The early morning air was warm, the sky was mostly overcast, there was a bit of breeze. There would be birds—but rather subdued birds, secretive birds, returning or nesting or foraging. And there were a bunch.
Most notable were three Palm Warblers—first-of-year birds—that I happened to hear, then see. Only one posed for a half-way decent photo.
Toward the end of my hike with dog, a raven flew over, moving fast avoiding a dive-bombing crow.
Beech Hill List Beginning at 6:26 a.m. real time (7:26 DST), I hiked all trails.
1. Song Sparrow* 2. American Robin* 3. Eastern Phoebe** 4. Northern Cardinal** (v) 5. American Goldfinch (v) 6. Tufted Titmouse (v) 7. Blue Jay** 8. Black-capped Chickadee** 9. White-breasted Nuthatch (v) 10. Red-winged Blackbird (v) 11. Brown Creeper 12. Eastern Bluebird 13. American Crow* 14. Palm Warbler† 15. Downy Woodpecker** (v) 16. Red-breasted Nuthatch (v) 17. Herring Gull* (v) 18. Yellow-rumped Warbler 19. Northern Flicker** 20. Brown-headed Cowbird 21. Hairy Woodpecker 22. American Kestrel 23. Common Raven
Elsewhere
24. House Sparrow
(v) Voice only *Also elsewhere **Voice only elsewhere †First-of-year
What a lovely morning! Clear and freezing to start, but not too much wind and warming fast. Two first-of-year species (Hermit Thrush and Brown-headed Cowbird), and a nice run-in with a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker doing its signature syncopated drumming on a particularly resonant trunk.
Harrier, bluebirds, robins, grouse, kinglet. Twenty-six species today—but those numbers will rise soon enough.
Every morning’s like a birthday.
Beech Hill List Beginning at 6:16 a.m. real time (7:16 DST), I hiked all trails—and then some.
1. Tufted Titmouse** 2. American Goldfinch** 3. Black-capped Chickadee** 4. Eastern Phoebe* 5. Brown Creeper 6. Blue Jay (v) 7. American Crow* 8. Northern Cardinal* (v) 9. American Robin* 10. Eastern Bluebird 11. Hairy Woodpecker 12. Downy Woodpecker 13. White-breasted Nuthatch 14. Ruffed Grouse 15. Golden-crowned Kinglet 16. Pileated Woodpecker 17. Song Sparrow 18. Pine Siskin (v) 19. Red-winged Blackbird 20. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 21. Mourning Dove 22. Hermit Thrush 23. Brown-headed Cowbird 24. Red-breasted Nuthatch 25. Northern Harrier 26. Herring Gull
The sky was blue, the air was warm, the wind was high, the trail was dryer than it’s been in a while—and the overall feeling was one of spring.
And by golly, the birds showed up. A year-so-far record of 28 species, including eagles, a harrier, kestrels, a red-tail, a flushed grouse, three woodpecker species—I could go on and on.
The coming weeks will fly by, and then the months, yet I hope to slow myself down to soak ’em right up. (Also took my bike in for a tuneup.)
P.S. First deer tick today, too.
Beech Hill List Beginning at 6:27 a.m. real time (7:27 DST), I hiked all trails.
1. American Crow* 2. Northern Cardinal** (v) 3. Black-capped Chickadee* 4. Brown Creeper (v) 5. White-breasted Nuthatch (v) 6. Downy Woodpecker** (v) 7. Tufted Titmouse** 8. Red-winged Blackbird 9. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (drumming) 10. American Goldfinch 11. Ruffed Grouse 12. Pileated Woodpecker (v) 13. American Robin* 14. Eastern Bluebird 15. Herring Gull* 16. Blue Jay (v) 17. Golden-crowned Kinglet 18. Song Sparrow** 19. Common Loon 20. American Kestrel 21. Turkey Vulture 22. Wild Turkey* 23. Eastern Phoebe** (v) 24. Bald Eagle 25. Red-tailed Hawk 26. Northern Harrier 27. Canada Goose 28. Snow Bunting
Elsewhere
29. Mallard
(v) Voice only *Also elsewhere **Voice only elsewhere †First-of-year
