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Posts Tagged ‘brown thrasher’
Sunday, June 8th, 2014
 Brown Thrasher. A pair of Brown Thrashers persists at the summit of Beech Hill. I saw them again this second straight gorgeous weekend day, again in the spruce grove. I also saw two species of hawk (Northern Harrier, Broad-winged Hawk) and the resident pair of Common Ravens while chatting with my friend Joe, who was caulking the windows at Beech Nut. Oddly not that many people showed up at the summit while I was there.
 American Redstart. Lots of birds out, but few to be seen, what with the thickened foliage and the primal need to reproduce. Nesting pairs are laying low for the most part, hiding their nests. Species that do still sing include American Redstarts, Chestnut-sided Warblers, Ovenbirds, and Red-eyed Vireos. I even heard a short but loud song coming from the male thrasher.
Also took another afternoon bike ride, during which I heard more wood-warblers: Nashville Warbler, Northern Parula, Black-and-white Warbler. And I saw a Great Blue Heron fly over.
Lovely again tonight. Slightly cooler than last night—but still I broke out the fan.
Beech Hill List
Beginning at 11 a.m., I hiked all trails.
1. Red-eyed Vireo** (v)
2. Chestnut-sided Warbler**
3. American Robin*
4. Common Yellowthroat**
5. Black-throated Green Warbler** (v)
6. Ovenbird** (v)
7. Eastern Towhee
8. Black-and-white Warbler** (v)
9. Gray Catbird**
10. American Crow*
11. American Goldfinch (v)
12. American Redstart**
13. Rose-breasted Grosbeak (v)
14. Eastern Wood-pewee (v)
15. Mourning Dove*
16. Alder Flycatcher
17. Veery (v)
18. Hermit Thrush (v)
19. Black-capped Chickadee* (v)
20. Red-breasted Nuthatch (v)
21. Yellow Warbler**
22. Song Sparrow*
23. Eastern Phoebe**
24. House Finch (v)
25. Savannah Sparrow (v)
26. Great Crested Flycatcher** (v)
27. Northern Harrier
28. Field Sparrow
29. Broad-winged Hawk
30. Pileated Woodpecker (v)
31. Herring Gull*
32. Common Raven
33. Brown Thrasher
34. Tree Swallow
35. Cedar Waxwing** (v)
Elsewhere
36. Chipping Sparrow (v)
37. Nashville Warbler (v)
38. Brown-headed Cowbird (v)
39. Northern Parula (v)
40. Northern Cardinal
41. Great Blue Heron
v = Voice only
*Also elsewhere
**Voice only elsewhere
 Maple leaves.
Tags: alder flycatcher, American crow, American goldfinch, American redstart, American robin, black-and-white warbler, black-capped chickadee, black-throated green warbler, broad-winged hawk, brown thrasher, brown-headed cowbird, Cedar waxwing, chestnut-sided warbler, chipping sparrow, common raven, common yellowthroat, eastern phoebe, eastern towhee, eastern wood-pewee, field sparrow, gray catbird, great blue heron, great crested flycatcher, hermit thrush, herring gull, house finch, mourning dove, Nashville warbler, northern arcinal, northern harrier, northern parula, ovenbird, pileated woodpecker, red-breasted nuthatch, red-eyed vireo, rose-breasted grosbeak, savannah sparrow, song sparrow, tree swallow, veery, yellow warbler
Posted in Lists, Observations | No Comments »
Saturday, June 7th, 2014
 American Redstart (female). Ah, what a day.
 Brown Thrasher. First of all, the temperature reached 80 degrees (F), at least. Second, I did more physical activity than I have in a good while, which felt great. Third, I will sleep damn well tonight.
Got to Beech Hill early—but with Jackie (Stratton, CMLT Stewardship Project Manager) not Jack (my dog), since I was helping fertilize three or four blueberry fields (organic sulfur only). The work was fine, if a little sulfury, and it went pretty fast. Heard a bunch of birds and saw a small kettle of Broad-winged Hawks (four). Even early, you could tell this would be a warm, glorious day.
A couple hours later, I went back to the hill with Jack (my dog), and we hiked all trails. Listed more birds—including a pair of Brown Thrashers near the summit—and got a decent photo of a female American redstart near the main parking lot, where for the third straight nesting season male redstarts have been singing like crazy.
Butterflies seem to have materialized out of nowhere. Saw several species all over the hill. Also grasshoppers. And dragonflies. And Six-Spotted Tiger Beetles. And had inspiring conversations with three friendly parties of fellow hikers lured up there by the lovely Saturday weather.
 Six-spotted Tiger Beetle. Then, in mid-afternoon, I rode my bicycle some twenty miles up around Camden and back. More birds, a few crazy raindrops (under small, not very dark clouds), a bunch of other cyclists. Felt good to sweat like crazy for the first time since at least last fall.
Tonight it’s mild out. And fragrant. There’s a firefly in the rose bush, and a loon is wailing somewhere out in the cove.
Beech Hill List
Beginning at 7:30 a.m., I helped spread sulfur on next year’s blueberry fields; then at 11 a.m., I hiked all trails.
1. Red-eyed Vireo** (v)
2. Yellow Warbler** (v)
3. Common Yellowthroat** (v)
4. Chestnut-sided Warbler** (v)
5. Alder Flycatcher (v)
6. Eastern Towhee
7. American Crow*
8. American Redstart**
9. Veery
10. Ovenbird** (v)
11. Eastern Wood-pewee
12. Downy Woodpecker**
13. Chipping Sparrow** (v)
14. Song Sparrow**
15. Savannah Sparrow
16. Broad-winged Hawk**
17. Field Sparrow (v)
18. Common Raven (v)
19. Black-and-white Warbler (v)
20. Rose-breasted Grosbeak (v)
21. American Robin*
22. Nashville Warbler (v)
23. Hermit Thrush (v)
24. Gray Catbird** (v)
25. American Goldfinch (v)
26. Eastern Phoebe
27. Turkey Vulture
28. House Finch (v)
29. Blue Jay (v)
30. Tufted Titmouse**
31. Brown Thrasher
32. Black-throated Green Warbler**
Elsewhere
33. Herring Gull
34. House Sparrow
35. Mourning Dove
36. House Finch
37. European Starling
38. Red-winged Blackbird
39. Northern Cardinal
40. Cedar Waxwing (v)
41. Common Loon (v)
v = Voice only
*Also elsewhere
**Voice only elsewhere
 Black-capped Chickadee.
Tags: alder flycatcher, American crow, American goldfinch, American redstart, American robin, black-and-white warbler, black-throated green warbler, blue jay, broad-winged hawk, brown thrasher, Cedar waxwing, chestnut-sided warbler, chipping sparrow, common loon, common raven, common yellowthroat, downy woodpecker, eastern phoebe, eastern towhee, eastern wood-pewee, European starling, field sparrow, gray catbird, hermit thrush, herring gull, house finch, house sparrow, mourning dove, Nashville warbler, northern cardinal, ovenbird, red-eyed vireo, red-winged blackbird, rose-breasted grosbeak, savannah sparrow, song sparrow, tufted titmouse, turkey vulture, veery, yellow warbler
Posted in Lists, Observations | No Comments »
Tuesday, May 20th, 2014
 Black-throated Blue Warbler. Traipsed around Beech Hill Preserve in intermittent rain this morning with Jack, my dog. Warblers abounded—a few nice waves of them—but it was hard to take their pictures, what with the very dim light. I missed great, teed-up photo ops of a Black-throated Green Warbler, a couple of Magnolia Warblers, and a couple of Northern Parulas.
 Black-throated Blue Warbler, Beech Hill Preserve, Rockport, Maine, 20 May 2014. Then as we were returning through the suddenly leafy bottomlands, I heard the song of a Black-throated Green Warbler. I don’t believe I’ve ever declared this hear, but that’s my favorite wild bird species—its handsome, well-dressed look, its blueness, its buzzy call, its tendency to go solo and keep to secret places. But I’ve found them also really hard to photograph on the best of days.
We left the trail and went after the warbler. Probably spent about forty-five minutes on its trail.
I took a ton of photos, near and distant, but with the low light and all the new leaves and an over-sensitive auto-focus, I didn’t think I got any images worth sharing. But it turns out I did get a few.
Here are a couple (along with a Black-and-White Warbler enjoying breakfast.)
Beech Hill List
Beginning at 6:45 a.m., I hiked all trails.
1. Northern Parula
2. Ovenbird**
3. Black-throated Green Warbler
4. Black-and-white Warbler**
5. American Robin*
6. Blue-headed Vireo (v)
7. Common Yellowthroat**
8. Chestnut-sided Warbler
9. Eastern Towhee
10. American Redstart
11. Veery (v)
12. American Goldfinch (v)
13. Yellow Warbler
14. Mourning Dove*
15. Gray Catbird**
16. Black-capped Chickadee**
17. Brown Thrasher (v)
18. American Crow*
19. Blue Jay
20. Hermit Thrush
21. Song Sparrow**
22. Northern Flicker
23. Savannah Sparrow
24. Chipping Sparrow (v)
25. Magnolia Warbler
26. Brown-headed Cowbird
27. Black-throated Blue Warbler
28. Least Flycatcher
29. Red-eyed Vireo†
30. Eastern Phoebe
Elsewhere
31. House Sparrow
32. White-breasted Nuthatch (v)
33. Rock Pigeon
34. European Starling
35. Red-winged Blackbird
36. Common Grackle
37. Northern Cardinal
v = Voice only
*Also elsewhere
**Voice only elsewhere
†First-of-year bird
 Black-and-white Warbler.
Tags: American crow, American goldfinch, American redstart, American robin, black-and-white warbler, black-capped chickadee, black-throated blue warbler, black-throated green warbler, blue jay, blue-headed vireo, brown thrasher, brown-headed cowbird, chestnut-sided warbler, chipping sparrow, common grackle, common yellowthroat, eastern phoebe, eastern towhee, European starling, gray catbird, hermit thrush, house sparrow, least flycatcher, magnolia warbler, mourning dove, northern cardinal, northern flicker, northern parula, ovenbird, red-eyed vireo, red-winged blackbird, rock pigeon, savannah sparrow, song sparrow, veery, white-breasted nuthatch, yellow warbler
Posted in Lists, Observations | No Comments »
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| Bird Report is a (sometimes intermittent) record of the birds I encounter while hiking, see while driving, or spy outside my window. —Brian Willson |
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