The forecast was for an overcast sky, but the morning brought cloudlessness and bright sun. A yellow sort of day—with goldfinches, Yellow Warblers, Common Yellowthroats, and Tiger Swallowtailbutterflies.
A new moon day, with a full solar eclipse happening in Chile somewhere. A day with scattered afternoon thudnershowers here along the shore.
(I love thundershowers. We don’t have very many here on the 44th parallel.)
Beech Hill List Beginning at 8 a.m., I hiked the open trail.
1. Veery (v) 2. Eastern Phoebe** 3. Tufted Titmouse (v) 4. Ovenbird (v) 5. American Redstart (v) 6. Chestnut-sided Warbler 7. Common Yellowthroat** (v) 8. Northern Cardinal (v) 9. American Crow* 10. American Goldfinch 11. Song Sparrow** 12. Alder Flycatcher (v) 13. Tree Swallow 14. Field Sparrow (v) 15. Gray Catbird** (v) 16. Eastern Towhee 17. Nashville Warbler (v) 18. Purple Finch (v) 19. Red-eyed Vireo (v) 20. Chipping Sparrow 21. Cedar Waxwing 22. Yellow Warbler
Elsewhere
23. Herring Gull 24. House Sparrow 25. Mourning Dove 26. Rock Pigeon
v = Voice only *Also elsewhere **Voice only elsewhere
Sun came out for a change. All that brightness and all those shadows kept the birds in hiding for the most port—that, and the presence of so many babies. But I got a peek at a fledgling Song Sparrow, spotted an angry yellowthroat with a beak full of food. Warm, breezy. Good quick hike.
Elsewhere, I spied turkeys, an Osprey, and a Cooper’s Hawk carrying a rodent of some kind.
All in the course of a July’s day.
Beech Hill List Beginning at 7:15 a.m., I hiked the open trail.
1. Red-eyed Vireo (v) 2. Hairy Woodpecker 3. Ovenbird** (v) 4. Common Yellowthroat** 5. Eastern Phoebe* (v) 6. Northern Cardinal (v) 7. Alder Flycatcher (v) 8. Song Sparrow** 9. Yellow Warbler 10. Chipping Sparrow** (v) 11. Tree Swallow 12. Eastern Towhee 13. Field Sparrow (v) 14. Cedar Waxwing (v) 15. Gray Catbird* (v) 16. Savannah Sparrow 17. American Goldfinch 18. American Crow* 19. American Redstart (v) 20. Chestnut-sided Warbler (v) 21. Veery (v) 22. Black-throated Green Warbler (v)
This early morning on the way to the hill, I saw a Broad-winged Hawk take wing from along the side of the road with a chipmunk in its talons. Thing weren’t so dramatic during our hike, dog and me.
But there were plenty of birds, more than plenty mosquitoes, and a lovely-voiced Savannah Sparrow to serenade us.
Also a threat of thundershowers, though none ever came. (Tomorrow could be a different story.)
Beech Hill List Beginning at 7:15 a.m., I hiked the open trail.
1. Veery** (v) 2. Blue Jay (v) 3. American Goldfinch (v) 4. Song Sparrow** 5. Ovenbird** (v) 6. American Crow* 7. Common Yellowthroat** 8. Red-eye Vireo** (v) 9. Eastern Towhee 10. Black-capped Chickadee (v) 11. Tufted Titmouse (v) 12. Alder Flycatcher (v) 13. Yellow Warbler 14. Field Sparrow (v) 15. Tree Swallow 16. Gray Catbird** (v) 17. Mourning Dove* 18. Eastern Phoebe** (v) 19. Savannah Sparrow 20. Chipping Sparrow 21. Chestnut-sided Warbler** 22. Nashville Warbler (v) 23. American Redstart (v) 24. Northern Cardinal
