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Posts Tagged ‘brown thrasher’
Sunday, May 6th, 2012
 Black-throated green warbler. Up early. Dog and I were hiking Beech Hill by 6:30.
 Black-and-white warbler. Birds everywhere.
Little arriving warblers chipping and flitting in the tiny leaves of the canopy. First-of-year black-throated greens singing from all directions. Two species of nuthatch across the road. Mating black-capped chickadees. First-of-year rose-breasted grosbeak, catbird, brown thrasher. First-of-year chestnut-sided and palm warblers.
We flushed four—that’s right, four—woodcocks poking about in the mud of the trail ahead of us. In overflight, I saw a huge vee of cormorants and about a half-dozen red-winged blackbirds (chuck! chuck!) flying in loose formation.
For the first time this month, the sun was bright and the sky was blue-blue.
At the summit, I caught sight of an osprey sailing over—bound from Chickawaukie Lake toward Rockport Harbor, looked like. It was carrying a fish.
A savannah sparrow sang from the peak of the sod roof of Beech Nut. What better nesting place for a savannah sparrow?
 Ovenbird. Down in the woods somewhere, turkeys were gobbling like crazy. Grouse boomed.
At the opposite parking lot, chipping sparrows sang dueling songs across Beech Hill Road. A cowbird—same bird as yesterday, I imagine—squeaked and squealed. Tree swallows, those most magnificent flyers, veered and spun above the blueberry fields.
On our way back up and over, I saw a solitary raven soar low over the summit.
We spent two and a half hours up there this morning.
And better still, this afternoon I had occasion to walk the breakwater with my friend Craig. (He’s shooting a short movie. I’m the “talent.”) Eiders, loons, cormorants, a guillemot, the voices of laughing gulls. And back at the parking lot, two species of sparrow—song and house—posed for photos.
Tonight Venus sets brightly to the west, and the moon rises brightly on the other side of the sky.
 Song sparrow. Beech Hill List
Beginning at 6:30 a.m., I hiked all trails.
1. Tufted titmouse* (v)
2. Ovenbird
3. Song sparrow* (v)
4. Northern cardinal* (v)
5. Black-throated green warbler**
6. Red-breasted nuthatch (v)
7. American goldfinch*
8. Blue-headed vireo
9. Hairy woodpecker (v)
10. White-breasted nuthatch (v)
11. Black-capped chickadee*
12. Blue jay (v)
13. Black-and-white warbler
14. American crow* (v)
15. Yellow-rumped warbler
16. Chestnut-sided warbler**
17. Northern flicker (v)
18. Nashville warbler (v)
19. Rose-breasted grosbeak** (v)
20. White-throated sparrow
21. Wild turkey (v)
22. Eastern towhee
23. Herring gull*
24. American woodcock*
25. Ruffed grouse (booming)
26. American robin*
27. Mourning dove* (v)
28. Double-crested cormorant*
29. Red-winged blackbird
30. Gray catbird** (v)
31. Savannah sparrow
32. Brown thrasher** (v)
33. Tree swallow
34. Osprey
35. Palm warbler**
36. Chipping sparrow
37. House finch*
38. Brown-headed cowbird (v)
39. Common raven
40. Eastern phoebe
Elsewhere
41. Mallard
42. Rock pigeon
43. Turkey vulture
44. European starling
45. Common eider
46. Laughing gull (v)
47. Black guillemot
48. Great black-backed gull
49. Common loon
50. House sparrow
v = Voice only
*Also elsewhere
**First-of-year bird
Tags: American crow, American goldfinch, American robin, American woodcock, black guillemot, black-and-white warbler, black-capped chickadee, black-throated green warbler, blue jay, blue-headed vireo, brown thrasher, brown-headed cowbird, chestnut-sided warbler, chipping sparrow, common eider, common loon, common raven, double-crested cormorant, eastern phoebe, eastern towhee, European starling, gray catbird, great black-backed gull, hairy woodpecker, herring gull, house finch, house sparrow, laughing gull, mallard, mourning dove, Nashville warbler, northern cardinal, northern flicker, osprey, ovenbird, palm warbler, red-breasted nuthatch, red-winged blackbird, rock pigeon, rose-breasted grosbeak, ruffed grouse, savannah sparrow, song sparrow, tree swallow, tufted titmouse, turkey vulture, white-breasted nuthatch, white-throated sparrow, wild turkey, yellow-rumped warbler
Posted in Lists, Observations | No Comments »
Tuesday, September 28th, 2010
 Yellow-throated warbler. Ever since I caught sight of my first yellow-throated warbler, I’d had a nagging wish to see it again but nearer and for a longer period—i.e., posing for a photo.
 Yellow-throated vireo. But first thing this morning, Kristen and I set off through rain toward Lobster Cove in hopes of spotting the yell0w-breasted chat everyone’s been talking about. After about five minutes, the sun emerged from behind a ceiling of clouds, and we grew hopeful. No chat, though. Nor any of the common warblers we hadn’t yet seen—black-throated green, black-and-white, black-throated blue. We did, however, see a nice aerial dogfight between a merlin and a peregrine.
Then a few of us trekked to the ballfield and around behind the school house and over to the Ice Pond on our mission for new warblers. Instead, we saw a dickcissel and an exotic sparrow or two.
No black-throated green, no black-throated blue. But we did hear from other birders that the yellow-throated warbler was still hanging around. Not until we were headed back for lunch and ran into Bryan Pfeiffer (of Vermont Bird Tours), did we think to take a little side trip along the harbor road to where we saw the yellow-throated yesterday. Sure enough, a couple noted birding experts had their binoculars trained up into some spruces, and before long we were staring ourselves up into a spruce above the road itself at the lovely little bird as it pecked around in the boughs. It lingered. It gave us some great looks. It didn’t seem to mind the little cluster of humans all observing it from just a few feet below. And I got some photos.
That made my day.
But the day wasn’t done: soon after, a couple hundred yards away, we were gazing up into an apple tree that contained a yell0w-throated vireo—another life bird for me. (Not one, but two yell0w-throated songbirds!) And then we saw a Tennessee warbler.
The weather was fickle, breeze and warm, overcast then sunny, a spattering of rain. Tonight the stars have emerged, and I hear the sound of the ocean out my window. Crazily, I ended up with the same number of species as yesterday.
I love this island.
 Brown creeper. Monhegan List
(Not in order of sighting.)
1. Mallard
2. Blue-winged teal
3. Common eider
4. Ring-necked pheasant
5. Northern gannet
6. Double-crested cormorant
7. Great blue heron
8. Osprey
9. Sharp-shinned hawk
10. Merlin
11. Peregrine falcon
12. Herring gull
13. Great black-backed gull
14. Black guillemot
15. Mourning dove
16. Belted kingfisher
17. Yellow-bellied sapsucker
18. Downy woodpecker
19. Northern flicker
20. Eastern phoebe
21. Yellow-throated vireo
22. Red-eyed vireo
23. Blue jay
24. American crow
25. Common raven
26. Black-capped chickadee
27. Red-breasted nuthatch
28. White-breasted nuthatch
29. Brown creeper
30. Carolina wren
31. House wren
32. Golden-crowned kinglet
33. American robin
34. Gray catbird
35. Brown thrasher
36. Cedar waxwing
37. Tennessee warbler
38. Yellow-rumped warbler
39. Yellow-throated warbler
40. Palm warbler
41. Blackpoll warbler
42. Common yellowthroat
43. Chipping sparrow
44. Clay-colored sparrow
45. Savannah sparrow
46. Song sparrow
47. Swamp sparrow
48. White-throated sparrow
49. Dickcissel
50. Rusty blackbird
51. Baltimore oriole
52. Purple finch
53. American goldfinch
 Tennessee warbler.
Tags: American crow, American goldfinch, American robin, Baltimore oriole, belted kingfisher, black guillemot, black-capped chickadee, blackpoll warbler, blue jay, blue-winged teal, brown creeper, brown thrasher, Carolina wren, Cedar waxwing, chipping sparrow, clay-colored sparrow, common eider, common raven, common yellowthroat, dickcissel, double-crested cormorant, downy woodpecker, eastern phoebe, golden-crowned kinglet, gray catbird, great black-backed gull, great blue heron, herring gull, mallard, merlin, mourning dove, northern flicker, northern gannet, osprey, palm warbler, peregrine falcon, purple finch, red-breasted nuthatch, red-eyed vireo, ring-necked pheasant, rusty blackbird, savannah sparrow, sharp-shinned hawk, song sparrow, swamp sparrow, Tennessee warbler, white-breasted nuthatch, white-throated sparrow, yellow-bellied sapsucker, yellow-rumped warbler, yellow-throated vireo, yellow-throated warbler
Posted in Lists, Observations | No Comments »
Sunday, September 26th, 2010
 Merlin. The day dawned overcast and much cooler than yesterday. Much cooler. So cool that I was wearing a long-sleeved undershirt, a heavy overshirt, and a hooded sweatshirt as the Elizabeth Ann pulled away from Port Clyde en route to Monhegan.
 Dickcissel. Out in Muscongus Bay, there were herring, black-backed, and laughing gulls, black guillemots, loons, cormorants, and eiders. Also, nearing the island, northern gannets. Saw no seals or whales or harbor porpoises, though. No bald eagles. A low blue cloud hung ominously off to the east.
Once arrived, I was soon walking the trails with my birding friends Kristen and Bill, watching merlin after merlin dart swiftly across the overcast. Above Manana Island, a pair of peregrines dipped and veered, alternately chasing gulls and ravens—and possibly diving after huge flocks of goldfinches. Everywhere we looked, in fact, there seemed to be flocks of goldfinches. Remarkable, for sure.
 Red-eyed vireo. But where else can you go on this earth and see merlins and peregrines and kestrels just about every time you scan the sky? Where else and when else? Oh, there probably are place-time combinations that’ll let you see these three species along with gyrfalcons gathering during fall migration. Still, this is the second time I’ve been here in late-September and seen some species of falcon pretty much any time I wanted to. They’re such expert and entertaining flyers. I can’t imagine tiring of this.
In the brush up beyond the lighthouse we saw sparrows and vireos and a dickcissel. White-throated, song, white-crowned, and clay-colored sparrows; red-eyed and Philadelphia vireos. And all this in only my first afternoon, and in less-than-idea weather.
Happy to be here.
 White-crowned sparrow (juvenile). Monhegan List
(Not in order of sighting.)
1. Wood duck
2. Mallard
3. Blue-winged teal
4. Double-crested cormorant
5. American kestrel
6. Merlin
7. Peregrine falcon
8. Herring gull
9. Greater black-backed gull
10. Mourning dove
11. Belted kingfisher
12. Downy woodpecker
13. Northern flicker
14. Philadelphia vireo
15. Red-eyed vireo
16. Blue jay
17. American crow
18. Common raven
19. Black-capped chickadee
20. Red-breasted nuthatch
21. White-breasted nuthatch
22. Hermit thrush
23. Brown thrasher
24. Cedar waxwing
25. Yellow-rumped warbler
26. Clay-colored sparrow
27. Song sparrow
28. White-throated sparrow
29. White-crowned sparrow
30. Dark-eyed junco
31. Dickcissel
32. American goldfinch
Elsewhere
33. Common eider
34. Common loon
35. Northern gannet
36. Great blue heron
37. Laughing gull
38. Black guillemot
39. American robin
 Belted kingfisher.
Tags: American crow, American goldfinch, American kestrel, American robin, belted kingfisher, black guillemot, black-capped chickadee, blue jay, blue-winged teal, brown thrasher, Cedar waxwing, clay-colored sparrow, common eider, common loon, common raven, dark-eyed junco, dickcissel, double-crested cormorant, downy woodpecker, great blue heron, greater black-backed gull, hermit thrush, herring gull, laughing gull, mallard, merling peregrine falcon, mourning dove, northern gannet, Philadelphia vireo, red-breasted nuthatch, red-eyed vireo, song sparrow, white-breasted nuthatch, white-crowned sparrow, white-throated sparrow, wood duck, yellow-rumped 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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