A similar start to yesterday’s hike—rather late up the main trail, overcast, damp, nippy, calm—but with a little sun brightening things up after a while. The sun also warmed things up. And birds were active.
Notable were a pair of larks, a loon in overflight, the croaks of a raven—and a rare glimpse of a Pileated Woodpecker.
Pileateds themselves aren’t rare in the woods, but they’re good at making themselves scarce. Often you’ll hear their loud, distinctive call, and sometimes you can track one by its especially loud hammering. But I do love to get a peek at these lovely birds. Today’s female posed for a photo.
Beech Hill List Starting at 8:04 a.m. EST (9:04 DST), I hiked all trails.
1. Song Sparrow (v) 2. Blue Jay 3. Yellow-rumped Warbler** 4. American Crow* 5. American Goldfinch 6. Common Yellowthroat (v) 7. Hairy Woodpecker 8. Northern Flicker 9. Common Loon 10. Horned Lark 11. Tufted Titmouse (v) 12. Eastern Towhee (v) 13. Black-capped Chickadee 14. Hermit Thrush 15. Brown Creeper (v) 16. Red-bellied Woodpecker (v) 17. White-breasted Nuthatch 18. Common Raven (v) 19. Pileated Woodpecker
Elsewhere
20. Herring Gull 21. Northern Cardinal
Mammals
Eastern Gray Squirrel
(v) Voice only *Also elsewhere **Voice only elsewhere †First-of-year
Welp, we mixed it up this early morning, dog and me—accompanied our human and dog friends up the many trails winding around the Camden Snow Bowl. The day was bright and the winds were light and the grade was steep. Got a few different-than-usual species (and missed a few common at Beech Hill) and couldn’t well keep track of the chronology of sightings—thus, today’s species are listed I alphabetical order.
Ol’ Jack did well for such a warm, steep hike. (I could say the same for myself.) A change of scenery ain’t ever a bad thing.
We’ll be back at Beech Hill tomorrow, though (during what’s supposed to be some light rain).
Camden Snow Bowl Trails List Starting at 6:13 a.m. EST (7:13 DST), I hiked some Camden Snow Bowl trails.
1. Alder Flycatcher (v) 2. American Goldfinch** 3. American Redstart (v) 4. American Robin* 5. Baltimore Oriole 6. Black-and-white Warbler (v) 7. Black-capped Chickadee 8. Black-throated Blue Warbler (v) 9. Black-throated Green Warbler (v) 10. Blue-headed Vireo (v) 11. Blue Jay (v) 12. Broad-winged Hawk (v) 13. Brown Creeper (v) 14. Cedar Waxwing (v) 15. Chestnut-sided Warbler (v) 16. Chipping Sparrow* 17. Common Loon 18. Common Yellowthroat (v) 19. Dark-eyed Junco 20. Eastern Phoebe* (v) 21. Eastern Wood-pewee (v) 22. Great Crested Flycatcher (v) 23. Hermit Thrush (v) 24. Least Flycatcher (v) 25. Mallard 26. Mourning Dove (v) 27. Ovenbird (v) 28. Purple Finch (v) 29. Red-eyed Vireo (v) 30. Red-winged Blackbird 31. Scarlet Tanager 32. Song Sparrow* 33. Tree Swallow 34. Tufted Titmouse (v) 35. Turkey Vulture 36. Warbling Vireo (v) 37. White-breasted Nuthatch (v) 38. Yellow Warbler (v)
Elsewhere
39. American Crow
Mammals
Eastern Gray Squirrel
(v) Voice only *Also elsewhere **Voice only elsewhere †First-of-year
The morning rain wasn’t supposed to arrive for a couple hours after dog and I would reach main Beech Hill trailhead, so I was happy to be hiking in a mostly overcast day—a day with quite a few birds despite the semi-gloom. Temps were nice (60° F or so), wind was light, the air was fragrant, a little blue in the eastern sky.
Ended up with thirty-one species—including, at the very end, the voice of a loon sailing off toward Chickawaukie Lake.
Afterward, we ate some lunch, then I rode my bicycle up to the Town Office to vote (a long-time tradition). And after that, I made a dump run.
All in all, a mighty fruitful day.
Beech Hill List Beginning at 6:38 a.m. sun time (7:38 DST), I hiked all trails.
1. Red-eyed Vireo** (v) 2. Veery 3. Northern Cardinal (v) 4. Song Sparrow* 5. American Crow* 6. Chestnut-sided Warbler 7. Ovenbird 8. Rose-breasted Grosbeak (v) 9. Mourning Dove** (v) 10. American Redstart (v) 11. Eastern Towhee 12. American Goldfinch 13. Cedar Waxwing 14. Gray Catbird** 15. Common Yellowthroat 16. Field Sparrow (v) 17. Alder Flycatcher (v) 18. Yellow Warbler 19. Eastern Bluebird 20. Black-capped Chickadee (v) 21. Eastern Phoebe 22. Savannah Sparrow (v) 23. Prairie Warbler (v) 24. Hermit Thrush (v) 25. Eastern Wood-pewee 26. Black-and-white Warbler (v) 27. Black-throated Green Warbler (v) 28. Blue Jay (v) 29. Tufted Titmouse (v) 30. Common Loon (v)
Elsewhere
31. Wild Turkey 32. Chipping Sparrow 33. Pine Warbler (v) 34. Rock Pigeon
Mammals
Eastern Chipmunk American Red Squirrel
(v) Voice only *Also elsewhere **Voice only elsewhere †First-of-year
