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Posts Tagged ‘ruffed grouse’
Monday, June 2nd, 2014
 Yellow Warbler. I forgot to mention the mosquitos yesterday. Well, I suppose I did mention the one that bit the back of my hand as I took the video of the Common Yellowthroat—but those little suckers were everywhere. Also black flies.
Which is good news, sort of. I mean, so many birds around here eat those flying insects that I can’t really complain too much about the nuisance they pose when you’re walking really slowly through the woods. The temperature is warming up a bit, but still I’m wearing a hoodie so I can raise the hood if the skeeters get too bad. And/or the black flies. It depends on just exactly what kind of habitat you’re passing through, what side of the hill you’re on, whether you’ve got a little breeze going, etc. Also, I’ve learned that if you simply resist scratching the bites you inevitably end up with, more than likely they’ll just fade and go away.
This morning’s hike with Jack was nice: sunny, a good temperature, not too much wind. Birds are still singing like crazy, but the hardwoods are all leafed out now, so it’s more of a challenge to catch sight of them. Which makes capturing an occasional video satisfying. Here’s one of a first-year male American Restart singing non-stop for a minute or two.
I also got a video of another singing Alder Flycatcher—this one in full sun, not thick fog. If you feel like checking out my whole collection of videos, visit my YouTube channel.
Beech Hill List
Beginning at 6:15 a.m., I hiked all trails.
1. Ovenbird**
2. Red-eyed Vireo**
3. Chestnut-sided Warbler
4. Eastern Phoebe**
5. Tufted Titmouse (v)
6. Black-throated Green Warbler** (v)
7. Common Yellowthroat**
8. Veery
9. Eastern Towhee
10. Common Raven (v)
11. American Crow*
12. American Redstart**
13. Great Crested Flycatcher (v)
14. Black-capped Chickadee**
15. Black-and-white Warbler (v)
16. American Robin*
17. Alder Flycatcher
18. Nashville Warbler
19. Blue Jay (v)
20. Ruffed Grouse (flushed)
21. Gray Catbird**
22. Yellow Warbler**
23. Song Sparrow**
24. Field Sparrow
25. Savannah Sparrow
26. Eastern Wood-pewee** (v)
27. Northern Flicker (v)
28. White-breasted Nuthatch (v)
29. American Goldfinch**
30. Northern Cardinal* (v)
31. Mourning Dove (v)
32. Downy Woodpecker (v)
33. Scarlet Tanager (v)
34. Eastern Bluebird (v)
35. Wild Turkey (v)
36. Rose-breasted Grosbeak (v)
Elsewhere
37. Herring Gull
38. House Finch
39. House Sparrow
40. European Starling
41. Rock Pigeon
42. Cedar Waxwing (v)
43. Osprey
v = Voice only
*Also elsewhere
**Voice only elsewhere
Tags: alder flycatcher, American crow, American goldfinch, American redstart, American robin, black-and-white warbler, black-capped chickadee, black-throated green warbler, blue jay, Cedar waxwing, chestnut-sided warbler, common raven, common yellowthroat, downy woodpecker, eastern phoebe, eastern towhee, eastern wood-pewee, European starling, field sparrow, gray catbird, great crested flycatcher, herring gull, house finch, house sparrow, mourning dove, Nashville warbler, northern cardinal, northern flicker, osprey, ovenbird, red-eyed vireo, rock pigeon, rose-breasted grosbeak, ruffed grouse, savannah sparrow, scarlet tanager, song sparrow, tufted titmouse, veery, white-breasted nuthatch, wild turkey, yellow warbler
Posted in Lists, Observations | No Comments »
Sunday, May 25th, 2014
 Red-eyed Vireo. It was raining lightly when Jack and I started up the wooded Beech Hill trail this morning, but we and the birds didn’t care. In fact, within about five minutes, it stopped, the sun poked through, and a rainbow appeared in the northwest sky.
Then the count began. Lots of different birds and species, quite a few warblers moving through still. In a hedgerow below the summit, I got close to photographing a Blackpoll Warbler for the first time—but those little suckers are elusive. However, as we neared Beech Nut, a hummingbird appeared out of nowhere and began to sip from pin cherry blossoms just a few feet away from us, and I managed to get a pretty decent video:
The sun stayed out for much of the rest of our hike. Back down in woods, I came upon a snake.
 Yellow-throated Vireo, Beech Hill Preserve, Rockport, Maine, 25 May 2014. Birds were singing like crazy down in the bottomlands—Northern Parulas, a Black-throated Blue Warbler, Eastern Wood-pewees, Ovenbirds, Red-eyed Vireos, and a species whose voice I didn’t recognize. A loud, hoarse, vireo-style call. We went off-trail to get a peek.
I finally found the little bird flitting about high in the canopy: a Yellow-throated Vireo. First of the species I’ve ever seen up there. Cool. Plus, meantime, some friends found Maine’s first-ever Brewer’s Sparrow out on Monhegan Island. A day of firsts, I’d say.
Beech Hill List
Beginning at 6 a.m., I hiked all trails.
1. Ovenbird**
2. Red-eyed Vireo
3. Northern Parula (v)
4. Chestnut-sided Warbler**
5. Common Yellowthroat**
6. American Crow*
7. Mourning Dove*
8. Gray Catbird**
9. Eastern Towhee
10. Black-throated Green Warbler
11. American Robin*
12. Veery
13. American Goldfinch**
14. Tufted Titmouse (v)
15. American Redstart**
16. Herring Gull*
17. Ruffed Grouse (drumming)
18. Canada Goose (v)
19. Nashville Warbler (v)
20. Yellow Warbler**
21. Black-capped Chickadee
22. Hermit Thrush (v)
23. Red-bellied Woodpecker (v)
24. Song Sparrow**
25. Black-throated Blue Warbler
26. Blackpoll Warbler
27. Blue Jay**
28. Ruby-thoated Hummingbird
29. Purple Finch*
30. Alder Flycatcher (v)
31. Savannah Sparrow
32. Eastern Phoebe
33. Mallard
34. Field Sparrow
35. Northern Flicker (v)
36. Brown-headed Cowbird (v)
37. White-throated Sparrow (v)
38. Broad-winged Hawk (v)
39. Scarlet Tanager
40. White-breasted Nuthatch (v)
41. Pileated Woodpecker (v)
42. Eastern Wood-pewee (v)
43. Ruby-crowned Kinglet (v)
44. Yellow-throated Vireo
Elsewhere
45. House Sparrow
46. Chipping Sparrow (v)
47. Tree Swallow
48. European Starling
v = Voice only
*Also elsewhere
**Voice only elsewhere
†First-of-year bird
 Red-bellied Snake.
Tags: alder flycatcher, American crow, American goldfinch, American redstart, American robin, black-capped chickadee, black-throated blue warbler, black-throated green warbler, blackpoll warbler, blue jay, broad-winged hawk, brown-headed cowbird, Canada goose, chestnut-sided warbler, chipping sparrow, common yellowthroat, eastern phoebe, eastern towhee, eastern wood-pewee, European starling, field sparrow, gray catbird, hermit thrush, herring gull, house sparrow, mallard, mourning dove, Nashville warbler, northern flicker, northern parula, ovenbird, pileated woodpecker, purple finch, red-bellied woodpecker, red-eyed vireo, ruby-crowned kinglet, ruby-throated hummingbird, ruffed grouse, savannah sparrow, scarlet tanager, song sparrow, tree swallow, tufted titmouse, veery, white-breasted nuthatch, white-throated sparrow, yellow warbler, yellow-throated vireo
Posted in Lists, Observations | No Comments »
Saturday, May 17th, 2014
 Ovenbird. I got to thinking about evolution on my quick lonesome hike up Beech Hill Preserve this early wet breezy morning. What prompted these thoughts was the behavior of a Pileated Woodpecker—the same woodpecker that I saw drumming on a utility pole at the main trail gate a few weeks ago. At least I’d bet it’s the same woodpecker, because that’s what it was doing this morning, too, during a lull in the drizzle. I’d already turned and started back up the hill when I heard it. I knew what it was. I hurried back down the trail to try for another video, or at least photos, but as I stuck my head around the corner of the stone gate, it saw me and flew. In my direction it flew. Perched for a second or two in a tree above me, then flapped away as I was focusing my camera.
 Black-and-white Warbler (female). After I’d started up the hill again, I got to thinking about evolution. What made the Pileated Woodpecker display such behavior, from the drumming on the pole to the flight at the sight of me to the flapping away? Sheer Pileated Woodpecker instinct? That would be my hunch: after generation-upon-generation of evolution, this bird’s nervous system knows just what to do, just where to go, no matter what happens, right? I mean, there’s no true decision-making involved, is there?
It might seem like a woodpecker is deciding things—where to go, what to eat, what member of its species to mate with—but that’s not really happening, is it? Couldn’t these apparent decisions simply be a matter of random fate? Where it happens to hatch? What particular trees happen to be growing nearby, what woodlands it happens to fledge in, how hungry it is at any given time, what sources of food are available, etc.? What the weather’s like?
It’s still all a miracle, of course—but which species are actually able to choose different patterns of behavior? Make true decisions, I mean? Crows? Dolphins? Apes? Dogs? Humans?
When you think about it, I suppose even human decision-making is really just a matter of evolution, upbringing, accident, weather. Perhaps everything’s simply predetermined, even.
 Veery. Never mind. Apparently I tend to get philosophical during a soggy tramp through a greening woodland. Usually, I don’t know what the hell I’m talking about.
1. Black-throated Green Warbler**
2. Ovenbird**
3. Chestnut-sided Warbler**
4. Blue-headed Vireo (v)
5. Common Yellowthroat**
6. Eastern Towhee
7. Black-capped Chickadee
8. Black-and-white Warbler**
9. Gray Catbird
10. Veery
11. American Redstart**
12. Ruffed Grouse
13. American Crow*
14. American Goldfinch (v)
15. Blue Jay (v)
16. Rose-breasted Grosbeak (v)
17. Wood Thrush (v)
18. Herring Gull* (v)
19. Song Sparrow**
20. Yellow Warbler** (v)
21. Brown-headed Cowbird
22. Savannah Sparrow
23. Pileated Woodpecker
24. House Finch (v)
25. Northern Cardinal**
26. Greater Yellowlegs (v)
27. Hermit Thrush (v)
28. Black-throated Blue Warbler (v)
29. Broad-winged Hawk
30. Mallard
31. Northern Parula (v)
32. Eastern Phoebe
33. Tufted Titmouse** (v)
Elsewhere
34. House Sparrow (v)
35. Laughing Gull (v)
36. Bald Eagle
v = Voice only
*Also elsewhere
**Voice only elsewhere
†First-of-year bird
Tags: American crow, American goldfinch, American redstart, bald eagle, black-capped chickadee, black-throated blue warbler, black-throated green warbler, blue jay, blue-headed vireo, broad-winged hawk, brown-headed cowbird, chestnut-sided warbler, common yellowthroat, eastern phoebe, eastern towhee, greater yellowlegs, herring gull, house finch, house sparrow, laughing gull, mallard, northern cardinal, northern parula, ovenbird, pileated woodpecker, ray catbird, rose-breasted grosbeak, ruffed grouse, savannah sparrow, song sparrow, tufted titmouse, veery, wood thrush, yellow warbler
Posted in Lists, Observations | No Comments »
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| 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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