Black-and-white warbler.
Big rain early, big wind late. After the rainclouds blew away and fluffy white ones started sailing across the blue, I decided this might be a great day for an all-trail Beech Hill hike with Jack. And so we embarked.
Hanging piece of bark.
I’d not thought of how such a high northwest wind would combine with the full late-summer foliage to create a sustained whooshing sound. Still, a few hundred yards up the trail, I managed to pick out the high, thin notes of waxwings and the cheeps of chickadees. Knowing the draw chickadees have over other little birds, I stopped and scanned the swirling canopy for early migrants. And there they were, red-eyed vireos, black-and-white warblers, yellow-rumped warblers. A towhee hollered at us from the understory, and a crow cawes somewhere. Heard a hairy woodpecker above the rushing breeze.
On up the hill, where a few hikers had donned light jackets to brave the windy height, then down the other side, where I saw jays and titmice. Back up and over, I spotted a solitary barn swallow in the blue.
Down in the lower wooded trail—among trees still rushing and swaying—I heard the voice of a pewee. We stopped. Also picked out the cheeps of chickadees. Ended up spending a good half-hour or forty-five minutes up there watching more vireos and warblers, the pewee, a couple of kinglets, trying for half-way decent photos. At one point, a raven flapped over with something in its beak, and we passed a matchbook-sized piece of bark hanging from a spider web, spinning.
Tufted titmouse (juvie).
Wrapped up today’s list with a flicker, whose long, strident call rose above the sound of the wind.
Beech Hill List
Beginning at 1:45 p.m., I hiked all trails.
1. Red-eyed vireo*
2. Cedar waxwing
3. Black-capped chickadee
4. Black-and-white warbler
5. Eastern towhee (v)
6. American crow*
7. Yellow-rumped warbler
8. Hairy woodpecker (v)
9. Blue jay**
10. Tufted titmouse**
11. Barn swallow
12. Eastern wood-pewee
13. White-breasted nuthatch
14. Brown creeper (v)
15. Common raven
16. Golden-crowned kinglet
17. Northern flicker (v)
Elsewhere
18. Herring gull
19. Turkey vulture
v = Voice only
*Also elsewhere
**Voice only elsewhere
