Warm day. Fifties (F), seems like (though I forgot to check for sure). Rained early, and I had a dentist appointment, so dog and I didn’t hit the hill until early afternoon. Nothing much up there then, so we also hiked the breakwater.
Plenty of seabirds out. Guillemots, grebe, scoter, eiders, gulls, long-tailed ducks, etc. Spotted a couple sunning seals also.
Odd, perhaps, but winter is my favorite season to hike the breakwater in.
Beech Hill List Beginning at 1:15 a.m., I hiked the open trail.
Another bright, nippy morning, but without a lot of wind. Had only two species on the hill first thing—but one showed up in a flock. Spent a good while getting cold fingers while photographing Common Redpolls.
About midday, I couldn’t resist taking a quick trip to the breakwater, knowing it was low(ish) tide and hoping for Purple Sandpipers. No sandpipers, but a bunch of typical winter birds—along with the half-dozen American wigeons that’ve been hanging out there for at least three weeks or so.
A bit sore tonight; still, two hikes are better than one.
Beech Hill List Beginning at 8:45 a.m., I hiked the open trail.
1. American Crow* 2. Common Redpoll
Common Eider (male).
Rockland Breakwater List Beginning at 12:15 p.m., I hiked to the light and back.
3. American Black Duck 4. Mallard* 5. Common Eider 6. Herring Gull* 7. Great Black-backed Gull 8. Long-tailed Duck 9. Red-breasted Merganser 10. American Wigeon 11. Common Goldeneye 12. Canada Goose 13. Black Guillemot 14. Horned Grebe
Yet again a nippy early hike up Beech Hill produced no bird photo ops, so Jack and I took a second hike this afternoon—to the end of the Rockland Breakwater and back. I was imagining taking pics of Purple Sandpipers, but we got there at peak high tide, so I got photos of miscellaneous ducks instead.
Here’s a handsome male Common Eider.
Beech Hill List Beginning at 8:15 a.m., I hiked the open trail.
5. Black-capped Chickadee (v)
6. Rock Pigeon
7. Mallard
8. Red-breasted Merganser
9. American Black Duck
10. Common Eider
11. Common Goldeneye
12. American Wigeon
13. Ring-billed Gull
14. Long-tailed Duck
15. Great Black-backed Gull
