A warm, humid morning, this one. Dog and I headed up the trail at the usual time, unsure (at least I was) of what birds we’d encounter under such suddenly interesting conditions.
Quite a few, turns out—including a couple of surprises.
E.g., an Eastern Kingbird showed up out of nowhere and commenced to chasing other birds around. Another example: I happened to spy a juvie Brown-headed Cowbird. Possibly (judging by the nearness of a pair of them) raised by Yellow Warblers.
But this morning’s most photogenic bird? A Chestnut-sided Warbler.
Beech Hill List Starting at 6:32 a.m. EST (7:32 DST), I hiked all trails.
A warm and sunny morning for a change, leading to a warmer late morning and midday. During my daily hike with dog, it seemed everywhere I looked I saw birds with bills full of insects. Hungry fledglings all over the place.
Plenty of birds were singing, also, voicing their territorial claims. A particular Black-and-white Warbler stopped singing and posed for a photo.
Warm again tomorrow, so they say. I expect similar bird behavior on the hill.
(In late afternoon, I hiked with a friend up Ragged Mountain and heard the hoots of a Barred Owl.)
Beech Hill List Starting at 6:01 a.m. EST (7:01 DST), I hiked all trails.
No fog this morning for a change! Gray skies, mist in the hills, a humid, drippy atmosphere—but the fog waited until we’d hiked about an hour, dog and I. And, bird-wise, all about us were the sounds of begging from fledglings and notes of alarm from adults with their mouths full.
It’s that season.
Most notable today was a woodcock we flushed down in the lower woods—flushed it twice, actually. It’s a rich, wet, warm time of year.
Beech Hill List Starting at 6:37 a.m. EST (7:37 DST), I hiked all trails.
