When I first checked out the world this morning, it was dry. That was a switch. The dryness of the world prompted me to rouse Jack for a hike around Beech Hill. But first—wouldn’t you know?—I caught sight of a phoebe zipping silently away from the nest atop my back window. I guess my nest-abandonment worries were unfounded. (Yet again.) Sneaky little birds.

We descended the back stairs to the accompaniment of the song of the resident house finch. Also noticed a catbird out there (first at my place this year). Saw crows. Heard an ovenbird. And a titmouse.

No vehicles in the Rockville Street parking lot when we arrived—but plenty of warblers in the periphery. Again, in fact, the first several species on my list today were warblers. Also the voices of a robin, a blue-headed vireo, and gulls. A redstart singing near the little brook. A veery in the trees. The usual rose-breasted grosbeak.

As we came around the curve by the big glacial stones and on through the grove of poplars, I paused to scan the canopy; but when I began to walk again, Jack wasn’t ready to go. I looked to see him staring fixedly off into the undergrowth. I know by now to pay attention to such fixed dog stares and finally made out what he was so interested in: a hoary ol’ porcupine was lumbering slowly along about twenty feet off the trail. We stayed to watch it for a while (too much intervening foliage for a photo) before I advised him that porcupines were off-limits and we continued on our way.

As we ascended, the songs kept coming: black-and-white warbler, goldfinch, jay. At one point, I heard the screams of an osprey and looked up to see one carrying a fish on high—and another swooping low over the trees.

The mew! of a catbird, the chip of a white-throat, the liquid notes of a tree swallow. And soon I heard the call of my first Beech Hill waxwing of the season. Perhaps my concerns about a dearth of that species are also unfounded.

Coming around the turn through the upper fields, I heard the faint dee-dee! of a hummingbird—their subtle call of alarm—and we stopped. As I peered in the direction of the call (they’re hard to spot when perching), another one darted by and sat on a twig not far from us, clearly unaware. A female. I got a pretty decent photo.

After a day without savannah sparrows, I saw two this morning—but heard none singing. Must be that nesting time of year.

Heard a field sparrow, though, and a red-winged blackbird. Also a cowbird. And a grosbeak singing loudly again from down toward the Beech Hill Road parking lot.

On our return, soon after we entered the lower wooded trail, as we were walking slow, listening, the sound of wingbeats shot past us from behind, and a handsome male pileated woodpecker appeared on the trunk of a fallen tree not very far away. I remembered that my camera can record pretty decent videos and got about thirty seconds of it poking around. Also snapped a few photos.

Down in the deeper woods, I heard the chiming alternate call of a black-throated blue warbler—and then the whistles of a broad-winged hawk. I even spotted the hawk in the distance through the canopy.

Many good birds. A fruitful hike. But it wouldn’t be my last today.

Because Jack and I met my friend Liz and her son, Daniel, for a midday stroll through the Ducktrap River Preserve—a place she’d visited for a bird walk last weekend (led by my friend Kristen) but where I’d never been. Again, we were greeted by warblers’ voices, along with the cries of a rising osprey. Black flies decided to swarm, too, which proved a challenge for us humans but no doubt kept the birds happy. Before long, I’d seen my first-of-year Wilson’s warbler. We heard a pair of ravens fly over, heard the drumming of a grouse, and heard the cries of a red-shouldered hawk. I also caught the rattle of a kingfisher down toward the river—another first-of-year bird for me.

As we came through a stretch of tall conifers, blackburnian warblers began to sing from the canopy. Quite a few of them, each with a slightly different very-high-pitched song. They’re such gorgeous little birds but so hard to see—although I think we each got at least a peek.

An hour or so in, with a least flycatcher calling nearby, I pointed out the song of a tanager coming from a wooded slope below us, but it was Daniel who spotted the bird. Also my first tanager of the year.

Not long after the black flies were joined by mosquitos, we decided to turn back. Right about then I heard a low barking call in the distance behind us. A faraway dog or a barred owl? We stopped, listened, and confirmed that, by golly, it was an owl.

In all, we counted thirty-one species along the Ducktrap today. Another very fruitful hike.

Back home, checking out the nuthatch cavity, I happened to spot a red blotch on the ground between the tree trunks up the back hill. I squinted, but it sat motionless. Some bit of wind-blown trash? Nope. It finally moved. A male cardinal.

And tonight, not long ago—under the first clear sky I’ve seen in more than a week—I heard the flight song of a woodcock.

Beech Hill List
Beginning at 9 a.m., I hiked all trails.

1. Ovenbird
2. Northern parula (voice)
3. Black-throated green warbler (voice)
4. Common yellowthroat
5. Chestnut-sided warbler
6. American robin
7. Blue-headed vireo (voice)
8. Herring gull
9. American redstart
10. Black-and-white warbler
11. Veery (voice)
12. Rose-breasted grosbeak (voice)
13. Blue jay (voice)
14. American goldfinch (voice)
15. White-throated sparrow
16. Osprey
17. Gray catbird
18. Hermit thrush (voice)
19. Tree swallow
20. Black-capped chickadee
21. Mourning dove (voice)
22. Cedar waxwing (voice)
23. Northern flicker (voice)
24. Yellow warbler (voice)
25. Ruby-throated hummingbird
26. Song sparrow
27. American crow (voice)
28. Savannah sparrow
29. Nashville warbler (voice)
30. Red-winged blackbird (voice)
31. Field sparrow (voice)
32. Great crested flycatcher (voice)
33. Chipping sparrow
34. Hairy woodpecker (voice)
35. Eastern phoebe
36. Brown-headed cowbird
37. Pileated woodpecker
38. Black-throated blue warbler (voice)
39. Broad-winged hawk

Ducktrap River Preserve
Beginning at 12 noon, I hiked the trail for a couple hours.

Chestnut-sided warbler
Northern parula
Common yellowthroat
Ovenbird
Osprey
Black-throated green warbler
Black-capped chickadee
Mourning dove
Rose-breasted grosbeak
40. Wilson’s warbler
41. Common raven
Veery
Blue jay
Hermit thrush
American robin
American goldfinch
Nashville warbler
41. Ruffed grouse
42. Magnolia warbler
43. Red-shouldered hawk
44. Least flycatcher
45. Blackburnian warbler
Black-and-white warbler
Northern flicker
46. Belted kingfisher
Blue-headed vireo
47. Purple finch
48. Scarlet tanager
49. White-breasted nuthatch
50. Barred owl
Eastern phoebe

Elsewhere

51. House finch
52. House sparrow
53. Tufted titmouse
54. Double-crested cormorant
55. European starling
56. Mallard
57. Common grackle
58. Northern cardinal
59. American woodcock