Early to the hill again, and again an embarrassment of species. Noteworthy was a Yellow-throated Vireo I heard calling just down from the summit. Also noteworthy were various fledglings—including a couple first-day Eastern Phoebe babies at the hut.
Male eastern bluebird.
Bluebirds abounded. Plenty of other species also. We’ve already got probably twice as many migratory birds as arrived here just a few weeks ago. And many more still will fly south come fall.
Rain tonight. A little tomorrow. Flooding is a rare challenge—but better too much rain than not enough.
Beech Hill List Beginning at 6:45 a.m., I hiked the open trail—and then some.
Flushed two woodcock this sunny morning. Flushed one of them twice. All three times I hunted carefully for youngsters but didn’t see any—although I didn’t want to pester the woodcock families too much.
Also saw my first Beech Hill Bobolink in at least three years. Also, somehow, ended up with thirty-three species on today’s list.
Later today there came a couple of thundershowers, which was fun.
More fun tomorrow.
Beech Hill List Beginning at 7:30 a.m., I hiked the open trail—and then some.
1. Eastern Bluebird 2. Blue Jay** 3. American Goldfinch 4. Veery (v) 5. American Woodcock 6. Chipping Sparrow* 7. Chestnut-sided Warbler** (v) 8. American Crow* 9. Rose-breasted Grosbeak (v) 10. Alder Flycatcher 11. Ovenbird (v) 12. Tree Swallow 13. Eastern Towhee 14. Song Sparrow** 15. Field Sparrow (v) 16. Savannah Sparrow 17. Nashville Warbler (v) 18. Gray Catbird** (v) 19. Common Yellowthroat (v) 20. Eastern Phoebe* 21. Cedar Waxwing 22. Red-eyed Vireo** (v) 23. Eastern Wood-pewee (v) 24. Hermit Thrush (v) 25. Black-throated Green Warbler (v) 26. Black-throated Blue Warbler (v) 27. Black-capped Chickadee** 28. Bobolink 29. Herring Gull* 30. Great Crested Flycatcher (v) 31. Mourning Dove* (v) 32. Northern Cardinal** (v) 33. American Redstart (v) 34. American Robin*
Elsewhere
35. Mallard 36. European Starling
v = Voice only *Also elsewhere **Voice only elsewhere
Fog thicker than yesterday morning. Jewel-like droplets on everything. Too dim in the bottomlands to get many decent photo, but the thrushes were leery of dog and me. Also one particular chickadee. And ovenbirds.
It’s nice to get so far in the year that you know what’s nesting where.
Beech Hill List Beginning at 8 a.m., I hiked all trails.