7 November 2026

Posts Tagged ‘pine grosbeak’

A Boreal Kind of Day

Monday, January 21st, 2019
Crow on the beach, Rockport, Maine, 21 January 2019.
Crow on the beach.

Never got out of the single digits today. The day dawned gray, with about an inch of ice covering the snow from yesterday’s storm. This made it difficult to get around—both on foot and in motorized vehicles. Got to the hill nonetheless, but Jack didn’t want to get out of the truck. Too cold, I guess, and the prospect of treading on all that snow. So I brought him back home and returned without him at midday.

Still cold, still a strong north wind—a regular boreal kind of day.

But when I swung by the harbor, I found quite a few miscellaneous bird species—a few of them even willing to pose for pics.

Beech Hill List
Beginning at 12:30 p.m., I hiked the open trail.

Beech Hill List
Beginning at 12:30 p.m., I hiked the open trail.

1. American Crow*
2. Herring Gull*

Elsewhere

3. American Black Duck
4. Rock Pigeon
5. Pine Grosbeak
6. Mallard
7. American Robin

*Also elsewhere

Portrait of Black Duck

Wednesday, January 16th, 2019
American Black Duck (mugshot), Rockport Harbor, Maine, 16 January 2019.
American Black Duck (mugshot).

A warmish, breezy, overcast hike up the hill today. Jack and I dashed ahead of a volunteer work party, saw a bunch of bird species—including a pair of ravens—then returned to find a half dozen Pine Grosbeaks nipping buds off the upper branches of a hardwood.

Also swung by the harbor, where the ice was breaking up, and got a rather well-lit portrait of a black duck in the afternoon sun.

Beech Hill List
Beginning at 9 a.m., I hiked the open trail.

1. American Crow*
2. Black-capped Chickadee**
3. White-breasted Nuthatch
4. Tufted Titmouse
5. Common Raven
6. Pine Grosbeak
7. Hairy Woodpecker (v)
8. American Robin

Elsewhere

9. Herring Gull
10. Mallard
11. Rock Pigeon
12. American Black Duck

v = Voice only
*Also elsewhere
**Voice only elsewhere

Grosbeaks

Friday, November 30th, 2018

Pine Grosbeak (fem), Beech Hill Preserve, Rockport, Maine, 30 November 2018.

Pine Grosbeak (fem).

A lot of folks have seen Evening Grosbeaks this late fall. I’m not among them—haven’t seen any in maybe 20 years, in fact. However, this morning I happened upon a pair of Pine Grosbeaks at Beech Hill. The only one of the two I saw was a female who peaked up over the spruce branches she’d been combing for cone sees.

Took another trip to Portland, where there’s been a Great Black Hawk (!) hanging around lately. Too late to get a look at the hawk, alas.

Maybe some other day.

Beech Hill List
Beginning at 10 a.m., I hiked the open trail.

1. Pine Grosbeak
2. American Crow*
3. American Goldfinch (v)
4. Snow Bunting (v)
5. Black-capped Chickadee** (v)

Elsewhere

6. White-breasted Nuthatch (v)
7. Herring Gull
8. Rock Pigeon
9. Bufflehead
10. Canada Goose

v = Voice only
*Also elsewhere
**Voice only elsewhere

 

 
Bird Report is a (sometimes intermittent) record of the birds I encounter while hiking, see while driving, or spy outside my window. —Brian Willson



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