The youngsters are staring to drop. Doesn’t take long for an egg to be laid and a fledgling to leave the next. Which brings me to the thought that it’d do us great good if we can just disentangle ourselves from this whole process.
But of course we Homo sapiens just can’t resist pretending we’re rulers of the planet, can we.
Still, a little baby Chipping Sparrow resurrects hope and promise on a lovely summer day.
Beech Hill List Beginning at 7:15 a.m., I hiked the open trail.
1. American Robin* 2. Red-eyed Vireo** 3. American Goldfinch** 4. American Redstart (v) 5. Chipping Sparrow 6. Cedar Waxwing 7. American Crow* 8. Veery (v) 9. Rose-breasted Grosbeak (v) 10. Tree Swallow 11. Northern Cardinal 12. Alder Flycatcher (v) 13. Song Sparrow 14. Ovenbird (v) 15. Eastern Towhee (v) 16. Common Yellowthroat 17. Chestnut-sided Warbler (v) 18. Field Sparrow (v) 19. Eastern Phoebe* 20. Black-billed Cuckoo (v) 21. Yellow Warbler (v) 22. Eastern Wood-pewee** (v) 23. Black-capped Chickadee** (v) 24. Gray Catbird (v)
Elsewhere
25. Mourning Dove 26. Herring Gull 27. House Sparrow (v) 28. Red-winged Blackbird (v)
v = Voice only *Also elsewhere **Voice only elsewhere
Fog first thing, a deep overcast. Birds weren’t talking much, but neither were they silent. Heard an alternate cuckoo call up in the area where I nabbed a photo of one the other day. Got a photo of a yellowthroat.
A low-key but inspiring morning.
Beech Hill List Beginning at 8 a.m., I hiked all trails.
1. Red-eyed Vireo 2. Ovenbird (v) 3. American Redstart (v) 4. Black-throated Green Warbler (v) 5. Chestnut-sided Warbler** 6. Common Yellowthroat** 7. Veery 8. Eastern Wood-pewee (v) 9. Black-capped Chickadee (v) 10. Eastern Towhee (v) 11. Gray Catbird 12. Black-and-white Warbler (v) 13. Nashville Warbler (v) 14. American Crow* 15. Northern Flicker 16. American Goldfinch** 17. Alder Flycatcher 18. Field Sparrow (v) 19. Song Sparrow* 20. Yellow Warbler 21. Great Crested Flycatcher (v) 22. Tree Swallow 23. Eastern Phoebe (v) 24. Chipping Sparrow (v) 25. American Robin* 26. Black-billed Cuckoo (v) 27. Tufted Titmouse (v) 28. Hermit Thrush (v) 29. Black-throated Blue Warbler 30. Least Flycatcher (v)
Elsewhere
31. Mourning Dove 32. Herring Gull 33. European Starling 34. Rock Pigeon 35. House Sparrow 36. Blue Jay (v)
v = Voice only *Also elsewhere **Voice only elsewhere
A sunny, warm, kind of glorious morning. Spring at last. A breeze rose in the fully-fledged trees, and the resulting hush obscured some birdsong—but I heard enough (and saw enough) to have a happy hike with dog.
Portrait of chestnut-sided Warbler.
Happiest occurrence: A Black-billed Cuckoo zipped up to a branch directly in front of us along the wooded trail and posed for photos. I rarely get to photograph these shy birds.
Back home, a curiosity: the call of a kingfisher where I’d never heard one before. Weird.
Beech Hill List Beginning at 8 a.m., I hiked the open trail.
