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.
Dog and I got to the trailhead a bit later than yesterday, but still we were the first in the parking lot. Not as warm as yesterday, not quite as cloudless, not quite so many mosquitos—but every bit as lovely, interesting, miraculous.
Snowshoe Hare.
Encountered thirty-three bird species and a Snowshoe Hare (with tick-infested ears, poor critter). Among the birds were a pair of Red-winged Blackbirds in overflight (not ID’d until after I viewed my photos later). Also a papa bluebird and mama Pileated Woodpecker, respectively with fledglings.
And for the first time in a long while, a Red-eyed Vireo posed for me.
Beech Hill List Beginning at 7:51 a.m., I hiked all trails.
1. Red-eyed Vireo** 2. Ovenbird 3. Northern Cardinal** (v) 4. Black-throated Green Warbler (v) 5. Hermit Thrush (v) 6. American Crow* 7. Veery 8. Hairy Woodpecker 9. American Redstart** (v) 10. Chestnut-sided Warbler 11. Gray Catbird 12. Common Yellowthroat 13. American Goldfinch (v) 14. Black-and-white Warbler 15. Black-capped Chickadee** 16. Eastern Towhee 17. Yellow Warbler 18. Pileated Woodpecker 19. Song Sparrow 20. Cedar Waxwing 21. Purple Finch (v) 22. Field Sparrow (v) 23. Red-winged Blackbird 24. Prairie Warbler 25. American Robin 26. White-breasted Nuthatch 27. Turkey Vulture 28. Tufted Titmouse (v) 29. Eastern Phoebe 30. Eastern Bluebird 31. Savannah Sparrow 32. Eastern Wood-pewee (v) 33. Brown Creeper (v)
Elsewhere
34. Herring Gull 35. European Starling 36. House Sparrow
Mammals
Eastern Chipmunk Snowshoe Hare
(v) Voice only *Also elsewhere **Voice only elsewhere †First-of-year
And summer came, and Nature held a party. There were shenanigans, there were quarrels, there was music, there was magic.
The air was cool and the sky near cloudless when dog and I started up the trail. Little wind, lots of birdsong. Notable was the syncopated drumming of a sapsucker, the subtle notes of a hummingbird (first in a while), and just the number and variety of species. I believe today’s count was the second-highest yet since our return to the Maine coast.
Eastern Coyote.
But the height of excitement came as we were strolling slowly down the open main Beech Hill trail when an Eastern Coyote emerged from the profuse shrubbery and crossed the trail not ten or twelve yards ahead of us. I imagined she was a female, perhaps having stashed her pups in that greenery, but she didn’t move overly fast—more like a slow lope. And then she stopped and cast a glance behind her.
Thank you, goddess of summer.
Beech Hill List Beginning at 7:27 a.m., I hiked all trails.
1. Song Sparrow** 2. Ovenbird** 3. Red-eyed Vireo** 4. Downy Woodpecker 5. Black-throated Green Warbler (v) 6. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (drumming) 7. American Goldfinch 8. Veery 9. Gray Catbird 10. Pileated Woodpecker 11. Hairy Woodpecker 12. American Redstart** (v) 13. American Crow* 14. Chestnut-sided Warbler 15. Northern Cardinal** (v) 16. Black-and-white Warbler (v) 17. Ruby-throated Hummingbird (v) 18. Black-capped Chickadee 19. Eastern Towhee 20. Alder Flycatcher 21. Red-breasted Nuthatch 22. Common Yellowthroat 23. Yellow Warbler (v) 24. Field Sparrow 25. American Robin 26. Eastern Bluebird 27. Cedar Waxwing 28. House Wren 29. Eastern Phoebe 30. Chipping Sparrow (v) 31. Hermit Thrush (v) 32. Turkey Vulture 33. Prairie Warbler (v) 34. White-breasted Nuthatch (v) 35. Tufted Titmouse (v) 36. Pine Warbler 37. Eastern Wood-pewee 38. Brown Creeper (v)
Elsewhere
39. Mallard 40. Rock Pigeon
Mammals
Eastern Coyote
(v) Voice only *Also elsewhere **Voice only elsewhere †First-of-year
