|
|
 |
|
|
Posts Tagged ‘belted kingfisher’
Wednesday, May 11th, 2016
 Black-throated green warbler. Our tilted planet,
its creeping warmth and sun,
paid off this morning,
big-time.
 Chestnut-sided Warbler. First came the voices
of birds in the greening canopy—
songs and notes that soon revealed
new first-of-year species had arrived.
And as the sun got higher,
the black flies got swarmier,
buzzing in swarms around dog’s and my heads.
Good sign.
Individual passerines
—warblers, vireos, thrushes, sparrows,
and even a pair of kingfishers—
flitted and chased,
wooed and mated
and fought tiny territorial wars.
I think I know where Ovenbirds will nest.
 Northern Cardinal. Beech Hill List
Beginning at 7:15 a.m., I hiked all trails.
1. Ovenbird**
2. Black-throated Green Warbler**
3. Black-and-white Warbler*
4. Eastern Phoebe*
5. Tufted Titmouse** (v)
6. American Crow*
7. American Goldfinch*
8. Blue Jay**
9. Mourning Dove* (v)
10. Black-capped Chickadee*
11. Blue-headed Vireo**
12. Veery (v)
13. Eastern Towhee
14. Pileated Woodpecker
15. Northern Parula†
16. Gray Catbird**
17. Chestnut-sided Warbler**
18. Common Yellowthroat**
19. Northern Flicker*
20. Wood Thrush†
21. White-throated Sparrow
22. Nashville warbler
23. Yellow-rumped Warbler
24. Song Sparrow
25. Tree Swallow
26. Field Sparrow
27. Canada Warbler†
28. Herring Gull
29. Savannah Sparrow†
30. Red-breasted Nuthatch (v)†
31. Chipping Sparrow* (V)
32. Belted Kingfisher†
33. American Robin**
34. Common Raven
35. Purple Finch*
36. Pine Warbler* (v)
Elsewhere
37. Northern Cardinal
38. Ruby-throated Hummingbird
39. White-breasted Nuthatch
40. Downy Woodpecker
41. House Finch
v = Voice only
*Also elsewhere
**Voice only elsewhere
†First-of-year bird
Tags: American crow, American goldfinch, American robin, belted kingfisher, black-capped chickadee, black-throated green warbler, blue jay, blue-headed vireo, Canada warbler, chestnut-sided warbler, chipping sparrow, common raven, common yellowthroat, downy woodpecker, eastern phoebe, eastern towhee, field sparrow, gray catbird, herring gull, house finch, mourning dove, Nashville warbler, northern cardinal, northern flicker, northern parula, ovenbird, pileated woodpecker, pine warbler, purple finch, red-breasted nuthatch, ruby-throated hummingbird, savannah sparrow, song sparrow, tree swallow, tufted titmouse, veery, white-breasted nuthatch, white-throated sparrow, wood thrush, yellow-rumped warbler
Posted in Lists, Observations, Poem | No Comments »
Sunday, September 20th, 2015
 Common Raven. Scrambled around this morning to make sure to get to the boat on time. Made it! And within the hour, daughter and I were setting foot on Monhegan Island. A more magical place I’m not sure I’ve ever been to.
 Monarch butterfly. The usual fall-migration birding hasn’t really taken off yet, from what I understand. And I didn’t spot many species—nor any “lifers” yet, as I seem nearly always to do out here. But it’s great to be here, wonderful to introduce Sarah (no birder, although she likes birds) to the place, Lovely to run into old friends whom I see just once a year.
Perhaps the most inspiring thing I’ve witnessed out here is the large number of Monarch butterflies moving through. What with the bane that is Roundup®, and the decline of milkweed, this lovely butterfly’s numbers have taken a nosedive lately. I’d seen just one this year before setting foot out here—and now, barely ten hours later, I can attest to having seen at least fifty or sixty—plus, a few chrysalises.
Also ravens, sharpies, an Osprey, an oriole, and other birds.
I can hardly believe we’re here for five more days.
Monhegan Island List
Beginning at about 11:30 a.m., I walked around Monhegan.
1. Herring Gull*
5. Northern Mockingbird
6. Northern Flicker
7. Sharp-shinned Hawk
8. Common Raven
9. Osprey
10. Peregrine Falcon
11. Common Grackle
12. Eastern Phoebe
13. Black-capped Chickadee
14. Red-breasted Nuthatch (v)
15. Song Sparrow
16. European Starling
17. American Crow*
18. Great Cormorant
19. Cedar Waxwing**
20. Common Eider
21. Yellow-rumped Warbler
22. Yellow Warbler
23. Baltimore Oriole
Elsewhere
24. Mourning dove
25. Bald Eagle
26. Belted Kingfisher
v = Voice only
*Also elsewhere
**Voice only elsewhere
Tags: American crow, bald eagle, Baltimore oriole, belted kingfisher, black-capped chickadee, Cedar waxwing, common eider, common grackle, common raven, eastern phoebe, European starling, great cormorant, herring gull, Monhegan, mourning dove, northern flicker, northern mockingbird, osprey, peregrine falcon, red-breasted nuthatch, sharp-shinned hawk, song sparrow, yellow warbler, yellow-rumped warvler
Posted in Lists, Observations | No Comments »
Saturday, April 25th, 2015
 Yellow-rumped Warbler. Got up early figuring I’d have a nice, long birding hike with dog—but there was a gray overcast, the temperature was in the thirties, and I saw a few tiny snowflakes floating around out there. So, screw that plan. Had breakfast instead, surfed the web a bit. About forty-five minutes later, I saw blue sky, and it didn’t seem so cold anymore, and off we went.
 Eastern Phoebe. The sun never stayed out for long, but, damn, it felt good to be hunting birds again. No leaves on trees, not a lot of migrants, just one warbler species (yellow-rump, of course)—but plenty of excitement.
Met up with a couple descending with their dog—Jack and I had met them before—and they said they’d seen a hawk, and I’d mentioned seeing a hovering Kestrel yesterday, and I motioned toward the sky above the barren, and there was a Kestrel, hovering. (Saw another down the eastern slope.)
Down in the bottomlands, I heard a drumming sapsucker, first of the year.
As we were returning along the wood fringe, a harrier flew over, and I got a nice look through my binoculars, and way above the hawk I saw a vee of northbound birds—I mean waaay above, insanely high and away. Double-crested Cormorants.
Then a kingfisher flew over. (A what? A kingfisher—I heard its rattle.)
And heading back down to the parking lot, out of nowhere, came the loud, strident song of a Carolina Wren. In thousands of Beech Hill hikes, that’s only the second of seen or heard up there.
 April bouquet, Beech Hill Preserve, Rockport, Maine, 25 April 2015. I can dig a Carolina Wren.
Beech Hill List
Beginning at 9:15 a.m., I hiked all trails.
1. Black-capped Chickadee**
2. American Robin
3. Northern Cardinal** (v)
4. Purple Finch (v)
5. Tufted Titmouse** (v)
6. Northern Flicker** (v)
7. Eastern Towhee
8. Chipping Sparrow
9. White-throated Sparrow (v)
10. Eastern Phoebe
11. American Crow*
12. Yellow-rumped Warbler
13. American Kestrel
14. Ruby-crowned Kinglet
15. American Goldfinch
16. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker† (drumming)
17. Pileated Woodpecker (v)
18. White-breasted Nuthatch
19. Brown Creeper
20. Hermit Thrush
21. Northern Harrier
22. Double-crested Cormorant†
23. Belted Kingfisher† (v)
24. Song Sparrow** (v)
25. Osprey†
26. Herring Gull*
27. Carolina Wren† (v)
28. Blue Jay (v)
Elsewhere
29. House Finch (v)
30. Mourning Dove
v = Voice only
*Also elsewhere
**Voice only elsewhere
†First-of-year bird
Tags: American crow, American goldfinch, American kestrel, American robin, belted kingfisher, black-capped chickadee, blue jay, brown creeper, Carolina wren, chipping sparrow, double-crested cormorant, eastern phoebe, eastern towhee, hermit thrush, herring gull, house finch, mourning dove, northern cardinal, northern flicker, northern harrier, osprey, pileated woodpecker, purple finch, ruby-crowned kinglet, song sparrow, tufted titmouse, white-breasted nuthatch, white-throated sparrow, yellow-bellied sapsucker, yellow-rumped warbler
Posted in Lists, Observations | No Comments »
|
|
| |
| Bird Report is a (sometimes intermittent) record of the birds I encounter while hiking, see while driving, or spy outside my window. —Brian Willson |
|
|
