4 November 2024

Posts Tagged ‘American kestrel’

August Warblers

Tuesday, August 22nd, 2023
Ovenbird, Beech Hill Preserve, Rockport, Maine, 22 August 2023.
Ovenbird.

The sun emerged this morning first thing, but the air remained nighttime-cool. I almost smelled a nip of fall in the air—but not quite. And it warmed up a lot as the day lengthened.

The excitement of the day—other than the random appearance of a kestrel—turned out to be a little batch of silent warblers. Their silence has persisted for a good while now, but sighting them has been a challenge, what with the tendency of most to stick to the leafy canopy. But I managed four on my list this morning (and photographed three).

Weather-wise, tomorrow’s supposed to be a similar kind of day. Hmmm…

Beech Hill List
Starting at 7:13 a.m. EST (8:13 DST), I hiked all trails.

1. Northern Flicker (v)
2. American Goldfinch
3. Red-eyed Vireo (v)
4. Eastern Wood-pewee** (v)
5. White-breasted Nuthatch** (v)
6. Black-capped Chickadee
7. American Crow*
8. Black-throated Green Warbler
9. Black-and-white Warbler (v)
10. Ovenbird
11. Tufted Titmouse (v)
12. Brown Creeper (v)
13. Gray Catbird
14. Eastern Towhee (v)
15. Common Yellowthroat
16. Cedar Waxwing
17. Song Sparrow
18. American Kestrel

Elsewhere

19. Mourning Dove
20. Wild Turkey
21. Rock Pigeon

Mammals

White-tailed Deer

(v) Voice only
*Also elsewhere
**Voice only elsewhere

†First-of-year

Auspicious Day

Tuesday, May 9th, 2023
Black-throated Blue Warbler (first of year), Beech Hill Preserve, Rockport, Maine, 09 May 2023.
Black-throated Blue Warbler (first of year).

This morning Captain Jack and I led a bird walk along the sunny, warming trails of Beech Hill Preserve. A real good number of folks (twenty-ish?) showed up, and the universe smiled on us.

Right away, birds—and among them, again, plenty of them warblers.

Other noteworthy birds were a pair of calling Broad-winged Hawks, a drumming Pileated Woodpecker, a photogenic kestrel, a plethora of towhees. But for the second straight day, I tallied two first-of-year warblers—a Yellow Warbler, and (my favorite) a Black-throated Blue Warbler. (The latter even posed for a nice photo.)

It was fun to tell a few stories of the hill, to offer a few tips, to recall some humorous bird-related memories. An auspicious day, this 9th of May.

Beech Hill List
Beginning at 6:30 a.m. sun time (7:30 DST), I hiked all trails.

1. Black-and-white Warbler
2. Brown Creeper (v)
3. Black-capped Chickadee*
4. Northern Cardinal* (v)
5. Ovenbird** (v)
6. Tufted Titmouse (v)
7. Eastern Towhee**
8. Blue Jay (v)
9. American Goldfinch
10. Chestnut-sided Warbler
11. Chipping Sparrow (v)
12. Eastern Bluebird
13. American Crow*
14. Turkey Vulture*
15. American Kestrel
16. Field Sparrow (v)
17. Song Sparrow**
18. Savannah Sparrow (v)
19. Tree Swallow
20. Eastern Phoebe**
21. White-throated Sparrow* (v)
22. Gray Catbird (v)
23. Yellow-rumped Warbler
24. Purple Finch
25. Black-throated Blue Warbler
26. Northern Parula
27. Yellow Warbler
28. Red-breasted Nuthatch (v)
29. Black-throated Green Warbler** (v)
30. Broad-winged Hawk
31. Pileated Woodpecker (drumming)
32. Hairy Woodpecker (v)
33. Common Raven (v)
34. Blue-headed Vireo (v)
35. Osprey

Elsewhere

36. Mallard
37. Pine Warbler (v)
38. House Finch
39. Herring Gull

(v) Voice only
*Also elsewhere
**Voice only elsewhere

†First-of-year

Warblers

Monday, May 8th, 2023
Chestnut-sided Warbler, Beech Hill Preserve, Rockport, Maine, 08 May 2023.
Chestnut-sided Warbler.

Cooler than yesterday, with a bit of a disadvantageous (northerly, westerly) breeze, but still the birds arrived. More species on my list today than on any other day this year.

Notable were first-of-year Blackburnian Warbler and Common Yellowthroat. Also had a random kinglet, a kestrel dining on a snake, and only a single crow. But the warblers were stars on this sunny spring day.

Eight warbler species showed up this morning (including the firsts-of-year above), each singing its distinctive spring song. Just lovely.

I do hope they turn up again tomorrow, when I lead my first Beech Hill bird walk in a while.

Beech Hill List
Beginning at 6:13 a.m. real time (7:13 DST), I hiked all trails.

1. American Robin (v)
2. Eastern Phoebe*
3. Black-throated Green Warbler**
4. Black-and-white Warbler**
5. Blue Jay** (v)
6. Eastern Towhee
7. Ovenbird
8. American Goldfinch**
9. Downy Woodpecker (v)
10. Chestnut-sided Warbler
11. Purple Finch
12. Black-capped Chickadee**
13. Red-winged Blackbird (v)
14. Northern Cardinal* (v)
15. Yellow-rumped Warbler
16. Ruby-crowned Kinglet (v)
17. White-throated Sparrow**
18. Northern Parula (v)
19. Blue-headed Vireo
20. Common Loon (v)
21. Ruffed Grouse (drumming)
22. Gray Catbird (v)
23. Northern Flicker (v)
24. Chipping Sparrow**
25. Tree Swallow
26. Red-breasted Nuthatch (v)
27. Field Sparrow (v)
28. Song Sparrow**
29. American Kestrel
30. Savannah Sparrow
31. Herring Gull* (v)
32. Blackburnian Warbler†
33. Turkey Vulture
34. Eastern Bluebird
35. Common Yellowthroat† (v)
36. American Crow*
37. Red-bellied Woodpecker (v)
38. Tufted Titmouse (v)

Elsewhere

37. Wild Turkey
38. Mallard

(v) Voice only
*Also elsewhere
**Voice only elsewhere

†First-of-year

 
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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