Sunny and cool this morning, but warming pretty fast. Birds were active, but acting a little peculiarly—a little quieter, a little nervous, flitting about—which I attribute to early migratory urges. Then, as we approached the summit, I heard human voices up there. Turned out this was “Thrill of the Hill” race day.
A bunch of folks of all ages showed up for this annual fun(d)raiser—which was a real gas to observe.
Also fun to grab a decent photo of an Alder Flycatcher—usually shy to pose.
Beech Hill List Beginning at 7:10 a.m., I hiked all trails.
1. Red-eyed Vireo 2. Ovenbird 3. Northern Cardinal** (v) 4. American Crow* (v) 5. American Goldfinch 6. Gray Catbird 7. Eastern Wood-pewee 8. American Robin 9. Black-capped Chickadee 10. Common Loon (V) 11. Red-breasted Nuthatch 12. Red-bellied Woodpecker 13. Eastern Towhee 14. Common Yellowthroat 15. Black-and-white Warbler 16. Yellow Warbler 17. Cedar Waxwing 18. Alder Flycatcher 19. Ruby-throated Hummingbird 20. Song Sparrow** 21. Yellow-rumped Warbler 22. White-breasted Nuthatch (v) 23. Barn Swallow 24. Hairy Woodpecker (v) 25. Tufted Titmouse (v) 26. Hermit Thrush
Elsewhere
27. Carolina Wren (v) 28. Mourning Dove 29. Rock Pigeon 30. Herring Gull
(v) Voice only *Also elsewhere **Voice only elsewhere †First-of-year
Cool temperatures for the second straight morning. Dry, nearly cloudless sky. Few mosquitos (although one got me good), and lovely later-summer’s yellowish early light. Green and yellow and blue.
Good birds. Three nice chats with fellow humans. A couple nice photos.
Truly, I loved this day (as I will love tomorrow).
Beech Hill List Beginning at 7:25 a.m., I hiked most trails.
1. Red-eyed Vireo** 2. Black-capped Chickadee 3. Red-breasted Nuthatch 4. American Goldfinch** 5. Cedar Waxwing 6. American Crow* 7. Eastern Towhee** 8. American Redstart (v) 9. Eastern Wood-pewee (v) 10. Blue Jay (v) 11. Veery (v) 12. American Robin* 13. Hermit Thrush (v) 14. Chestnut-sided Warbler 15. Red-bellied Woodpecker (v) 16. Hairy Woodpecker 17. Downy Woodpecker 18. Eastern Phoebe 19. Brown Creeper 20. Tufted Titmouse (v) 21. Gray Catbird** 22. Common Yellowthroat (v) 23. Yellow-rumped Warbler 24. Yellow Warbler (v) 25. Song Sparrow 26. Ruby-throated Hummingbird 27. Alder Flycatcher 28. Least Flycatcher (v) 29. Black-and-white Warbler 30. Northern Cardinal (v)
(v) Voice only *Also elsewhere **Voice only elsewhere †First-of-year
The last bird on my list this lovely cool mostly overcast morning was a lifer: a Yellow-bellied Flycatcher.
Other fun things happened, too: a few quiet, wandering warblers; a little gang of turkeys, an oriole, first yellow-rump in a while—but the flycatcher took the cake.
Oddly, I neither heard nor saw an Alder Flycatcher today, but then this little flitting, fly-catching bird down in the woodlands (where yellow-bellies like to hang out) began to flutter off its perch to snatch flies out of the air, then return to its perch, flicking its tail slightly. The little tail-flick, plus the yellowish wash, plus the woodland habitat pretty much confirmed my ID.
A lifer day is always a good day—but would’ve been a good day anyway.
Beech Hill List Beginning at 7:33 a.m., I hiked most trails.
1. Red-eyed Vireo** (v) 2. Black-and-white Warbler 3. Tufted Titmouse 4. American Goldfinch 5. American Robin 6. Downy Woodpecker (v) 7. American Crow* 8. Eastern Wood-pewee (v) 9. Hermit Thrush (v) 10. White-breasted Nuthatch (v) 11. Black-capped Chickadee 12. Brown Creeper (v) 13. Ovenbird 14. Wild Turkey 15. Common Yellowthroat 16. Eastern Towhee 17. Gray Catbird** 18. Northern Flicker 19. Baltimore Oriole 20. Red-breasted Nuthatch 21. Eastern Phoebe 22. Yellow-rumped Warbler 23. Song Sparrow 24. Cedar Waxwing 25. Yellow Warbler (v) 26. Blue Jay (v) 27. Herring Gull 28. Mourning Dove* 29. American Redstart 30. Chestnut-sided Warbler 31. Yellow-bellied Flycatcher‡
Elsewhere
32. Northern Cardinal
(v) Voice only *Also elsewhere **Voice only elsewhere †First-of-year ‡Lifer
