It’s apple blossom season. That usually means a flock or two of waxwings showing up randomly—as they did in the early overcast, post-showers time of this day.
Waxwings love apple blossom petals.
Beech Hill List Beginning at 8:15 a.m., I hiked the open trail.
1. Ovenbird** (v) 2. Red-eyed Vireo** (v) 3. Common Yellowthroat** 4. Black-throated Green Warbler (v) 5. Chestnut-sided Warbler 6. American Redstart 7. Veery (v) 8. Hairy Woodpecker 9. American Goldfinch 10. Rose-breasted Grosbeak (v) 11. Gray Catbird* 12. Tufted Titmouse (v) 13. Hermit Thrush (v) 14. Black-capped Chickadee (v) 15. White-breasted Nuthatch (v) 16. Nashville Warbler (v) 17. Eastern Wood-pewee 18. Least Flycatcher (v) 19. Alder Flycatcher 20. Great Crested Flycatcher (v) 21. Eastern Towhee 22. Ruby-throated Hummingbird (wingbeats) 23. Field Sparrow 24. Song Sparrow 25. Tree Swallow 26. Eastern Phoebe* 27. American Crow* 28. Eastern Kingbird 29. Chipping Sparrow 30. Pileated Woodpecker (v) 31. Cedar Waxwing 32. Yellow Warbler 33. American Robin (v) 34. Downy Woodpecked 35. Black-throated Blue Warbler (v) 36. Northern Cardinal** (v)
Elsewhere
37. House Finch (v) 38. Herring Gull 39. Great Blue Heron 40. Mourning Dove
v = Voice only *Also elsewhere **Voiceo nly elsewhere
A cool, sunny morning. Got to the trail early, heard more birds than I saw. Still a bit nippy for a lot of activity—plus, nesting’s going on now. Did spy a kingbird near the summit.
Phoebes are nesting in Beech Nut after all.
Beech Hill List Beginning at 7 a.m., I hiked all trails.
1. Ovenbird** 2. Red-eyed Vireo** (v) 3. Common Yellowthroat** 4. Black-capped Chickadee** 5. American Robin* (v) 6. Hairy Woodpecker (v) 7. Chestnut-sided Warbler 8. Blue Jay (v) 9. Gray Catbird** 10. American Redstart 11. Veery 12. Eastern Wood-pewee 13. Rose-breasted Grosbeak** 14. Black-and-white Warbler* 15. Eastern Towhee 16. Mourning Dove* (v) 17. Great Crested Flycatcher 18. Alder Flycatcher 19. Pileated Woodpecker (v) 20. Nashville Warbler (v) 21. Field Sparrow (v) 22. Song Sparrow (v) 23. Tree Swallow (v) 24. Chipping Sparrow 25. Eastern Phoebe 26. Eastern Kingbird 27. American Crow 28. Northern Cardinal 29. Tufted Titmouse 30. White-breasted Nuthatch 31. Scarlet Tanager 32. Hermit Thrush 33. Least Flycatcher
Elsewhere
34. House Finch (v) 35. Herring Gull 36. House Sparrow
v = Voice only *Also elsewhere **Voice only elsewhere
I’m not sure I mention often enough how much I appreciate Veeries. These little burnt-orange-backed thrushes arrive a little late, but arrive they do, to deliver their familiar Veeyur! alarm notes and their cascading fountains of song.
They also seem more friendly than the other woodland thrushes, tending to stick to the trails, hopping along in front of dog and me just around the next curve.
I love all thrushes, of course, have learned their songs and clucks and other sounds. Veeries, though, are highly underrated.
Beech Hill List Beginning at 8 a.m., I hiked all trails.
