Things began slow again this morning—about a half-hour earlier than yesterday—but the sky was clear, the air cool and dry to start. Nearing the high point of the wooded trail, the woodpeckers began to call. A downy, a hairy, a red-bellied, a flicker—I love when the woodpeckers show up.
Otherwise a little slow, but with beautiful scenery and another waxwing-thrilling fly hatch. (And a few nice chats with humans along the way.)
Beech Hill List Beginning at 7:31 a.m., I hiked most trails.
1. Red-eyed Vireo** 2. Blue Jay 3. American Crow* (v) 4. Hermit Thrush 5. Black-throated Green Warbler (v) 6. American Goldfinch** 7. Eastern Wood-pewee 8. Cedar Waxwing 9. Black-capped Chickadee** (v) 10. Tufted Titmouse (v) 11. White-breasted Nuthatch (v) 12. Downy Woodpecker (v) 13. American Robin 14. Hairy Woodpecker 15. Red-bellied Woodpecker (v) 16. Ovenbird 17. Northern Flicker (v) 18. Eastern Towhee 19. Alder Flycatcher 20. Common Yellowthroat 21. Song Sparrow 22. Gray Catbird** 23. Eastern Phoebe 24. Field Sparrow (v) 25. Yellow Warbler (v) 26. Rose-breasted Grosbeak (v) 27. Eastern Bluebird (v)
Well, wasn’t this morning’s a fun birding excursion. Dog and I hit the trail kind of early—same time as yesterday, pretty much—but things seemed awfully quiet to start. Then, as we approached the edge between woodlands and open fields, all heaven broke loose.
Heard (and saw) Red-bellied Woodpeckers. Flushed a couple of turkeys. Then at the little summit spruce grove, where a fly hatch was going on, a couple unexpected species showed up. Most notably, a little group of orioles (first of year). But also a solitary Least Flycatcher, which must’ve been having a field day up there.
Also, at one point, I heard a Killdeer fly overhead. Random.
Random, but really cool.
Beech Hill List Beginning at 7:14 a.m., I hiked most trails.
1. American Goldfinch** 2. American Crow* 3. Red-eyed Vireo** 4. Black-throated Green Warbler (v) 5. Pileated Woodpecker (v) 6. Mourning Dove* (v) 7. Eastern Wood-pewee 8. Black-capped Chickadee** 9. Hermit Thrush (v) 10. Blue Jay (v) 11. Tufted Titmouse 12 White-breasted Nuthatch** 13. Red-bellied Woodpecker 14. Northern Flicker (v) 15. Wild Turkey 16. Eastern Towhee 17. Alder Flycatcher 18. Common Yellowthroat 19. Gray Catbird 20. Cedar Waxwing 21. Song Sparrow 22. Yellow Warbler (v) 23. American Robin 24. Rose-breasted Grosbeak 25. Baltimore Oriole† 26. Field Sparrow (v) 27. Eastern Phoebe 28. Least Flycatcher 29. Black-and-white Warbler 30. Eastern Bluebird 31. Savanna Sparrow (v) 32. Downy Woodpecker 33. Killdeer (v) 24. Red-breasted Nuthatch (v) 35. Northern Cardinal (v) 36. Hairy Woodpecker
Elsewhere
37. Herring Gull 38. Chipping Sparrow (v)
Mammals
White-tailed Deer (v)
(v) Voice only *Also elsewhere **Voice only elsewhere †First-of-year
An early hike after some heavy, soaking rain last evening. Wetness in the understory, a tiny bit of mud, clear skies, good birds—an auspicious time of it for dog and me.
Many, many towhees today. Adults and juveniles (the size of adults)
One noteworthy incident: While I angled to photograph a robin across a field, a hummingbird sped by within a foot of me at about 80 miles an hour—directly in front of me. I heard the hum, the hummer vanished, and a latter check of my GoPro footage caught the bird as it zipped by.
Another soaking of rain this late afternoon. Downpour, sun, downpour, sun. It’s how we do it on the coast of Maine.
Beech Hill List Beginning at 7:07 a.m., I hiked all trails.
1. Red-eyed Vireo 2. Blue Jay (v) 3. American Crow* 4. American Goldfinch** 5. Black-throated Green Warbler (v) 6. Northern Cardinal* (v) 7. Cedar Waxwing 8. Black-capped Chickadee** 9. Eastern Wood-pewee 10. Hairy Woodpecker 11. White-breasted Nuthatch 12. Tufted Titmouse 13. Brown Creeper 14. Hermit Thrush 15. Black-and-white Warbler 16. Eastern Towhee 17. Song Sparrow** 18. Alder Flycatcher 19. Common Yellowthroat** 20. Yellow Warbler 21. Gray Catbird 22. House Wren (v) 23. Purple Finch (v) 24. Savannah Sparrow 25. American Robin 26. Ruby-throated Hummingbird 27. Field Sparrow 28. Rose-breasted Grosbeak 29. Eastern Phoebe 30. Northern Flicker
Elsewhere
30. Mourning Dove 31. Osprey (v) 32. Herring Gull
(v) Voice only *Also elsewhere **Voice only elsewhere †First-of-year
