Foggy again early, but it burned off into an overcast pretty quickly. Hit the hill with Jack and right away started listing birds. A lot of birds. Had nearly a score before we reached the summit.
Palm Warbler.
One of those was quite apparent: a Snowy Owl, a male far down the eastern slope. Hard to miss the little white snowman against the snowless landscape. I feel sure this was the same bird I saw two days ago—and likely the bird the crows were mobbing in the fog yesterday, after all—but he looked a lot dryer and happier.
Had a lot of interesting birds, including a first singing Savannah Sparrow and a first-of-year Brown Thrasher (which I heard before spotting). Another towhee, but still no glimpse. Bluebirds and Tree Swallows and yellow-rumps and Palm Warblers.
All in all a wondrous hour’s walk this morning.
Beech Hill List Beginning at 8:15 a.m., I hiked the open trail (and then some).
1. Song Sparrow** 2. American Goldfinch (v) 3. White-throated Sparrow (v) 4. Purple Finch (v) 5. Brown-headed Cowbird 6. American Robin (v) 7. Downy Woodpecker (v) 8. Northern Cardinal** (v) 9. Eastern Phoebe** 10. Tufted Titmouse 11. Black-capped Chickadee** 12. Chipping Sparrow** 13. Field Sparrow 14. Blue Jay** (v) 15. Northern Flicker (v) 16. Yellow-rumped Warbler 17. Herring Gull* (v) 18. American Crow* 19. Common Raven (v) 20. Palm Warbler 21. Tree Swallow 22. Eastern Bluebird 23. Snowy Owl 24. Eastern Towhee (v) 25. American Kestrel 26. Brown Thrasher† 27. Double-crested Cormorant 28. Savannah Sparrow 29. White-breasted Nuthatch (v) 30. Pileated Woodpecker
Elsewhere
31. House Finch (v) 32. Mourning Dove 33. House Sparrow (v) 34. European Starling 35. Common Grackle 36. Rock Pigeon
v = Voice only *Also elsewhere **Voice only elsewhere †First-of-year bird
Monhegan List
From midday Friday, 26 May 2016, to midday Monday, 29 May 2016, I hiked all over the island. (Alphabetical list includes species seen from the ferry both to and from Monhegan.)
1. Alder Flycatcher (v)
2. American Black Duck
3. American Crow
4. American Goldfinch
5. American Redstart
6. American Robin
7. Atlantic Puffin
8. Baltimore Oriole
9. Belted Kingfisher
10. Black Guillemot
11. Black-and-white Warbler
12. Black-capped Chickadee
13. Black-throated Green Warbler
14. Blackburnian Warbler
15. Blackpoll Warbler
16. Blue Jay
17. Brown Thrasher (v)
18. Canada Goose
19. Cattle Egret
20. Cedar Waxwing
21. Chestnut-sided Warbler (v)
22. Common Eider
23. Common Grackle
24. common Loon
25. common Raven
26. Common Tern
27. Common Yellowthroat
28. Double-crested Cormorant
29. Eastern Kingbird
30. Eastern Wood-pewee
31. European Starling
32. Gray Catbird
33. Great Black-backed gull
34. Great Blue Heron
35. Green Heron
36. Hairy Woodpecker
37. Herring Gull
38. Laughing Gull
39. Magnolia Warbler
40. Mallard
41. Mourning Dove
42. Mourning Warbler
43. Northern Cardinal
44. Northern Gannet
45. Northern Mockingbird
46. Northern Parula
47. Orange-crowned Warbler
48. Peregrine Falcon
49. Philadelphia Vireo
50. Purple Finch
51. Red-breasted Nuthatch
52. Red-eyed Vireo
53. Red-winged Blackbird
54. Rose-breasted Grosbeak
55. Roseate Tern
56. Ruby-crowned Kinglet
57. Ruby-throated Hummingbird (v)
58. Scarlet Tanager (v)
59. Song Sparrow
60. Sora
61. Tree Swallow
62. White-breasted Nuthatch
63. White-eyed Vireo
64. Yellow Warbler
v = Voice only
Beech Hill List On 29 May 2017, beginning at 2:30 p.m., I hiked the open trail.
1. American Goldfinch (v)
2. Chestnut-sided Warbler (v)
3. Eastern Towhee (v)
4. Song Sparrow (v)
5. American Crow
6. Tree Swallow
7. Turkey Vulture
8. Savannah Sparrow
9. Eastern Phoebe
10. Gray Catbird
11. Common Yellowthroat (v)
12. Northern Cardinal (v)
