It was a cool one, this morning. I hesitate to say I smelled a whiff of fall, considering autumn’s still a month away, but the weather conditions weren’t the only signs of the changing seasons. A number of migratory birds seemed to be revving up for a journey.
A pair of sharpies, for instance, circling in the cloudless sky, the smaller male occasionally charging at the larger female. Vultures also circled overhead. And in the woods tiny warblers chased and flitted nervously.
“Time doth flit,” wrote Dorothy Parker. It won’t be long, I suppose.
Beech Hill List Starting at 7:06 a.m. EST (8:06 DST), I hiked all trails.
Yesterday’s forecast called for showers. This morning’s called for an overcast. Reality proved a combination of each—foggy, misty, drippy. My hike with dog started out very quiet, but over time a few bird voices piped up, and then I caught sight of flittings in the understory, and eventually I heard the loud calls of two woodpecker species.
A highlight was a near approach by a white-tail, who must’ve sensed our presence a few yards away, so turned, galloped invisibly through the drippy tangles, giving out a couple of husky calls of alarm.
Photography turned out a challenging pursuit, so you’ll have to settle for a random pic of a juvenile delinquent towhee.
Beech Hill List Starting at 7:09 a.m. EST (8:09 DST), I hiked all trails.
1. Eastern Towhee 2. Song Sparrow 3. American Goldfinch** 4. Gray Catbird 5. Common Yellowthroat (v) 6. Black-capped Chickadee 7. Red-eyed Vireo (v) 8. White-breasted Nuthatch (v) 9. Tufted Titmouse 10. Black-throated Green Warbler 11. Eastern Wood-pewee 12. Blue Jay (v) 13. Pileated Woodpecker (v) 14. Downy Woodpecker (v) 15. American Crow* 16. Yellow Warbler (v)
Elsewhere
17. Mourning Dove 18. Herring Gull
Mammals
White-tailed Deer
(v) Voice only *Also elsewhere **Voice only elsewhere †First-of-year
I prepared for light rain to fall throughout my hike with dog this morning, but it was not to be. Overcast, cool, incredibly calm, and a bit humid—but no precipitation until just a faint misting as we headed back to the truck.
Many of the usual suspects showed up, as expected. Waxwings continue to flutter through clouds of treetop flies. But he big news? It didn’t rain.
Beech Hill List Starting at 6:53 a.m. EST (7:53 DST), I hiked all trails.
1. Eastern Towhee 2. Black-capped Chickadee (v) 3. American Goldfinch** 4. Blue Jay** (v) 5. Downy Woodpecker (v) 6. Cedar Waxwing 7. Yellow Warbler 8. Common Yellowthroat 9. Song Sparrow 10. Field Sparrow (v) 11. Gray Catbird* 12. American Robin 13. American Crow* 14. Eastern Wood-pewee (v) 15. Red-eyed Vireo (v) 16. White-breasted Nuthatch (v) 17. Tufted Titmouse (v) 18. Purple Finch 19. Northern Cardinal
Elsewhere
20. Wild Turkey 21. Herring Gull
(v) Voice only *Also elsewhere **Voice only elsewhere †First-of-year
