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Posts Tagged ‘common redpoll’
Saturday, January 8th, 2011
 Bright horizon. An overcast morning. And not very cold. A very light dusting of snow on the deck, but it vanished quickly thanks to a temperature somewhere above freezing.
Crows in the wood. Chickadees, too.
 Weed flowers. A busy morning of Saturday errands. Herring gulls and a wheeling flock of pigeons in town. Coming up Route 1 just beyond the hospital, I saw a couple-three crows dive-bombing a big bird perched on a bare limb overhanging the road on the opposite shoulder. A hawk of some kind. Having my camera with me, I pulled over, but as soon as the pickup stopped, the big bird flew, flashing a red tail like a quarter piece of pie.
At the dump, distributing recyclables into the over-stuffed bins. I looked up to see a couple flocks of small birds zipping overhead. Redpolls.
We hurried back down Route 1 and turned on South Street toward Beech Hill. Just before the turnoff, I saw what I thought was a jay crossing the road, but I got a good look at it on the trunk of a tree as I passed: a hairy woodpecker.
A few cars in the lot. Chickadees in the trees. Also a kinglet emitting its high-pitched, three-note call. And the faint beeps of a white-breasted nuthatch.
 Birch. We met a couple groups of ladies coming down the ice-slick trail, one group with two dogs and the other with three. I heard the cry of a flicker, the caw of a crow. Away to the south, a fine bright line of silver marked the distant bay horizon—sunlight flooding the water over there. Early forecasts had called for the possibility of snow, but I knew then there’d be no significant snowfall. At the summit, we stopped to listen. Nearly silent. Very little wind. Only the faint calls of chickadees from down the eastern slope.
Descending, I heard the croak of a raven. Then we met a couple with another dog. Eight humans, seven dogs braving the hard, slick trail today.
Later, sure enough, the clouds thinned. But they regrouped after dark—and a minute ago I even thought I felt a slight spray of tiny flakes of snow.
Beech Hill List
Beginning at 12:15 p.m., I hiked the open trail.
1. Black-capped chickadee
2. Golden-crowned kinglet
3. White-breasted nuthatch
4. Northern flicker
5. American crow
6. Common raven
Elsewhere
7. Herring gull
8. Rock pigeon
9. Red-tailed hawk
10. Common redpoll
11. Hairy woodpecker
Tags: American crow, black-capped chickadee, common raven, common redpoll, golden-crowned kinglet, hairy woodpecker, herring gull, northern flicker, red-tailed hawk, rock pigeon, white-breasted nuthatch
Posted in Lists, Observations | No Comments »
Sunday, December 19th, 2010
 December sky. It was a sunny day, to start—perhaps with a bit of haze in the air. When I first stepped out, I heard the voices of a fair-sized flock of finches that settled in some trees across the road. I figured these for redpolls. Also some vocal house sparrows over there. And some crows about, as always.
 Oak. The day proceeded in sunny fashion until midday, when some clouds moved over. I spent much of it attending to errands. Then, at about two, Jack and I proceeded to Beech Hill.
Several cars in the parking lot, it being a relatively mild December Sunday. We met several humans and not a few dogs. The sky proved fairly dramatic as we hiked up. I heard chickadees and a solitary flicker. No wind to speak of. A half-firm, half-soft trail.
Coming back down, we met more humans and a big yellow dog named Gus. Back at the parking lot, I heard the voice of a white-breasted nuthatch.
Returning home, we swung by Chickawaukie Lake. The pond’s surface was nearly completely frozen over. I thought I might see coots or ducks or eagles. In fact, I saw a mere few mallards. No coots. But a total of four bald eagles standing on the ice away out in the middle, one standing solo, and three standing together—a solitary adult, and an adult with two juveniles. The adult appeared belligerent toward one of the two youngsters with it; the young bird first walked nervously away then (when I wasn’t looking) vanished entirely. I never did see it flying across the dimming December sky.
 Red squirrel. Tonight, a veil of clouds is passing over the nearly full moon. I watched the moon while thinking about a friend who passed away unexpectedly yesterday.
Beech Hill List
Beginning at 2 p.m., I hiked the open trail.
1. Black-capped chickadee
2. Northern flicker
3. White-breasted nuthatch
Elsewhere
4. House sparrow
5. American crow
6. Common redpoll
7. House finch
8. Golden-crowned kinglet
9. Downy woodpecker
10. American crow
11. Herring gull
12. American robin
 Three eagles.
Tags: American crow, American robin, black-capped chickadee, common redpoll, downy woodpecker, golden-crowned kinglet, herring gull, house finch, house sparrow, northern flicker, white-breated nuthatch
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Saturday, December 18th, 2010
 American wigeon. The day began early. I rose and dressed in many layers, as I had an 8 a.m. date at the Rockland Breakwater—the nearly-mile-long granite structure that stretches out into Rockland’s wide harbor. In the past few years, it’s seemed that our local Christmas Bird Count happens to fall on one of the coldest, windiest days of the year so far. Today was a happy exception.
 Herring gull (juvenile). Oh, it was chilly. I was happy to have on a few layers. But the air was still, and the temperature soon rose into the upper-20s (F)—as opposed to the low-teens of recent years—and this mostly sunny day delivered an ample supply of birds.
As always, I met my friends Kristen and Paul, along with Joe from Coastal Mountains Land Trust. Notable was the state of the tide: high. I thought first, on seeing this, that we might miss out on purple sandpipers. In my experience, they seem to prefer mid-tide, when they can poke around in the marine plant life clinging low on the granite stones. But the thought soon vanished amid the calls of the large raft of Canada geese floating in the lee of the breakwater (a challenge to count) and the adult bald eagle that sailed overhead within minutes of the beginning of our excursion.
Soon we were counting eiders, guillemots, mergansers, gulls, long-tailed ducks, loons, great cormorants. Across the way, the Owls Head Light stood sentinel against a golden morning sky. And about half-way out—a sandpiper.
 Mallards. All told, we saw at least a half-dozen purple sandpipers. Herring and ring-billed gulls. And around the shore of the Samoset Resort property, goldeneyes, black-ducks, mallards, horned and red-necked grebes. The air warmed genially. Finally, with the fifteenth species, we counted a regular ol’ songbird: an American goldfinch.
In other locations nearby, we saw finches, sparrows, chickadees, woodpeckers, and other common passerines. We even saw a solitary great blue heron flapping away across the harbor. At Clam Cove, a large flock of small gulls swept in: Bonaparte’s. Soon after, we stopped at the entrance to a hillside subdivision, a place marked by alders and cattails, and spotted a small flock of common redpolls.
At the southern shore of Chickawakie Lake (also in our territory), we counted the usual dozens of mallards—but among them Kristen spotted a single American wigeon. A young bird, it seemed, and not very skittish. I managed many photos.
An adult eagle sat on the ice far across the lake. A tight-bunched collection of coots hung together just beyond. And overhead, a red-tailed hawk soared just this side of the sun.
 Purple sandpiper. I ditched the count in early afternoon—and no doubt Kristen and Paul found many more interesting species this afternoon—but that’s OK. I so appreciate this single momentous annual birding day. It seems even more momentous being so near the solstice.
Later, Jack and I walked Beech Hill, as usual. Only a crow and a flicker up there this afternoon—and I could only tell from their voices—but a lovely hillside, a few small groups of friendly humans (and one young dog), and a lovely rising moon. Our routine hike seemed the perfect ribbon with which to tie a bow on the gift that was this lovely, birdy day.
Beech Hill List
Beginning at 2:45 p.m., I hiked the open trail.
1. Northern flicker (voice)
2. American crow (voice)
Elsewhere
3. House sparrow
4. Canada goose
5. Bald eagle
6. Common eider
7. Red-breasted merganser
8. Herring gull
9. Bufflehead
10. Black guillemot
11. Ring-billed gull
12. Long-tailed duck
13. Common loon
14. Great cormorant
15. Purple sandpiper
16. Common goldeneye
17. American goldfinch
18. Black duck
19. Mallard
20. Horned grebe
21. Red-necked grebe
22. Blue jay
23. House finch
24. White-throated sparrow
25. Black-capped chickadee
26. Northern cardinal
27. Downy woodpecker
28. White-breasted nuthatch
29. Hairy woodpecker
30. American robin
31. Great black-backed gull
32. Great blue heron
33. European starling
34. Bonaparte’s gull
35. Tufted titmouse
36. Common redpoll
37. American coot
38. American wigeon
39. Red-tailed hawk
 Owls Head Light.
Tags: American coot, American crow, American goldfinch, American robin, American wigeon, bald eagle, black duck, black guillemot, black-capped chickadee, blue jay, Bonaparte's gull, bufflehead, Canada goose, common eider, common goldeneye, common loon, common redpoll, downy woodpecker, European starling, great black-backed gull, great blue heron, great cormorant, hairy woodpecker, herring gull, horned grebe, house finch, house sparrow, long-tailed duck, mallard, northern cardinal, northern flicker, purple sandpiper, red-breasted merganser, red-necked grebe, red-tailed hawk, ring-billed gull, tufted titmouse, white-breasted nuthatch, white-throated sparrow
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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