A cool and sunny morning. Still quiet, bird-wise, so it took some gazing in the canopy to spy the little birds along the lower wooded trail. Notable in the open fields were a pair of Broad-winged Hawks and a vulture.
Returning in the upper woods, I got a look at a couple warblers along the trail. Even got a photo of one, a juvie Chestnut-sided Warbler. It was looking right at me.
Beech Hill List Starting at 6:54 a.m. EST (7:54 DST), I hiked all trails.
1. Wild Turkey 2. Red-eyed Vireo** (v) 3. American Goldfinch 4. Eastern Wood-pewee 5. Tufted Titmouse (v) 6. Black-capped Chickadee (v) 7. Black-and-white Warbler 8. Ovenbird (v) 9. Brown Creeper (v) 10. White-breasted Nuthatch (v) 11. American Crow* 12. Eastern Towhee 13. Gray Catbird (v) 14. Alder Flycatcher 15. Cedar Waxwing 16. Song Sparrow 17. Broad-winged Hawk 18. Turkey Vulture 19. Northern Cardinal (v) 20. American Robin 21. Common Yellowthroat (v) 22. Chestnut-sided Warbler
Elsewhere
23. Herring Gull 24. Rock Pigeon 25. Bald Eagle
(v) Voice only *Also elsewhere **Voice only elsewhere †First-of-year
Cooler and damper after yesterday’s rain, sunny with a bit of a breeze. I truly had no expectations, just figured I’d hear and/or see a few birds, maybe learn a thing or two.
And I did—both. Notably, I heard/saw a Least Flycatcher, and spied a Red Crossbill (fem./imm.—first I’ve seen on the hill) high on a spruce at the summit and, in the woods toward the end of our hike, I heard two species of tanager.
First was a Scarlet Tanager, which I hunted for up in the leafy canopy but could not get a look at. Finally I spotted the bird apparently being chased by another tanager. And then I heard the voice of the other tanager—a Summer Tanager. Couldn’t get a good bead on that one, either, although I did watch it fly away
I’ll be keeping my eye peeled for tanagers going forward.
Beech Hill List Beginning at 7:22 a.m., I hiked most trails.
1. Song Sparrow** 2. Ovenbird 3. Red-eyed Vireo** 4. Black-throated Green Warbler (v) 5. Veery 6. Gray Catbird 7. Chestnut-sided Warbler 8. Eastern Towhee 9. Common Yellowthroat 10. American Crow* 11. American Goldfinch** 12. Black-and-white Warbler 13. Black-capped Chickadee** 14. Field Sparrow 15. Alder Flycatcher (v) 16. Yellow Warbler 19. Cedar Waxwing 20. Red Crossbill† 21. Purple Finch 22. American Robin* 23. Red-breasted Nuthatch (v) 24. Prairie Warbler 25. Least Flycatcher 26. Tufted Titmouse (v) 27. Herring Gull* 28. Broad-winged Hawk 29. Hermit Thrush (v) 30. Pileated Woodpecker (v) 31. Eastern Wood-pewee 32. Scarlet Tanager (v) 33. Summer Tanager (v)
Elsewhere
34. White-breasted Nuthatch (v)
Mammals
Eastern Chipmunk
(v) Voice only *Also elsewhere **Voice only elsewhere †First-of-year
The highlight of this foggy morning hike, bird-wise, were the several appearances of the resident Song Sparrows—including one who popped right up and sang to dog and me.
Beech Hill List Beginning at 8:45 a.m., I hiked the open trail.
1. Red-eyed Vireo** (v)
2. American Robin* (v)
3. Chestnut-sided Warbler (v)
4. Tufted Titmouse (v)
5. Blue Jay (v)
6. Northern Cardinal*
7. Chipping Sparrow
8. Song Sparrow
9. American Goldfinch** (v)
10. Eastern Towhee
11. Alder Flycatcher (v)
12. Common Yellowthroat (v)
13. Gray Catbird
14. Mourning Dove*
15. Cedar Waxwing
16. Black-capped Chickadee (v)
17. Field Sparrow (v)
18. Barn Swallow
19. Purple Finch (v)
20. Eastern Phoebe
21. White-breasted Nuthatch (v)
22. Rose-breasted Grosbeak (v)
Elsewhere
23. Rock Pigeon
24. Herring Gull
v = Voice only *Also elsewhere **Voice only elsewhere