. Chipping Sparrow 14. Common Yellowthroat (v) 15. Cedar Waxwing 16. Song Sparrow 17. Broad-winged Hawk 18. Barn Swallow
Elsewhere
19. Mourning Dove 20. Herring Gull 21. Rock Pigeon
(v) Voice only *Also elsewhere **Voice only elsewhere †First-of-year
They grow up so fast! This year’s new bird crop, I mean. They’ve got to, of course—fall migration is right around the corner (a month or less away for most migratory species). And the young ’uns are starting to come out and introduce themselves to the wider world.
Today’s most cooperative juvie? A young catbird that posed long enough for a fairly decent portrait.
(Also, a Meadow Vole scrambled across the trail in front of dog and me.)
Beech Hill List Starting at 7:09 a.m. EST (8:09 DST), I hiked all trails.
1. Blue Jay (v) 2. Black-capped Chickadee 3. American Goldfinch** 4. Eastern Phoebe (v) 5. Red-eyed Vireo (v) 6. Cedar Waxwing (v) 7. White-breasted Nuthatch** 8. Eastern Wood-pewee 9. Eastern Bluebird (v) 10. Tufted Titmouse (v) 11. Black-and-white Warbler 12. Red-bellied Woodpecker (v) 13. American Crow* 14. Eastern Towhee 15. Gray Catbird 16. Song Sparrow 17. Yellow Warbler 18. Common Yellowthroat** (v)
