Hillside.
Let’s take a little spin around Rockport, Maine, shall we? First, we’ll let the dog out to pee in the soggy grass and watch crows flap around, cawing at each other, and listen to the jeers of a jay. Then let’s work a while.
. . .
Red patch.
OK, now that that’s over with. Ready? Let’s grab the dog and go for a quick drive to the Rockland P.O. Forgetting it’s Veteran’s Day, of course. Still, since we didn’t check the mail yesterday—score! Now lets stop off at the grocery store for chips and beer. (What? Got a problem with that?) Also cayenne pepper. Gonna need some cayenne pepper for the vegan Mexican Hot Chocolate Snickerdoodles we’ll be baking later. Also Canola oil.
Now, finally, let’s buzz on out past Chickawaukie Lake to Beech Hill, staring in awe at the huge flotilla of coots out there in the lake on our way. Man that’s a whole lot of coots, wouldn’t you say?
Brought your raincoat, right? Good thing, because it’s drizzling pretty good. Kind of a wind-blown drizzle, actually. In fact—damn—it keeps spattering the lens of my camera. Oh, well, let’s fire off some photos anyway, concentrating on all these patches of red on the hillsides. Pretty. Could that actually be the sun breaking through the clouds out over the Rockville Ridge there?
Hey, hear that? A chickadee. And that? Blue jay. And look, you can see the coots from here. I don’t care what you say, I’m counting that as Species No. 3.
Rocks.
Man, the wind’s whipping like crazy from the northwest, huh? Makes for a nippy hike down. Faster, dog.
Wait. What’s that hopping around that stone wall there? Ah, hear that? Song sparrow. And that? White-throat. The two species are hanging out together like kissin’ cousins. Cute.
All right, let’s head home and dry off. Because later tonight, the clouds are gonna clear away, and the moon is gonna shine, and it’s gonna get—what’s that word again?—oh, yeah. Cold.
Beech Hill List
Beginning at 2:30 p.m., I hiked the open trail.
1. Black-capped chickadee
2. Blue jay
3. American coot
4. Song sparrow
5. White-throated sparrow
Elsewhere
6. American crow
7. Herring gull
8. European starling
9. Mallard
