Another warm one (hot one?)—a little warmer than yesterday’s room temperature experience at the beginning of my hike up the wooded trail with dog. Captain Jack spent more of our excursion panting.
Before we hiked, though, first thin in the morning, I found the carcass of a crow lying on the lawn. I spoke to the dead bird as I picked its mortal remains gently up and tossed them off into a bushy green patch.
The rest of the birds we encountered were all alive and well—although we didn’t encounter many on account (I suppose) of the heat and humidity.
Beech Hill List Starting at 7:24 a.m. EST (8:24 DST), I hiked all trails.
1. Pileated Woodpecker (v, drumming) 2. Blue Jay 3. Eastern Wood-pewee (v) 4. Black-capped Chickadee** 5. White-breasted Nuthatch (v) 6. Red-eyed Vireo (v) 7. Hermit Thrush (v) 8. Song Sparrow* 9. Common Yellowthroat 10. American Goldfinch** 11. Turkey Vulture
Elsewhere
12. Carolina Wren (v) 13. Herring Gull 14. Wild Turkey 15. House Sparrow 16. Rock Pigeon 17. Mourning Dove
(v) Voice only *Also elsewhere **Voice only elsewhere †First-of-year
It was a warm one. Starting up the trail early, dog and I “enjoyed” a sort of humid room temperature. Once we got out of the shade, the air got summertime-warm in a hurry. Still, what a nice hike.
Mainly because of the variety of bird life. A vireo posed. So did a Broad-winged Hawk and a Yellow-bellied Flycatcher. Most interestingly, a young Cape May Warbler perched high in a summit spruce and might as well have begged to have his picture took—one of very few of the species I’ve seen up there.
In afternoon, I rode around on my bicycle in 80-something-degree (F) temperatures. Seems we get us a variety of weather around here, too.
Beech Hill List Starting at 6:45 a.m. EST (7:45 DST), I hiked all trails.
1. Red-eyed Vireo 2. White-breasted Nuthatch (v) 3. Blue Jay 4. Gray Catbird 5. Eastern Wood-pewee (v) 6. Hairy Woodpecker 7. Broad-winged Hawk 8. American Crow* (v) 9. Black-capped Chickadee** 10. Eastern Towhee (v) 11. Song Sparrow 12. Common Yellowthroat (v) 13. Yellow-bellied Flycatcher 14. Cape May Warbler† 15. American Goldfinch 16. Downy Woodpecker (v) 17. Cedar Waxwing 18. Northern Flicker (v)
I had no dog with me during my hike this morning for the first time in as long as I can remember. Captain Jack had to go to the vet for a digestive issue, and since he’s 15-plus years old, I worried throughout my empty-handed, solo hike—but all turned out OK. Also, some bird showed up.
Most noteable—or noticeable—to me were the vultures soaring over, and the nervous, quiet stirrings of songbirds flitting about for food. The seasonal light (and shortening photoperiod) is a sign that fall is not far away.
Beech Hill List Starting at 8:00 a.m. EST (9:00 DST), I hiked all trails.
1. Downy Woodpecker (v) 2. American Goldfinch** (v) 3. Blue Jay (v) 4. Red-eyed Vireo (v) 5. Tufted Titmouse 6. Black-capped Chickadee 7. White-breasted Nuthatch 8. Red-breasted Nuthatch (v) 9. Eastern Wood-pewee (v) 10. Gray Catbird 11. American Crow* 12. Cedar Waxwing 13. Turkey Vulture 14. Song Sparrow 15. Red-shouldered Hawk (v) 16. Eastern Towhee (v)
Elsewhere
17. Mallard 18. Mourning Dove 19. Herring Gull 20. Rock Pigeon 21. Wild Turkey
(v) Voice only *Also elsewhere **Voice only elsewhere †First-of-year
