9 February 2025

Posts Tagged ‘barred owl’

Anticipation

Monday, May 16th, 2022
Black-and-white Warbler, Beech Hill Preserve, Rockport, Maine, 16 May 2022.
Black-and-white Warbler.

A later hike with dog this morning. Foggier than yesterday. But surprisingly birdy, nonetheless.

Highlights were a couple of hummingbird sightings (first-of-year birds), as well as the hoots from the bottomlands of a Barred Owl (also first of year, I guess you could say).

Still several species that haven’t showed up yet. Anticipation.

Beech Hill List
Beginning at 8:16 a.m., I hiked most trails.

1. Eastern Phoebe*
2. Ovenbird**
3. Black-throated Green Warbler**
4. American Goldfinch (v)
5. Tufted Titmouse (v)
6. Black-and-white Warbler
7. American Robin
8. Gray Catbird
9. Blue Jay
10. Chestnut-sided Warbler
11. Black-capped Chickadee
12. American Crow*
14. Eastern Towhee
15. Ruby-throated Hummingbird†
16. Common Yellowthroat
17. White-throated Sparrow
18. Hermit Thrush (v)
19. Yellow Warbler (v)
20. Song Sparrow**
21. Tree Swallow
22. Field Sparrow (v)
23. Nashville Warbler (v)
24. Yellow-rumped Warbler
25. Northern Parula
26. Barred Owl (v)
27. Blue-headed Vireo (v)
28. Wild Turkey
29. Hairy Woodpecker

Elsewhere

30. Mallard
31. European Starling
32. Herring Gull

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

†First-of-year

Kestrels

Wednesday, May 15th, 2019
American Kestrel, Beech Hill Preserve, Rockport, Maine, 15 May 2019.
American Kestrel.

Every spring for the past many years, I’ve seen kestrels pass through Beech Hill Preserve. They’ve tended to arrive in mid-April—hovering above the barrens, perching on little snags—and are gone by the first of May.

I’ve seen them dive and bring up prey. Even spied one once in the bare loan oak tree dining on a snake. But never have I seen evidence of a nesting pair on the hill.

Until this year. Every day for the past couple weeks (or more) they dependably appear, scanning the barrens from the roofs of the bluebird boxes, driving the swallows crazy. I wonder how this will change the order of things.

Already this spring has seen no evidence of nesting Savannah Sparrows (a first since I’ve been coming)—will there be no annual phoebe nest in the eaves of Beech Nut this year?

It’ll be interesting to see how things go.

Beech Hill List
Beginning at 7:15 a.m., I hiked the open trail.

1. American Robin
2. Ovenbird
3. Black-capped Chickadee
4. Common Yellowthroat
5. Herring Gull
6. American Goldfinch
7. Eastern Towhee
8. Tufted Titmouse
9. Nashville Warbler
10. Black-and-white Warbler
11. Mourning Dove
12. Common Raven
13. Downy Woodpecker
14. Gray Catbird
15. Northern Parula
16. American Crow
17. Song Sparrow
18. Black-throated Green Warbler
19. American Kestrel
20. Tree Swallow
21. Blue Jay
22. Eastern Phoebe
23. Purple Finch
24. Veery

Elsewhere

25. Barred Owl
26. House Finch
27. Common Grackle
28. Northern Cardinal

v = Voice only
*Also elsewhere
**Voice only elsewhere

Nice Surprises

Sunday, May 12th, 2019
Scarlet Tanager (first of year), Beech Hill Preserve, Rockport, Maine, 12 May 2019.
Scarlet Tanager (first of year).
Swamp Sparrow (first of year), Beech Hill Preserve, Rockport, Maine, 12 May 2019.
Swamp Sparrow (first of year).

Cool but not too windy. Partly overcast, hazy sun. Got to the hill a bit late, at 8, but still had a heck of a bird list. Notable were a number of first-of-year species—including a surprise pair of (silent) male Scarlet Tanagers.

Also a nice surprise was a Swamp Sparrow. First booming grouse. First Alder Flycatcher. And got a sweet photo of a singing Ovenbird.

Looking forward to tomorrow.

Ovenbird, Beech Hill Preserve, Rockport, Maine, 12 May 2019.
Ovenbird.

Beech Hill List
Beginning at 8 a.m., I hiked all trails.

1. Black-throated Green Warbler (v)
2. Ovenbird**
3. American Robin*
4. Hermit Thrush
5. Herring Gull*
6. Black-and-white Warbler (v)
7. Northern Parula** (v)
8. Blue Jay (v)
9. Gray Catbird
10. Tufted Titmouse (v)
11. Red-winged Blackbird (v)
12. Eastern Towhee
13. American Goldfinch**
14. White-throated Sparrow
15. Nashville Warbler** (v)
16. Common Yellowthroat (v)
17. Ruffed Grouse (booming)
18. Northern Flicker (v)
19. Swamp Sparrow†
20. American Crow*
21. Tree Swallow
22. Eastern Phoebe
23. Black-throated Blue Warbler**
24. Alder Flycatcher†
25. Blue-headed Vireo
26. Purple Finch (v)
27. American Kestrel
28. Eastern Bluebird
29. Chipping Sparrow*
30. White-breasted Nuthatch (v)
31. Red-breasted Nuthatch (v)
32. Ruby-crowned Kinglet (v)
33. Brown-headed Cowbird
34. Chestnut-sided Warbler
35. Scarlet Tanager†
36. Least Flycatcher (v)

Elsewhere

37. Barred Owl (v)
38. House Finch

v = Voice only
*Also elsewhere
**Voice only elsewhere
†First-of-year bird

 
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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