Lovely cool hike this morning. Managed to tally eighteen species—including a juvie Red-tailed Hawk being mobbed by robins, finches, and at least one oriole.
Then, this afternoon, dog and I had a meet-up with visiting friends at Sugar House Park, a nice green area in town with a creek and pond. Fun conversation amid a whole bunch of wild birds: geese, ducks, hummingbirds—and a plethora of Barn Swallows tending nests in the corners of the pavilion roof.
Could hardly get enough of the swallows.
Grandeur Peak Area List Beginning at 8:30 a.m., I hiked a few hundred feet up a mountain.
This morning brought cloudiness and a little light rain. Didn’t stop dog and me from making our usual rounds.
Spied a Mountain Cottontail. Amassed a list of a dozen bird species on the mountainside. Then, back home, a big flock of waxwings descended on the flowering trees in the yard.
Feels more like spring every day.
Grandeur Peak Area List Beginning at 8:30 a.m., I hiked several hundred feet up a mountain.
1. Northern Flicker 2. Song Sparrow* (v) 3. Eastern Towhee 4. Pine Siskin 5. Black-billed Magpie* 6. Woodhouse’s Scrub-jay* 7. Black-capped Chickadee* 8. American Robin* 9. House Finch* (v) 10. Dark-eyed Junco 11. Canada Goose 12. Red-tailed Hawk
Elsewhere
13. Eurasian Collared Dove 14. Downy Woodpecker (v) 15. Lesser Goldfinch (v) 16. European Starling 17. Cedar Waxwing
Mammals
Mountain Cottontail Mule Deer
(v) Voice only *Also elsewhere **Voice only elsewhere
Cooler than yesterday, but nearly cloudless, with little wind. Perfect for heading up to the ridge.
Which dog and I did. A lovely hike. A lovely morning. Singing towhees and singing chickadees. Magpies and jays negotiating territories. Canada Geese headed north. We flushed a grouse near the summit, and I heard (then saw) a sharpie.
Still mere hints of migration. Already looking forward to morning.
Grandeur Peak Area List Beginning at 8:30 a.m., I hiked a few hundred feet up a mountain.
1. American Robin* 2. Spotted Towhee 3. Song Sparrow** (v) 4. Black-billed Magpie* 5. Black-capped Chickadee 6. Woodhouse’s Scrub-jay** 7. Canada Goose 8. Pine Siskin (v) 9. House Finch* 10. Northern Flicker (v) 11. Ruffed Grouse 12. Sharp-shinned Hawk
Elsewhere
14. European Starling (v) 15. Eurasian Collared Dove
Mammals
Mule Deer
(v) Voice only *Also elsewhere **Voice only elsewhere
Bird Report is an intermittent record of what's outside my window in Rockport, Maine, USA (44°08'N latitude, 69°06'W longitude), and vicinity. —Brian Willson
