Rained most of the night again last night, but an early morning lull corresponded nicely with the time of my morning hike with dog. Full sky overcast. Wet but not as wet as yesterday, windy but not as windy. And more bird species. Hard to photograph wildlife in such dim light, but I did get a half-way decent pic of a nuthatch.
Was even darker down along the wooded trail, where we surprised a white-tail. I watched it bound away, tail high, and disappear.
Beech Hill List Beginning at 7:29 a.m., I hiked all trails (and then some).
1. American Crow* 2. Black-capped Chickadee** 3. American Goldfinch (v) 4. Red-breasted Nuthatch 5. Northern Flicker 6. Herring Gull* 7. American Robin (v) 8. Yellow-rumped Warbler (v) 9. Blue Jay (v) 10. White-breasted Nuthatch
Well, wasn’t this morning’s a fun birding excursion. Dog and I hit the trail kind of early—same time as yesterday, pretty much—but things seemed awfully quiet to start. Then, as we approached the edge between woodlands and open fields, all heaven broke loose.
Heard (and saw) Red-bellied Woodpeckers. Flushed a couple of turkeys. Then at the little summit spruce grove, where a fly hatch was going on, a couple unexpected species showed up. Most notably, a little group of orioles (first of year). But also a solitary Least Flycatcher, which must’ve been having a field day up there.
Also, at one point, I heard a Killdeer fly overhead. Random.
Random, but really cool.
Beech Hill List Beginning at 7:14 a.m., I hiked most trails.
1. American Goldfinch** 2. American Crow* 3. Red-eyed Vireo** 4. Black-throated Green Warbler (v) 5. Pileated Woodpecker (v) 6. Mourning Dove* (v) 7. Eastern Wood-pewee 8. Black-capped Chickadee** 9. Hermit Thrush (v) 10. Blue Jay (v) 11. Tufted Titmouse 12 White-breasted Nuthatch** 13. Red-bellied Woodpecker 14. Northern Flicker (v) 15. Wild Turkey 16. Eastern Towhee 17. Alder Flycatcher 18. Common Yellowthroat 19. Gray Catbird 20. Cedar Waxwing 21. Song Sparrow 22. Yellow Warbler (v) 23. American Robin 24. Rose-breasted Grosbeak 25. Baltimore Oriole† 26. Field Sparrow (v) 27. Eastern Phoebe 28. Least Flycatcher 29. Black-and-white Warbler 30. Eastern Bluebird 31. Savanna Sparrow (v) 32. Downy Woodpecker 33. Killdeer (v) 24. Red-breasted Nuthatch (v) 35. Northern Cardinal (v) 36. Hairy Woodpecker
Elsewhere
37. Herring Gull 38. Chipping Sparrow (v)
Mammals
White-tailed Deer (v)
(v) Voice only *Also elsewhere **Voice only elsewhere †First-of-year
Got up to the trail head early, dog and I. And, wow, what a day.
Noteworthy:
Wild Turkey poult in tree.
• a first-of-year Chimney Swift flew over as we approached the summit • a Wood Frog appeared on the lower wooded trail, expertly camouflaged • a White-tailed Deer bounded away as we reached the summit (and for the first time I heard the alarm call of a white-tailed deer—since this one must’ve had a fawn or two nearby) • a group of about sixteen turkeys flushed as we returned down the upper trail, with the many poults flying up into the trees
I’d redo this hike again, if I could. (Ahh, summertime!)
Beech Hill List Beginning at 7:07 a.m., I hiked all trails.
1. Red-eyed Vireo** 2. Black-throated Green Warbler (v) 3. Hermit Thrush (v) 4. Ovenbird (v) 5. American Goldfinch** 6. Tufted Titmouse (v) 7. Black-and-white Warbler 8. Chestnut-sided Warbler 9. Northern Cardinal** (v) 10. American Crow* 11. Black-capped Chickadee 12. American Robin* (v) 13. American Redstart 14. Downy Woodpecker 15. Northern Flicker (v) 16. Eastern Wood-pewee 17. Blue Jay (v) 18. Eastern Towhee 19. White-breasted Nuthatch (v) 20. Brown Creeper (v) 21. Common Yellowthroat 22. Turkey Vulture 23. Gray Catbird (v) 24. Yellow Warbler 25. Song Sparrow** 26. Cedar Waxwing 27. Chimney Swift† 28. Alder Flycatcher (v) 29. Field Sparrow 30. Red-breasted Nuthatch** (v) 31. Prairie Warbler (v) 32. Savannah Sparrow 33. Wild Turkey
Elsewhere
34. Rock Pigeon 35. Broad-winged Hawk (v)
Mammals
Eastern Chipmunk White-tailed Deer
Amphibians
Wood Frog
(v) Voice only *Also elsewhere **Voice only elsewhere †First-of-year
