Warm day. Fifties (F), seems like (though I forgot to check for sure). Rained early, and I had a dentist appointment, so dog and I didn’t hit the hill until early afternoon. Nothing much up there then, so we also hiked the breakwater.
Plenty of seabirds out. Guillemots, grebe, scoter, eiders, gulls, long-tailed ducks, etc. Spotted a couple sunning seals also.
Odd, perhaps, but winter is my favorite season to hike the breakwater in.
Beech Hill List Beginning at 1:15 a.m., I hiked the open trail.
Another bright, nippy morning, but without a lot of wind. Had only two species on the hill first thing—but one showed up in a flock. Spent a good while getting cold fingers while photographing Common Redpolls.
About midday, I couldn’t resist taking a quick trip to the breakwater, knowing it was low(ish) tide and hoping for Purple Sandpipers. No sandpipers, but a bunch of typical winter birds—along with the half-dozen American wigeons that’ve been hanging out there for at least three weeks or so.
A bit sore tonight; still, two hikes are better than one.
Beech Hill List Beginning at 8:45 a.m., I hiked the open trail.
1. American Crow* 2. Common Redpoll
Common Eider (male).
Rockland Breakwater List Beginning at 12:15 p.m., I hiked to the light and back.
3. American Black Duck 4. Mallard* 5. Common Eider 6. Herring Gull* 7. Great Black-backed Gull 8. Long-tailed Duck 9. Red-breasted Merganser 10. American Wigeon 11. Common Goldeneye 12. Canada Goose 13. Black Guillemot 14. Horned Grebe
Beech Hill wasn’t the big story from today. That’s because today was our area’s Audubon Christmas Bird Count (CBC), which began at 7:45 a.m. at the Rockland Breakwater. As usual, I participated until lunch—by which time we’d listed the bulk of our species.
For the first time I can remember, CBC day was not brutally cold and/or windy. Right balmy out, to be honest. And a fun time was had by all.
Here are a few photos.
Long-tailed Duck (male, non-breeding plumage).
Herring Gull (non-breeding adult).
European Starling.
Black Scoter.
American Crow.
Black Guillemot (non-breeding plumage).
Beech Hill List Beginning at 1:30 p.m., I hiked the open trail.
1. American Crow* (v)
2. American Goldfinch* (v)
3. White-breasted Nuthatch* (v)
4. Black-capped Chickadee*
Elsewhere
5. Canada Goose
6. American Wigeon
7. American Black Duck
8. Mallard
9. Common Eider
10. Surf Scoter
11. Black Scoter
12. Long-tailed Duck
13.Bufflehead
14. Common Goldeneye
15. Common Merganser
16. Red-breasted Merganser
17. Common Loon
18. Horned Grebe
19. Bald Eagle
20. Bonaparte’s Gull
21. Ring-billed Gull
22. Herring Gull
23. Great Black-backed Gull
24. Black Guillemot
25. Mourning Dove
26. Downy Woodpecker (v)
27. Pileated Woodpecker
28. European Starling
29. Snow Bunting (v)
30. Song Sparrow
31. Dark-eyed Junco
32. Northern Cardinal (v)
33. House Finch
34. House Sparrow
