Black-throated Green Warbler (singing with its mouth full).
This morning dawned sunny and pleasantly cool, mid- to upper-50s (F). The forecasters suggested it’d get warmer, which gave me the idea of hiking over the hill and down the trail to the Erickson Fields Preserve. So that’s what dog and I did.
Was a long hike—both time-wise and miles-wise—but well worth it. The Erickson Fields trail traverses quite a different habitat from Beech Hill’s hardwoods and barrens (old-growth spruce/pine and grasslands), which support a notably different array of wild birds. Had multiple Black-throated Blue Warblers, saw a bunch of Ruby-crowned Kinglets, even heard the very high-pitched song of a Blackburnian Warbler. And at the far end was a grassy field with Barn Swallows zipping around.
I’m astonished that I waited so long to take that lovely hike. We’ll be doing it again real soon, dog and I.
Beech Hill/Erickson Fields List Starting at 6:09 a.m. EST (7:09 DST), I hiked all trails at both preserves.
The sun rose unimpeded this very early morning—the earliest it’ll rise for a year, in fact, considering this is the summer solstice. Seemed like the first sunny day in a while, and the birds seemed to like it, too.
An even forty species this morning. Most notable might be the call of a Red-bellied Woodpecker. Or the Northern Parula that’s been calling down by Beech Hill Road. Or the pair of Broad-winged Hawks that flew over, calling. And in afternoon, I rode nearly 20 miles on my bicycle—yes, listening to the birds along the way.
I wonder—as I usually do—what tomorrow morning will bring?
Beech Hill List Starting at 6:47 a.m. EST (7:47 DST), I hiked all trails.
1. Red-eyed Vireo 2. Ovenbird 3. Brown Creeper 4. Song Sparrow 5. Eastern Wood-pewee 6. Chestnut-sided Warbler 7. Veery 8. American Goldfinch 9. American Crow 10. Eastern Towhee 11. Tufted Titmouse 12. Blue Jay 13. Gray Catbird 14. Black-and-white Warbler 15. Rose-breasted Grosbeak 16. Scarlet Tanager 17. Osprey 18. Hermit Thrush 19. Wood Thrush 20. Red-bellied Woodpecker 21. American Robin 22. Cedar Waxwing 23. Pileated Woodpecker 24. Common Yellowthroat 25. Alder Flycatcher 26. Yellow Warbler 27. Savannah Sparrow 28. Field Sparrow 29. Eastern Bluebird 30. Chipping Sparrow 31. Northern Parula 32. Black-capped Chickadee 33. Ruby-crowned Kinglet 34. Downy Woodpecker 35. American Redstart 36. Turkey Vulture 37. Eastern Phoebe 38. Black-throated Green Warbler 39. Broad-winged Hawk 40. Northern Cardinal
A mostly overcast, breezy morning with temps in the 50s (F). We got an earlier start than yesterday, dog and I, and the birds seemed especially active—perhaps because they’ve got babies to feed. When the summer solstice approaches, it’s the time nestlings and fledglings.
In the woods, for instance, Ovenbirds were vocally warning us against getting near their nests on the forest floor. And I spied a pair of fledgling chickadees being fed by a parent near the summit. And at the summit proper, in the eaves of Beech Nut, I caught sight of a phoebe with a beak crammed with insect food.
A busy time of year it is, for the bird life. (Likewise, the life of a birder.)
Beech Hill List Starting at 7:18 a.m. EST (8:18 DST), I hiked all trails.
