A mostly clear, coolish, breezy morning. Just a lovely day. Quite a few birds about despite the wind—including a surprise vagrant on our return, one that happened to be a lifer for me. A Summer Tanager (female).
I assumed at first it was a female Scarlet Tanager. Kind of embarrassed I didn’t notice the differences in the field. Unmistakable, though, in retrospect.
Otherwise just a very lovely day overall. Rode my bike this afternoon to do errands. (Never had thundershowers last night, BTW.)
Beech Hill List Beginning at 8:49 a.m., I hiked most trails.
1. Chestnut-sided Warbler** 2. Red-eyed Vireo** 3. Ovenbird** 4. Tufted Titmouse (v) 5. Song Sparrow** 6. Black-throated Green Warbler (v) 7. American Goldfinch (v) 8. American Crow* 9. Black-capped Chickadee 10. Veery (v) 11. Gray Catbird** 12. Wood Thrush (v) 13. Black-and-white Warbler 14. Northern Parula 15. Eastern Towhee 16. American Redstart 17. Common Yellowthroat 18. Ruby-throated Hummingbird (v) 19. Alder Flycatcher 20. Yellow Warbler 21. Chipping Sparrow** 22. Field Sparrow 23. American Robin 24. Rose-breasted Grosbeak (v) 25. Tree Swallow 26. Eastern Bluebird 27. Great Crested Flycatcher (v) 28. Turkey Vulture* 29. Savannah Sparrow 30. Eastern Wood-pewee 31. Blue-headed Vireo 32. Brown Creeper 33. Summer Tanager†‡ 34. Northern Flicker (v)
Another morning much like yesterday’s—although we hiked earlier, and the temperature was slightly higher, and the fog was quite a bit thicker. (Not as drippy, though.) And my list has the most bird species of any after my return to Maine.
The only first-of-year species was a Winter Wren I heard down along the wooded trail (where I used to hear a few).
But for some reason, this one involved focus on two vireo species: red-eyed and blue-headed. They both sang a lot, both posed for (dim, grainy-ish) photos. And I realized—even thinking back to a couple species in Utah—how much I dig vireos.
Might be a few thundershowers tonight, and then a sunnier day tomorrow.
Beech Hill List Beginning at 8:49 a.m., I hiked most trails.
1. Red-breasted Nuthatch (v) 2. Chestnut-sided Warbler 3. Red-eyed Vireo** 4. Ovenbird 5. Northern Parula** 6. Common Yellowthroat 7. Gray Catbird** 8. Northern Flicker (v) 9. Song Sparrow 10. Black-throated Green Warbler (v) 11. Eastern Wood-pewee 12. Veery 13. Tufted Titmouse** (v) 14. Northern Cardinal** (v) 15. American Crow* (v) 16. Hairy Woodpecker 17. Black-and-white Warbler 18. Wood Thrush (v) 19. American Redstart* (v) 20. Eastern Bluebird 21. Blue-headed Vireo 22. Winter Wren† (v) 23. Alder Flycatcher (v) 24. Yellow Warbler 25. Eastern Towhee 26. Ruby-throated Hummingbird 27. American Goldfinch** (v) 28. Prairie Warbler (v) 29. Field Sparrow 30. Black-capped Chickadee* 31. Chipping Sparrow** 32. Common Raven (v) 33. American Robin 34. Rose-breasted Grosbeak (v) 35. Eastern Phoebe* 36. Blue Jay (v) 37. Common Loon 38 Nashville Warbler (v) 39. Tree Swallow 40. Ruffed Grouse (booming)
When Jack and I hit the trail, a lusty west wind was blowing the sweet smells of spring up and over the hill. Mid-May—the calendar days when the season explodes in ferns and flowers and greenery. And the birds do sing.
Another birdy one (including a crow haranguing a raven and first-of-year Red-eyed Vireo). The wind carrying birdsong all over the place. The birds themselves didn’t perch very high on the windy side, but still they sang. And on the leafy east side, the enchanting strains of a Hermit Thrush pervaded the understory.
Oh, and also: a loon flew over at one point, calling.
Beech Hill List Beginning at 7:57 a.m., I hiked most trails.
1. Chestnut-sided Warbler** 2. Ovenbird** 3. Black-throated Green Warbler** 4. Common Yellowthroat (v) 5. American Robin 6. Blue Jay 7. American Crow* 8. Black-capped Chickadee* 9. Hairy Woodpecker (v) 10. Northern Parula 11. Northern Cardinal** (v) 12. Gray Catbird 13. Black-and-white Warbler** 14. Eastern Towhee 15. Tufted Titmouse (v) 16. Ruby-throated Hummingbird (v) 17. Ruby-crowned Kinglet 18. Yellow Warbler 19. Song Sparrow** 20. Field Sparrow (v) 21. White-throated Sparrow (v) 22. Chipping Sparrow** 23. Tree Swallow 24. Broad-winged Hawk (v) 25. Common Loon 26. Common Raven 27. Nashville Warbler (v) 28. Hermit Thrush 29. Red-eyed Vireo† 30. Blue-headed Vireo
Elsewhere
30. Mallard 31. European Starling 32. Herring Gull
(v) Voice only *Also elsewhere **Voice only elsewhere †First-of-year
