A coolish, calmish, dryish morning with plenty of buzzing mosquitos—and a good plenty of bird species, too. An amazing array, in fact: four thrushes, three woodpeckers; a passel of warblers; lots of sparrows.
Most notable—a quiet juvenile Black-billed Cuckoo that showed up in a shady place about 20 feet in front of us, dog and me. We even managed to stay still enough to grab portrait.
I’ll take a day like today any day.
Beech Hill List Beginning at 7:18 a.m., I hiked most trails.
A sunny warm morning—although cooler in the shady woodlands (which was nice, in that lately I’ve been wearing a sweatshirt against the mosquitos). Quiet-ish, no doubt because of fledglings. And a few fledglings I heard or saw.
In particular, we encountered a couple of phoebe fledglings, who staid quiet and still as dog and I passed them along the trail. (One parent a distance away was a little less quiet.)
Chatted with some folks at the summit, heard a loon in flight somewhere, listed thirty-four species, didn’t fall down and hurt myself—and got a decent photo of a Veery.
Pretty good Friday morning.
Beech Hill List Beginning at 8 a.m., I hiked most trails.
1. Red-eyed Vireo** 2. Ovenbird (v) 3. Black-throated Green Warbler (v) 4. American Crow* 5. Veery 6. Blue Jay 7. American Redstart** (v) 8. Chestnut-sided Warbler 9. American Goldfinch 10. Black-capped Chickadee (v) 11. Northern Cardinal** (v) 12. Eastern Towhee 13. Common Yellowthroat 14. Gray Catbird 15. Hermit Thrush (v) 16. Song Sparrow* 17. Northern Flicker 18. Black-and-white Warbler 19. Eastern Phoebe 20. Yellow Warbler 21. Purple Finch (v) 22. Field Sparrow (v) 23. American Robin (v) 24. Hairy Woodpecker 25. Cedar Waxwing 26. Eastern Bluebird (v) 27. Alder Flycatcher (v) 28. Red-breasted Nuthatch 29. House Wren 30. Common Loon (v) 31. Turkey Vulture 32. Savannah Sparrow (v) 33. Mourning Dove 34. Brown Creeper (v)
(v) Voice only *Also elsewhere **Voice only elsewhere †First-of-year
My favorite sparrow is the Savannah Sparrow. I love its tidy outfit, with yellow lores, and its lovely, high, insect-sounding song. Have heard too few on the trail this year (have seen even fewer), but today’s fruitful list-making morning was an exception. He even posed for photos.
Otherwise, this morning, we interacted with other humans and dogs, Jack and I, and I managed to count nearly three-dozen bird species—including a my first ever fledgling Brown Creepers.
I’ll take a morning like this any day.
Beech Hill List Beginning at 7:41 a.m., I hiked all trails.
1. Red-eyed Vireo** 2. Northern Cardinal** (v) 3. Ovenbird 4. Black-throated Green Warbler (v) 5. Common Yellowthroat 6. American Goldfinch** 7. Hairy Woodpecker (v) 8. Chestnut-sided Warbler** 9. American Redstart** 10. American Crow* (v) 11. Veery 12. Pileated Woodpecker 13. Eastern Phoebe 14. Eastern Towhee 15. Blue Jay 16. Black-and-white Warbler** 17. Gray Catbird** 18. Song Sparrow* 19. Yellow Warbler 20. Cedar Waxwing 21. Black-capped Chickadee 22. Mourning Dove 23. Turkey Vulture 24. American Robin 25. Herring Gull (v) 26. Purple Finch (v) 27. Broad-winged Hawk 28. Field Sparrow (v) 29. Savanah Sparrow 30. Common Raven 31. House Wren 32. Tufted Titmouse 33. Brown Creeper 34. Hermit Thrush 35. White-breasted Nuthatch
Elsewhere
36 Barn Swallow
(v) Voice only *Also elsewhere **Voice only elsewhere †First-of-year
