30 May 2023

Posts Tagged ‘chimney swift’

Muggy, Yet Fine

Sunday, August 21st, 2022
Savannah Sparrow, Beech Hill Preserve, Rockport, Maine, 21 August 2022.
Savannah Sparrow.

Cool early as dog and I hit the shady trailhead, but warm in a hurry as the sun rose on a humid day. Birds still flitting about, readying for their inevitable travels. Nice selection of species.

Notable: Chimney Swifts, and a Least Flycatcher enjoying the summit fly hatch (along with waxwings). A random Wood Thrush down in the woodlands. Distant gulls. A random Cooper’s Hawk (I believe the first I’ve seen since our return to Maine).

Especially happy to have had a Savannah Sparrow—my favorite sparrow, as certainly I’ve mentioned before—perch and pose for me.

Beech Hill List
Beginning at 7:33 a.m., I hiked most trails.

1. Red-eyed Vireo (v)
2. Northern Flicker (v)
3. American Crow*
4. American Goldfinch**
5. Eastern Towhee
6. Herring Gull* (v)
7. Black-capped Chickadee**
8. Wood Thrush
9. Eastern Wood-pewee (v)
10. White-breasted Nuthatch (v)
11. Northern Cardinal (v)
12. Red-breasted Nuthatch
13. Hermit Thrush
14. Downy Woodpecker
15. Gray Catbird**
16. Cedar Waxwing
17. Least Flycatcher
18. Chimney Swift
19. Yellow-rumped Warbler
20. Song Sparrow**
21. Savannah Sparrow
22. Eastern Phoebe
23. Blue Jay** (v)
24. Cooper’s Hawk
25. Common Yellowthroat (v)

Elsewhere

26. Mourning Dove

(v) Voice only
*Also elsewhere
**Voice only elsewhere

†First-of-year

Change in the Weather

Monday, August 8th, 2022
Least Flycatcher, Beech Hill Preserve, Rockport, Maine, 08 August 2022.
Least Flycatcher.

It was warm—about 71° (F)—when dog and I arrived at the trailhead rather early. Still some sun shining through the clouds, but the clouds were supposed to take over, with rain possible later in the day. Not many birds to start, but once we hit the edge between woods and fields, my species numbers kinda took off.

Young Red-bellied Woodpecker, sapsucker in the woods, a few Brown Creepers, jay and crow and raven. Most notable: a group of about fifteen cawing crows approached the summit on our return—and I spied what the source of their attention: a first-of-year Northern Harrier.

Still no rain tonight, but it’s supposed to start in the wee hours and rain much of tomorrow. We shall see what kind of hike we take. Exciting!

Beech Hill List
Beginning at 7:11 a.m., I hiked most trails.

1. Red-eyed Vireo (v)
2. Hermit Thrush (v)
3. American Crow*
4. American Goldfinch
5. Black-capped Chickadee** (v)
6. Eastern Wood-pewee
7. White-breasted Nuthatch (v)
8. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (v)
9. Brown Creeper
10. Tufted Titmouse** (v)
11. Common Yellowthroat
12. Gray Catbird
13. Alder flycatcher (v)
14. Eastern Towhee**
15. Red-bellied Woodpecker
16. Eastern Phoebe
17. Downy Woodpecker (v)
18. American Robin* (v)
19. Yellow Warbler
20. Mourning Dove*
21. Cedar Waxwing
22. Song Sparrow*
23. Northern Flicker
24. Least Flycatcher
25. Blue Jay (v)
26. Northern Harrier†
27. Common Raven (v)

Elsewhere

28. Chipping Sparrow
29. Herring Gull
30. Chimney Swift
31. Osprey

(v) Voice only
*Also elsewhere
**Voice only elsewhere

†First-of-year

Summertime

Wednesday, July 13th, 2022
Yellow Warbler, Beech Hill Preserve, Rockport, Maine, 13 July 2022.
Yellow Warbler.

Got up to the trail head early, dog and I. And, wow, what a day.

Noteworthy:

Wild Turkey poult in tree, Beech Hill Preserve, Rockport, Maine, 13 July 2022.
Wild Turkey poult in tree.

• a first-of-year Chimney Swift flew over as we approached the summit
• a Wood Frog appeared on the lower wooded trail, expertly camouflaged
• a White-tailed Deer bounded away as we reached the summit (and for the first time I heard the alarm call of a white-tailed deer—since this one must’ve had a fawn or two nearby)
• a group of about sixteen turkeys flushed as we returned down the upper trail, with the many poults flying up into the trees

I’d redo this hike again, if I could. (Ahh, summertime!)

Beech Hill List
Beginning at 7:07 a.m., I hiked all trails.

1. Red-eyed Vireo**
2. Black-throated Green Warbler (v)
3. Hermit Thrush (v)
4. Ovenbird (v)
5. American Goldfinch**
6. Tufted Titmouse (v)
7. Black-and-white Warbler
8. Chestnut-sided Warbler
9. Northern Cardinal** (v)
10. American Crow*
11. Black-capped Chickadee
12. American Robin* (v)
13. American Redstart
14. Downy Woodpecker
15. Northern Flicker (v)
16. Eastern Wood-pewee
17. Blue Jay (v)
18. Eastern Towhee
19. White-breasted Nuthatch (v)
20. Brown Creeper (v)
21. Common Yellowthroat
22. Turkey Vulture
23. Gray Catbird (v)
24. Yellow Warbler
25. Song Sparrow**
26. Cedar Waxwing
27. Chimney Swift†
28. Alder Flycatcher (v)
29. Field Sparrow
30. Red-breasted Nuthatch** (v)
31. Prairie Warbler (v)
32. Savannah Sparrow
33. Wild Turkey

Elsewhere

34. Rock Pigeon
35. Broad-winged Hawk (v)

Mammals

Eastern Chipmunk
White-tailed Deer

Amphibians

Wood Frog

(v) Voice only
*Also elsewhere
**Voice only elsewhere

†First-of-year

 
Bird Report is a (sometimes intermittent) record of the birds I encounter while hiking, see while driving, or spy outside my window. —Brian Willson



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