In the cool 60s (F) this morning, with another low layer of fog obscuring things. Soon after Captain Jack and I began our ascent (via the main trail) a light rain began to fall. It didn’t rain for long—but we remained wet while walking through that cloud.
Quite a few birds species, nevertheless—among them a female Rose-breasted Grosbeak with a couple of moths in its beak. A singing Veery also posed, but it’s hard to get an award-winning photo in such dark, dim, gray conditions.
Down on the wooded trail, I heard distant thunder and figured we’d better pick up our pace. But after a few more rumbles, the thunder stopped, and it began to rain lightly again as we descended.
I suppose the thunder was a preview of what’s forecast for tomorrow.
Beech Hill List Starting at 7:12 a.m. EST (8:12 DST), I hiked all trails.
1. Mourning Dove 2. Chestnut-sided Warbler 3. Red-eyed Vireo 4. American Robin 5. Song Sparrow 6. Northern Cardinal 7. American Crow 8. American Goldfinch 9. Ovenbird 10. Black-throated Green Warbler 11. Rose-breasted Grosbeak 12. Cedar Waxwing 13. Common Yellowthroat 14. Gray Catbird 15. Eastern Towhee 16. Northern Parula 17. Blue Jay 18. Black-capped Chickadee 19. Yellow Warbler 20. Downy Woodpecker 21. Hermit Thrush 22. Eastern Wood-pewee 23. White-breasted Nuthatch 24. Veery 25. American Redstart 26. Black-and-white Warbler 27. Northern Flicker 28. Brown Creeper
Elsewhere
29. Rock Pigeon 30. Herring Gull
(v) Voice only *Also elsewhere **Voice only elsewhere †First-of-year
Warm to start under mostly cloudy skies—about room temperature out. Light winds, drier than in recent days. Thunderstorms forecast for this evening, though, so coming days will be wetter.
Invasive Brown-tailed Moths litter the trails these days—I suppose they live short lives in the moth stage, just long enough to lay eggs. The caterpillars really got me this year.
Birds were active, despite (perhaps because of?) the overcast. Most notable were a raven, a gull, and a juvenile Brown-headed Cowbird. (I’d rather have a brown-headed critter than a brown-tailed one any ol’ day.)
Might get wet tomorrow, dog and I. We shall see!
Beech Hill List Starting at 7:06 a.m. EST (8:06 DST), I hiked all trails.
1. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (drumming) 2. Red-eyed Vireo** (v) 3. Ovenbird** 4. Tufted Titmouse (v) 5. Eastern Phoebe 6. Black-throated Green Warbler (v) 7. American Goldfinch 8. Brown Creeper (v) 9. Veery (v) 10. Hairy Woodpecker (v) 11. Eastern Wood-pewee (v) 12. Black-capped Chickadee** 13. Blue Jay (v) 14. Hermit Thrush (v) 15. Scarlet Tanager (v) 16. White-breasted Nuthatch (v) 17. Black-and-white Warbler (v) 18. Gray Catbird** 19. Common Yellowthroat 20. American Robin* 21. Song Sparrow 22. American Crow* (v) 23. Yellow Warbler 24. Eastern Towhee (v) 25. Eastern Bluebird 26. Cedar Waxwing 27. Field Sparrow (v) 28. Purple Finch (v) 29. Mourning Dove (v) 30. Chestnut-sided Warbler 31. Downy Woodpecker (v) 32. Savannah Sparrow (v)
Elsewhere
33. Mallard 34. Herring Gull
(v) Voice only *Also elsewhere **Voice only elsewhere †First-of-year
Every day lately on my hike with dog I’ve seen and/or heard young birds of various species—warblers, finches, a cowbird once, and today a jay. A recently fledged jay is about the size of an adult but with a youngsters voice and a tendency to open its beak and flutter its wings like any fledgling looking for a handout from a parent.
After a couple of sunny, humid days, today’s fog and cooler temps proved a bit of a relief. After yesterday’s first-of-year wood lily, today I saw at least a dozen. Also dewy clover and meadowsweet. Ate a few dewy blueberries.
Foggy weather returns tomorrow, so I’ve heard.
Beech Hill List Starting at 7:29 a.m. EST (8:29 DST), I hiked all trails.
1. Ovenbird 2. Red-eyed Vireo (v) 3. Black-throated Green Warbler (v) 4. Northern Cardinal** (v) 5. American Goldfinch 6. Eastern Wood-pewee (v) 7. Cedar Waxwing (v) 8. White-breasted Nuthatch (v) 9. Veery** 10. Black-capped Chickadee 11. Northern Flicker (v) 12. Eastern Towhee 13. Blue Jay 14. American Crow* (v) 15. Downy Woodpecker (v) 16. Hermit Thrush (v) 17. Tufted Titmouse (v) 18. Chestnut-sided Warbler** 19. Common Yellowthroat 20. Gray Catbird 21. Field Sparrow (v) 22. Yellow Warbler 23. Song Sparrow 24. American Robin 25. Alder Flycatcher (v) 26. Hairy Woodpecker 27. Rose-breasted Grosbeak (v) 28. Mourning Dove (v) 29. Savannah Sparrow 30. Black-and-white Warbler (v) 31. American Redstart 32. Chipping Sparrow (v)
Elsewhere
32. Eastern Phoebe (v) 33. Herring Gull
(v) Voice only *Also elsewhere **Voice only elsewhere †First-of-year
