A warm, humid morning. Got to the hill early, and the bird life did not disappoint. Lots of activity, singing and begging and feeding.Got a nice look at a singing/preening redstart. Spotted a Hermit Thrush rather out of place in the spruce grove at the summit.
Also spied two turkey families on the drive back home—two adults and a dozen tiny poults swimming in the tall July grass.
(Supposed to have gotten T-storms, but none by late this evening. Still humid, though.)
Beech Hill List Beginning at 7 a.m., I hiked the open trail.
1. Veery (v) 2. Black-capped Chickadee* * 3. American Redstart 4. White-breasted Nuthatch (v) 5. Ovenbird (v) 6. Chipping Sparrow** 7. Red-eye Vireo (v) 8. Chestnut-sided Warbler (v) 9. American Crow* 10. Common Yellowthroat** 11. Northern Cardinal* (v) 12. Song Sparrow** 13. Alder Flycatcher (v) 14. Cedar Waxwing 15. American Goldfinch (v) 16. Purple Finch (v) 17. Eastern Towhee 18. Field Sparrow (v) 19. Savannah Sparrow 20. Nashville Warbler (v) 21. Eastern Phoebe* 22. Eastern Bluebird 23. Yellow Warbler (v) 24. Tufted Titmouse (v) 25. Mourning Dove* (v) 26. American Robin (v) 27. Gray Catbird** 28. Hermit Thrush 29. Blue Jay (v) 30. Rose-breasted Grosbeak (V)
Elsewhere
31. House Finch (v) 32. Wild Turkey 33. Herring Gull
v = Voice only *Also elsewhere **Voice only elsewhere
The funnest part of this morning’s warm hike was encountering a clutch of Chestnut-sided Warbler fledglings, one of whom I watched practice plucking tiny things to nibble on while waiting for its parent to return with food.
A sweet, sweet minute or two, that’s for sure.
Beech Hill List Beginning at 8:15 a.m., I hiked the open trail.
1. Eastern Phoebe* 2. Red-eyed Vireo (v) 3. Mourning Dove* (v) 4. Tufted Titmouse (v) 5. Ovenbird (v) 6. Chestnut-sided Warbler** 7. Song Sparrow** 8. Chipping Sparrow* 9. Black-capped Chickadee (v) 10. Eastern Towhee 11. Gray Catbird* 12. Common Yellowthroat** 13. Alder Flycatcher (v) 14. Cedar Waxwing 15. Yellow Warbler (v) 16. Northern Cardinal (v) 17. Purple Finch (v) 18. Common Raven (v) 19. American Crow* 20. American Robin* 21. Eastern Bluebird 22. American Goldfinch** 23. Field Sparrow (v)
Elsewhere
24. House Finch 25. Herring Gull 26. House Sparrow (v) 27. American Redstart (v)
Full sun and humid this morning. Birds feeding fledglings all over the place. Also new plants and flowers and a monarch in the milkweed. More ripening blueberries, too.
Beech Hill List Beginning at 7:15 a.m., I hiked the open trail.