A foggy start to a sweet morning of birding. Dog and I got a bit later start, and things were quiet at first. But a lot of the fog burned away within the hour, and birds began to sing, and one of them was a Prairie Warbler.
I love Prairie Warblers. I first heard—then saw—one near Beech Hill Road several years ago. Their song is amazing, a buzzy collection of rising notes.
Heard this one pretty far down in the barrens, and figured I wouldn’t manage a peek, but the bird kept flitting off quite a distance and singing from another tree. Remarkably, as we began to descend toward Beech hill Road, I heard the bird singing quite close—and spied it atop a trail-side birch. Got a couple photos and a video.
It’s mornings like this that give credence to my mantra: “Birding improves your life.”
Beech Hill List Beginning at 7:42 a.m., I hiked all trails.
During our nearly three years in Utah, dog and I encountered a whole bunch of corvids—those smart, vocal birds like crows and jays. In fact, we’d nearly always come upon scrub-jays and magpies, with occasional ravens, rarely crows, and even more rarely, Steller’s Jays.
In Maine, I hear and/or see crows nearly every single day. This morning, I also heard Blue Jays—and I happened to hear the croak of a raven, as the bird flew over toward the bay.
I do love corvids, and I’ll miss those we got to know in Salt Lake City, but it’s sure nice to be back in the company of crows.
Beech Hill List Beginning at 7:28 a.m., I hiked all trails.
1. American Crow* 2. Ovenbird 3. Black-throated Green Warbler (v) 4. American Goldfinch 5. Red-bellied Woodpecker (v) 6. Black-and-white Warbler 7. White-breasted nuthatch 8. Black-capped Chickadee** 9. Eastern Towhee 10. Blue Jay** (v) 11. Chestnut-sided Warbler 12. Yellow-rumped Warbler 13. Eastern Phoebe* 14. Tree Swallow 15. Song Sparrow* 16. Chipping Sparrow** 17. Savannah Sparrow (v) 18. Tufted Titmouse (v) 19. American Robin 20. Northern Cardinal* 21. Gray Catbird 22. Yellow Warbler† 23. White-throated Sparrow 24. Common Raven 25. Hermit Thrush
The woods are full of warblers, woodpeckers, thrushes and such. The barrens bring sparrows and hawks, bluebirds and swallows—and more.
It’s fortunate that Beech Hill has these two habitats, and the miraculous edges between the two. Day by day, you never really know what you’ll get (as you don’t most days wherever you roam), but the open fields are fine and fruitful. Airy. With long views.
Today I saw an Osprey fly over carrying a fish. I encountered territorial disputes among swallows. I heard the sweet voices of the Savannah Sparrows I love.
After my thousands of hikes with dog up there, I’m not sure I could handle one without the other.
Beech Hill List Beginning at 7:29 a.m., I hiked all trails.
