Know how I can tell spring is near? Well, first of all, before dog and I had hiked a hundred feet up the main Beech Hill trail, I’d heard several vocalizing bird species—including a flock of first-of-year Red-winged Blackbirds (whose flock flew over us soon afterward, heading north).
I also heard singing doves, chickadees, titmice, cardinals, a junco, a Brown Creeper, and bluebirds. And I spied a small flock of geese and a first-of-year Killdeer in northward flight.
Nuthatches, bluebirds, yellow-rumps—a wonderful range of bird species.
Oh, yeah, and the temperature never dipped below freezing last night, meaning the trails were clearer and the woods were muddy and watery.
Sure, we could get spring snowstorm, but I dearly love this sweet transitional time of year.
Beech Hill List Beginning at 7:11 a.m. (8:11 stupid DST), I hiked all trails.
1. Blue Jay (v) 2. American Crow* 3. Tufted Titmouse** (v) 4. Black-capped Chickadee* 5. Red-winged Blackbird† 6. Mourning Dove* (v) 7. White-breasted Nuthatch** (v) 8. Pileated Woodpecker (v, drumming) 9. Dark-eyed Junco 10. Eastern Bluebird 11. American Goldfinch (v) 12. American Robin 13. Northern Cardinal** 14. Brown Creeper (v) 15. Canada Goose 16. Killdeer† 17. Yellow-rumped Warbler 18. Red-breasted Nuthatch
Elsewhere
19. Herring Gull
(v) Voice only *Also elsewhere **Voice only elsewhere †First-of-year
A chilly morning, mostly cloudy and right about freezing, but a calm one, with hardly a breeze. Had a great hike with dog, and listed a bunch of birds. Singing were titmice, chickadees, cardinals, bluebirds, a nuthatch, a junco—and crows and jays were hollering, as they like to do.
Got a pic of one of those crows with solar panels in the background. I want solar panels. I want an e-vehicle. I want to help save the planet.
Also saw a snowshoe hare, still nearly all white, and enjoyed the heck out of the few seconds it was leaping rapidly away.
Ducks at home. Gulls around. You can really tell it’s nearly spring.
Beech Hill List Beginning at 7:01 a.m. (8:01 fake time), I hiked all trails.
1. Blue Jay** (v) 2. Tufted Titmouse (v) 3. Northern Cardinal** 4. Black-capped Chickadee** 5. American Crow* 6. American Goldfinch** (v) 7. Eastern Bluebird 8. White-breasted Nuthatch 9. Downy Woodpecker** (drumming) 10. American Robin 11. Dark-eyed Junco (v) 12. Herring Gull (v)
Elsewhere
13. Mallard
Mammals
Snowshoe Hare
(v) Voice only *Also elsewhere **Voice only elsewhere †First-of-year
The storm had passed, and the temperature had risen to the point that big glops of wet snow had begun to drop from the whitened trees by the time dog and I headed up to the wooded trailhead. We got there kind of early.
Blue, blue skies, lighter winds, temps above freezing—several birds made their appearances known right away. It seemed a little like a bluebird day, but a bit windier and chillier, so the first thrill happened when, as we were nearing the summit, I heard the voice of a bluebird. I wondered if it was singing from the box at the top of the hill—and it was.
Cardinals, chickadees, and titmice singing. Also, toward the end of our hike, a Red-shouldered Hawk in flight somewhere out toward the bay.
Beech Hill List Beginning at 6:53 a.m. (7:53 stupid DST), I hiked all trails.
1. Northern Cardinal** (v) 2. Tufted Titmouse (v) 3. Black-capped Chickadee** 4. American Crow* 5. American Goldfinch** (v) 6. White-breasted Nuthatch (v) 7. American Robin (v) 8. Eastern Bluebird 9. Yellow-rumped Warbler (v) 10. Blue Jay** (v) 11. Pileated Woodpecker (v) 12. Red-shouldered Hawk (v)
