|
|
 |
|
|
Posts Tagged ‘green heron’
Monday, June 16th, 2014
 American Woodcock. Kind of an interesting day. Sunny to begin with, but I worked at my desk first thing. Then I had an appointment, where I received discouraging news, so then I worked some more. Then I took a bicycle break and rode fourteen miles and did a few errands. Finally, I took Jack on a late-in-the-day hike up Beech Hill.
 Savannah Sparrow. Not many people there when we arrived. Quite a few singing birds, though—warblers, vireo, mimic, tit, crow, sparrow, swallow. Then, at the summit, things got real interesting. In fact, the greenery around the spruce grove, was hopping with assorted species. A Chipping Sparrow singing from high in one tree. A Gray Catbird scolding us from a low branch. Common Yellowthroats and Eastern Towhees chipping and singing. The fairytale song of a Wood Thrush coming from down in the woods nearby.
Then I saw a coppery bird flutter down into a tangled thicket and begin emitting an odd, intermittent alarm note. We moved slowly nearer then stood motionless in the trail, Jack behind me, for about five minutes as flies and mosquitoes hovered, catbird scolded, towhees sang, a Blue Jay down below. Waiting. Waiting. The bird popped up, fluttering: a woodcock. Aha. Chicks down in there somewhere. I grabbed a few hasty photos and a short video.
Met a friend then. We heard a raven croaking repeatedly in the trees below. Twenty-seven birds in all up there.
And on the way to town, I spied a Green Heron flapping along above the road. We were all heading in the same direction.
 Silvery Blue. Beech Hill List
Beginning at 5:30 p.m., I hiked all trails.
1. Gray Catbird
2. Red-eyed Vireo** (v)
3. American Redstart** (v)
4. Tufted Titmouse (v)
5. Common Yellowthroat**
6. Ovenbird (v)
7. American Robin** (v)
8. American Crow*
9. American Goldfinch**
10. Chestnut-sided Warbler** (v)
11. Yellow Warbler** (v)
12. Song Sparrow**
13. Tree Swallow
14. Eastern Towhee
15. Savannah Sparrow
16. Black-capped Chickadee (v)
17. Chipping Sparrow**
18. Wood Thrush (v)
19. Blue Jay (v)
20. Alder Flycatcher (v)
21. Cedar Waxwing**
22. American Woodcock
23. Eastern Phoebe
24. Brown-headed Cowbird
25. Common Raven (v)
26. Veery (v)
27. Purple Finch (v)
Elsewhere
28. House Finch (v)
29. Osprey (v)
30. Herring Gull
31. Northern Cardinal (v)
32. House Finch (v)
33. Rock Pigeon
34. Mourning Dove
35. Double-crested Cormorant
36. Green Heron†
37. European Starling
v = Voice only
*Also elsewhere
**Voice only elsewhere
†First-of-year bird
 Cirrus.
Tags: alder flycatcher, American crow, American goldfinch, American redstart, American robin, American woodcock, black-capped chickadee, blue jay, brown-headed cowbird, Cedar waxwing, chestnut-sided warbler, chipping sparrow, common raven, common yellowthroat, double-crested cormorant, eastern phoebe, eastern towhee, European starling, gray catbird, green heron, herring gull, house finch, mourning dove, northern cardinal, osprey, ovenbird, purple finch, red-eyed vireo, rock pigeon, savannah sparrow, song sparrow, tree swallow, tufted titmouse, veery, wood thrush, yellow warbler
Posted in Lists, Observations | No Comments »
Sunday, June 2nd, 2013
 Cedar waxwing. Not quite so warm today, but still muggy, and with seemingly more mosquitoes at Beech Hill. Also more cuckoos. I heard two calling at once: one at some distance, and one very near uttering a repeated one-note call of alarm (I assume), and I tried stalking the near one—walking very slowly, keeping Jack behind me—but they’re stealthy, skulk about in thick greenery, and are quick to take flight. I got a look at this one, at least, as it flew away from us down the trail toward the other, and began again to sound the alarm.
 American redstart. Plenty of other birds, mostly singing from fixed perches near nest sites, or passing quickly through—like a couple packs of waxwings I saw above the open fields. Plenty of flycatchers, which makes sense when you consider all the mosquitoes and black flies still buzzing about. (Saw a few dragonflies, too, and more butterflies.) Pewee, phoebe, alder flycatcher, great crested flycatcher. I heard a great crested out back of my place later in the day, in fact, and my hope is it’ll stick around in the great open area surrounded by the green foliage of tall oaks. I’d like to get a decent photo of this handsome bird.
Back on the hill, I noticed, too, there seems to be a minor tent-caterpillar infestation. Many folks think their bright webs unattractive and bad for plant life and would just as soon they disappear. I think how cuckoos like dining on tent caterpillars and so am happy they’re around. My best bet, come to think of it, might be to stand still for a while near a few of the webs and wait for a black-billed cuckoo to come along.
Because one thing’s for sure: you can’t stalk a cuckoo.
Beech Hill List
Beginning at 7:45 a.m., I hiked all trails.
1. Ovenbird** (v)
2. Wild turkey (v)
3. Red-eyed vireo**
4. Chestnut-sided warbler**
5. Black-throated green warbler** (v)
6. Hermit thrush (v)
7. American goldfinch
8. Gray catbird**
9. Black-and-white warbler**
10. American robin*
11. Rose-breasted grosbeak (v)
12. American redstart**
13. Veery (v)
14. Eastern towhee
15. Black-billed cuckoo
16. Common yellowthroat**
17. Yellow warbler**
18. Alder flycatcher
19. Great crested flycatcher**
20. Mourning dove*
21. Eastern wood-pewee** (v)
22. American crow*
23. Field sparrow
24. Tufted titmouse** (v)
25. Eastern phoebe**
26. Song sparrow**
27. Nashville warbler (v)
28. Savannah sparrow
29. Chipping sparrow** (v)
30. Blue jay** (v)
31. Cedar waxwing
32. Red-tailed hawk
33. Hairy woodpecker
34. Black-throated blue warbler (v)
35. Scarlet tanager (v)
Elsewhere
36. House finch
37. Herring gull
38. Green heron†
39. European starling
40. Common grackle
41. Laughing gull (v)
42. Canada goose
v = Voice only
*Also elsewhere
**Voice only elsewhere
†First-of-year bird
Tags: alder flycatcher, American crow, American goldfinch, American redstart, American robin, black-and-white warbler, black-billed cuckoo, black-throated blue warbler, black-throated green warbler, blue jay, Canada goose, Cedar waxwing, chestnut-sided warbler, chipping sparrow, common grackle, common yellowthraot, eastern phoebe, eastern towhee, eastern wood-pewee, European starling, field sparrow, gray catbird, great crested flycatcher, green heron, hairy woodpecker, hermit thrush, herring gull, house finch, laughing gull, mourning dove, Nashville warbler, ovenbird, red-eyed vireo, red-tailed hawk, rose-breasted grosbeak, savannah sparrow, scarlet tanager, song sparrow, tufted titmouse, veery, wild turkey, yellow warbler
Posted in Lists, Observations | No Comments »
Friday, August 26th, 2011
 American kestrel. Sunlight streamed through the blinds this morning. Hardly a cloud in the sky. Got breakfast, got down to my desk. Some Fridays are kind of relaxing, work-wise, but this was not one of those. Unexpected tasks cropped up. Kept me hopping. Finally—as the day warmed to near 80 degrees (F), I’d guess—I decided to go out cycling. But first I had to change my back tire.
 Beech Nut. Not a problem. Lovely day. Not a lot of breeze. Did my usual fast fourteen miles—crows, goldfinches, osprey, gulls—and returned in the glow of endorphins.
Soon after, I closed up shop for the week, grabbed my dog, and made the short drive to Beech Hill. As we turned into the parking lot, a chickadee flitted across the road in front of us. A sign of birdiness, perhaps? Before we’d gone a couple hundred yards, my list had as many birds as yesterday’s. A hairy woodpecker calling across the road was a nice switch. And coming up the open trail, I spotted an osprey flying with a purpose out over the eastern slope. Moments later, another raptor—a kestrel—flew by, closer, in the opposite direction. I watched it dive and soar as it headed down over the south hillside. Nice.
We topped the hill and dipped down to where the blackberries grow. Ate a dozen or so (still a fruitful crop). Then I heard a couple yellowthroats chipping in deep brush. I stood for a good five minutes waiting for one to pop up for a photo, but none would cooperate. However, while I waited, a hummingbird suddenly zipped across at weed-top level, hovered a minute, and moved on.
 Savannah sparrow. Heard a towhee and catbird down there, too. And walking back up and over, I heard a blue jay (nice) and saw a chipping savannah sparrow, And near at the parking lot, as I tried, through binoculars, to ID a warbler flitting about in a tree across the road, a robin flew through my field of view.
And then I heard the croack of a raven. And actually got a look at the big black bird as it flew low from southeast to northwest—where I have a hunch they’ve got a nest. More than three times as many birds on the hill today than yesterday. Were they simply taking advantage of the glorious weather? Or perhaps (also) readying for a coming storm?
Tonight is starry and still. Just about the opposite of the conditions we’re led to expect for two nights from now.
Beech Hill List
Beginning at 5:45 p.m., I hiked the open trail.
1. Black-capped chickadee
2. American goldfinch (voice)
3. Cedar waxwing
4. Hairy woodpecker (voice)
5. Song sparrow
6. Osprey
7. American kestrel
8. American crow
9. Eastern towhee (voice)
10. Common yellowthroat
11. Gray catbird (voice)
12. Ruby-throated hummingbird
13. Blue jay (voice)
14. Savannah sparrow
15. American robin
16. Northern raven
Elsewhere
17. House sparrow
18. Herring gull
19. Mourning dove
20. Northern cardinal
21. Green heron
 Apple, Beech Hill, Rockport, Maine, 26 August 2011.
Tags: American crow, American goldfinch, American kestrel, American robin, black-capped chickadee, blue jay, Cedar waxwing, common yellowthroat, eastern towhee, gray catbird, green heron, hairy woodpecker, herring gull, house sparrow, mourning dove, northern cardinal, northern raven, osprey, ruby-throated hummingbird, song sparrow
Posted in Lists, Observations | No Comments »
|
|
| |
| Bird Report is a (sometimes intermittent) record of the birds I encounter while hiking, see while driving, or spy outside my window. —Brian Willson |
|
|
