Coolish again to start this day, but the flood of sun warmed things up soon enough. Not so many species as yesterday, but interesting encounters. Including, for the third straight day, another hawk flyby.
Raptors seem to take to the sky when they get that instinctual urge to move. That’s why there are so many hawk watches out there during migration—head to a high place and start counting. Today’s was an immature Broad-winged Hawk (along with another individual whose age I couldn’t gauge). They nest in these parts but migrate down to South America in fall.
Supposed to rain all day tomorrow. I wonder if dog and I will encounter a hawk in the rain.
Beech Hill List Starting at 7:33 a.m. EST (8:33 DST), I hiked all trails.
1. Black-capped Chickadee 2. American Goldfinch** 3. Gray Catbird** 4. Eastern Wood-pewee 5. Eastern Towhee 6. Red-eyed Vireo (v) 7. Black-and-white Warbler 8. Brown Creeper 9. Blue Jay (v) 10. White-breasted Nuthatch** 11. American Crow* 12. American Redstart 13. Chipping Sparrow 14. Common Yellowthroat (v) 15. Cedar Waxwing 16. Song Sparrow 17. Broad-winged Hawk 18. Barn Swallow
Elsewhere
19. Mourning Dove 20. Herring Gull 21. Rock Pigeon
(v) Voice only *Also elsewhere **Voice only elsewhere †First-of-year
Sunny and cool to start this morning, with a bit of haze in the air. Very slight breeze. The birds were still pretty quiet—except, notably, for a raven loudly testing its various calls unseen in a tree on a rise.
Never saw the raven, but I got to see waxwings in a fly hatch again, and got a nice pic of a juvie bluebird.
Beech Hill List Starting at 6:54 a.m. EST (7:54 DST), I hiked all trails.
1. Red-eyed Vireo** (v) 2. American Crow* 3. American Goldfinch 4. Black-capped Chickadee 5. Chestnut-sided Warbler 6. Common Raven (v) 7. Eastern Towhee 8. Gray Catbird 9. Broad-winged Hawk (v) 10. Eastern Wood-pewee 11. American Robin* 12. Common Yellowthroat 13. Cedar Waxwing 14. Eastern Bluebird 15. White-breasted Nuthatch 16. Field Sparrow (v) 17. Barn Swallow 18. Song Sparrow** 19. Eastern Phoebe 20. Hermit Thrush
Elsewhere
21. Northern Cardinal (v) 22. Mourning Dove
(v) Voice only *Also elsewhere **Voice only elsewhere †First-of-year
The day began with a hazy sun and an overcast on the way. A different day from yesterday, in part on account of a fly hatch. At the tips of the summit spruce grove, flies attracted many (mostly young) Tree Swallows—and one Barn Swallow tagged along.
Farther down the hill, a similar hatch lured a big flock of waxwings to the tops of some small trailside hardwoods. The birds were in waxwing heaven.
Tomorrow the rain will come. Dog and I will get wet for sure. Don’t mind.
Beech Hill List Starting at 7:01 a.m. EST (8:01 DST), I hiked all trails.
1. Red-eyed Vireo (v) 2. White-breasted Nuthatch 3. American Goldfinch 4. Eastern Towhee 5. Eastern Wood-pewee (v) 6. Black-capped Chickadee (v) 7. Downy Woodpecker (v) 8. Brown Creeper (v) 9. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (v) 10. Blue Jay (v) 11. Gray Catbird 12. Tree Swallow 13. Barn Swallow 14. American Robin* 15. Common Yellowthroat 16. American Crow* 17. Cedar Waxwing 18. Song Sparrow** 19. Chipping Sparrow 20. Purple Finch 21. Alder Flycatcher (v) 22. Eastern Bluebird 23. Yellow Warbler (v) 24. Tufted Titmouse (v) 25. Black-and-white Warbler (v)
Elsewhere
26. Northern Cardinal (v) 27. Herring Gull 28. Wild Turkey 29. Mourning Dove 30. Rock Pigeon
(v) Voice only *Also elsewhere **Voice only elsewhere †First-of-year
