A warm morning, with mosquitos about. Cloudless, little wend. Felt a lot like summer.
Speaking of—I heard another singing Summer Tanager down in the bottomlands. Marched off trail for a while but never did get even a peak at the bird. Will try again tomorrow.
A lovely hike, with sweat galore,
Beech Hill List Beginning at 7:20 a.m., I hiked most trails.
1. Ovenbird 2. Northern Cardinal** (v) 3. Red-eyed Vireo** 4. American Crow* 5. American Goldfinch (v) 6. Black-throated Green Warbler (v) 7. Chestnut-sided Warbler 8. American Redstart** (v) 9. Summer Tanager (v) 10. Veery 11. Hairy Woodpecker 12. Gray Catbird 13. Black-capped Chickadee** 14. Black-and-white Warbler 15. Eastern Towhee 16. Common Yellowthroat 17. Song Sparrow 18. Yellow Warbler 19. Field Sparrow (v) 20. Purple Finch (v) 21. Cedar Waxwing 22. Eastern Phoebe 23. Savannah Sparrow (v) 24. Mourning Dove 25. American Robin 26. Alder Flycatcher (v) 27. Hermit Thrush (v) 28. House Wren 29. Northern Flicker 30. Tree Swallow 31. Red-breasted Nuthatch 32. Ruby-throated Hummingbird 33.Broad-winged Hawk 34. Tufted Titmouse (v) 35. Common Raven (v) 36 Eastern Wood-pewee (v) 37. Wood Thrush (v)
Elsewhere
38. House Finch 39. Rock Pigeon
Mammals
White-tailed Deer
(v) Voice only *Also elsewhere **Voice only elsewhere †First-of-year
My favorite sparrow is the Savannah Sparrow. I love its tidy outfit, with yellow lores, and its lovely, high, insect-sounding song. Have heard too few on the trail this year (have seen even fewer), but today’s fruitful list-making morning was an exception. He even posed for photos.
Otherwise, this morning, we interacted with other humans and dogs, Jack and I, and I managed to count nearly three-dozen bird species—including a my first ever fledgling Brown Creepers.
I’ll take a morning like this any day.
Beech Hill List Beginning at 7:41 a.m., I hiked all trails.
1. Red-eyed Vireo** 2. Northern Cardinal** (v) 3. Ovenbird 4. Black-throated Green Warbler (v) 5. Common Yellowthroat 6. American Goldfinch** 7. Hairy Woodpecker (v) 8. Chestnut-sided Warbler** 9. American Redstart** 10. American Crow* (v) 11. Veery 12. Pileated Woodpecker 13. Eastern Phoebe 14. Eastern Towhee 15. Blue Jay 16. Black-and-white Warbler** 17. Gray Catbird** 18. Song Sparrow* 19. Yellow Warbler 20. Cedar Waxwing 21. Black-capped Chickadee 22. Mourning Dove 23. Turkey Vulture 24. American Robin 25. Herring Gull (v) 26. Purple Finch (v) 27. Broad-winged Hawk 28. Field Sparrow (v) 29. Savanah Sparrow 30. Common Raven 31. House Wren 32. Tufted Titmouse 33. Brown Creeper 34. Hermit Thrush 35. White-breasted Nuthatch
Elsewhere
36 Barn Swallow
(v) Voice only *Also elsewhere **Voice only elsewhere †First-of-year
Cool and overcast at the start of our hike, and humid, with very little wind. Thick fog and drippy at the summit of the hill, with low visibility. But never mind the weather—a lot going on out there.
For one thing, fledglings. I could hear them calling from their hiding places in the thick summer foliage. And I spied several adults with beaks crammed with food. I even spotted a few fledglings—Hermit Thrushes staying still, Hairy Woodpeckers begging from their mom.
Short-tailed Weasel.
Another exceptional moment: a Short-tailed Weasel bounding along the trail toward dog and me, pulling up short, then dashing off into the shrubbery again. Returning, seeing us, dashing off. Returning a third time.
(Never saw it after the third time, but did manage to grab a quick photo.)
Beech Hill List Beginning at 7:30 a.m., I hiked all trails.
1. Red-eyed Vireo** (v) 2. Song Sparrow 3. Black-throated Green Warbler (v) 4. Ovenbird** 5. American Redstart** 6. Veery 7. White-breasted Nuthatch (v) 8. Northern Cardinal** (v) 9. Eastern Towhee 10. Gray Catbird 11. Chestnut-sided Warbler 12. American Goldfinch 13. Pileated Woodpecker (v) 14. American Crow* (v) 15. Black-capped Chickadee 16. Northern Flicker 17. American Woodcock 18. Common Yellowthroat 19. Alder Flycatcher 20. Yellow Warbler 21. Northern Parula (v) 22. House Wren (v) 23. American Robin (v) 24. Black-billed Cuckoo (v) 25. Scarlet Tanager (v) 26. Hairy Woodpecker 27. Downy Woodpecker 28. Eastern Wood-pewee 29. Eastern Phoebe
Elsewhere
30. Wild Turkey
Mammals
Short-tailed Weasel
(v) Voice only *Also elsewhere **Voice only elsewhere †First-of-year
