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Posts Tagged ‘herring gull’
Thursday, June 12th, 2014
 Eastern Bluebirds. Gray and drizzly and cool today. For a change. Not bad, after you have a string of warm and sunny days. I went to camden and wrote for a while at the Owl and Turtle cafe, which was nice. (PSA: great coffee.) Then I worked on a font until late afternoon, when I yoinked dog into the pickup and we hiked up the open Beech Hill trail, whose edges had been freshly mowed.
 Blue flags. A dim, dark sky made photography a challenge with my trusty cheapo camera—but as I was angling for a shot of a trailside yellowthroat, I heard the voice of bluebirds. And there they were, a little family of them, flitting about in the trees. At least the blue against the green makes for an eye-catching photo.
Heard several other species—including another blue one (jay)—and spotted some Song Sparrows. In fact, I spotted more birds away from Beech Hill Preserve than I did up there today.
But that’s OK.
Beech Hill List
Beginning at 4:15 p.m., I hiked the open trail.
1. Chestnut-sided Warbler (v)
2. Red-eyed Vireo (v)
3. American Robin* (v)
4. American Redstart** (v)
5. American Goldfinch (v)
6. Ovenbird (v)
7. Yellow Warbler** (v)
8. American Crow* (v)
9. Alder Flycatcher (v)
10. Song Sparrow**
11. Common Yellowthroat**
12. Eastern Bluebird
13. Eastern Towhee (v)
14. Savannah Sparrow (v)
15. Blue Jay (v)
16. Chipping Sparrow (v)
17. Tufted Titmouse (v)
Elsewhere
18. House Sparrow
19. Herring Gull
20. European Starling
21. Common Grackle
22. Mourning Dove
23. Osprey
24. Black-capped Chickadee (v)
v = Voice only
*Also elsewhere
**Voice only elsewhere
Tags: alder flycatcher, American crow, American goldfinch, American redstart, American robin, black-capped chickadee, blue jay, chestnut-sided warbler, chipping sparrow, common grackle, common yellowthroat, European starling, herring gull, house sparrow, mourning dove, osprey, ovenbird, red-eyed vireo, savannah sparrow, song sparrow, tufted titmouse, yellow warbler
Posted in Lists, Observations | No Comments »
Wednesday, June 11th, 2014
 Eastern Phoebe. I didn’t go out cycling today and felt guilty about it all afternoon. Because the weather was mild, if not exactly sunny, and the wind wasn’t too bad. My body just felt a need to rest up after four days and about seventy-five miles. Instead, I did desk work until mid-afternoon, when dog and I hit the hill. Hard.
 Ocellate “Maple Eyespot” Gall. Well, not that hard. We kind of lollygagged up the open trail, Jack sniffing posts and grass clumps, me counting birds. I had sixteen today, mostly just the usual suspects but with a nice look at a screaming Broad-winged Hawk.
Another cool diversion was my first-ever look (that I recall) at Ocellate “Maple Eyespot” Gall—a colorful phenomenon resulting from the chemicals emitted by tiny midge larvae that attach to male leaves—and also the appearance of several flashy Eastern Black Swallowtail butterflies.
The fields were green, the sky a hazy blue. Then, on our way home, I spotted a dashing male Sharp-shinned Hawk, dressed in formal attire and perched on a utility line. I stopped the pickup, hit the emergency flashers, and squeezed out of my passenger door to turn and grab a photo. The bird saw me do that, though, and flew.
Come to think of it, despite the clouds and haze, this was a colorful day.
Beech Hill List
Beginning at 3:15 p.m., I hiked the open trail.
1. Ovenbird** (v)
2. Blue Jay (v)
3. Black-capped Chickadee (v)
4. American Redstart** (v)
5. American Crow*
6. Yellow Warbler**
7. American Goldfinch (v)
8. Song Sparrow**
9. House Finch
10. Chipping Sparrow**
11. Alder Flycatcher (v)
12. Eastern Towhee (v)
13. Common Yellowthroat** (v)
14. Eastern Phoebe
15. Broad-winged Hawk
16. Cedar Waxwing
17. Chestnut-sided Warbler (v)
18. Black-and-white Warbler (v)
Elsewhere
19. House Sparrow
20. Gray Catbird (v)
21. Herring Gull
22. Northern Cardinal
23. European Starling
24. Sharp-shinned Hawk
v = Voice only
*Also elsewhere
**Voice only elsewhere
 Eastern Black Swallowtail.
Tags: alder flycatcher, American crow, American goldfinch, American redstart, black-and-white warbler, black-capped chickadee, blue jay, broad-winged hawk, Cedar waxwing, chestnut-sided warbler, chipping sparrow, common yellowthroat, eastern phoebe, eastern towhee, European starling, herring gull, house finch, house sparrow, northern cardinal, ovenbird, sharp-shinned hawk, song sparrow, yellow warbler
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Tuesday, June 10th, 2014
 Song Sparrow. A break in the pattern of warmth and humidity. A cool, overcast sort of day. None of the forecast rain showed up, although it threatened—to my eyes, at least. I know this from cycling eighteen or twenty miles around the county in afternoon, from post office to polling place to town clerk’s counter to renew my vehicle registration. Also ran an errand in Camden. No rain, though—just a stout northwest wind.
 I. versicolor. The wind cooled my late-afternoon hike with dog, but it was still warm enough for a t-shirt. Lousy conditions for birding, is all, especially at that time of day. I ended up with a measly fourteen species (farm road only) and missed photographing three or four teed-up birds that decided to split just as I was ready to release the shutter. The new-blooming wild iris posed cooperatively, at least. And the air smelled good. And the tall grass was rippling in the wind.
Tonight the moon is bright and nearly full. The air is cool. Good sleeping weather.
Beech Hill List
Beginning at 4:45 p.m., I hiked the open trail.
1. Red-eyed Vireo** (v)
2. American Redstart** (v)
3. Chestnut-sided Warbler** (v)
4. American Robin*
5. American Goldfinch** (v)
6. Yellow Warbler** (v)
7. Song Sparrow**
8. Eastern Towhee
9. Common Yellowthroat**
10. Herring Gull*
11. Gray Catbird* (v)
12. American Crow*
13. Alder Flycatcher (v)
14. Ovenbird (v)
Elsewhere
15. House Sparrow (v)
16. Osprey (v)
17. Chipping Sparrow (v)
18. European Starling
19. Black-throated Green Warbler (v)
20. Northern Parula (v)
21. Tufted Titmouse (v)
22. Northern Cardinal (v)
23. Common Grackle
24. Mallard
25. Black-capped Chickadee (v)
v = Voice only
*Also elsewhere
**Voice only elsewhere
Tags: alder flycatcher, American crow, American goldfinch, American redstart, American robin, black-capped chickadee, black-throated green warbler, chestnut-sided warbler, chipping sparrow, common grackle, common yellowthraot, eastern towhee, European starling, gray catbird, herring gull, house sparrow, mallard, northern cardinal, northern parula, osprey, ovenbird, red-eyed vireo, song sparrow, tufted titmouse, 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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