A coolish, calmish, dryish morning with plenty of buzzing mosquitos—and a good plenty of bird species, too. An amazing array, in fact: four thrushes, three woodpeckers; a passel of warblers; lots of sparrows.
Most notable—a quiet juvenile Black-billed Cuckoo that showed up in a shady place about 20 feet in front of us, dog and me. We even managed to stay still enough to grab portrait.
I’ll take a day like today any day.
Beech Hill List Beginning at 7:18 a.m., I hiked most trails.
Not until we hit the trailhead, dog and I, did the wind pick up. The rush rose in the canopy as the leafed-out summer trees began to wag and sway. Made it tricky to hear the voices of birds—but hear them I still did, somehow. And while today’s list was shorter than recent ones, it still felt like a lively morning.
Notable were tiny pockets of squealing woodland fledglings, a hard-to-miss gaggle of waxwings, and a singing Prairie Warbler down by Beech Hill Road.
Also notable was the absence—for the second straight day—of the House Wren on the bluebird box down there. I wonder if the wren’s raucous, weeks-long presence is no more.
Beech Hill List Beginning at 7:36 a.m., I hiked most trails.
1. Red-eyed Vireo** 2. Ovenbird 3. Black-throated Green Warbler (v) 4. Veery 5. Eastern Phoebe 6. Chestnut-sided Warbler 7. Eastern Towhee 8. Common Yellowthroat 9. American Crow 10. Gray Catbird 11. Yellow Warbler 12. Field Sparrow 13. Mourning Dove 14. Song Sparrow 15. American Goldfinch 16. Prairie Warbler 17. Cedar Waxwing 18. Turkey Vulture 19. American Robin 20. White-breasted Nuthatch 21. Chipping Sparrow 22. Savannah Sparrow 23. Black-capped Chickadee 24. Hermit Thrush 25. Eastern Wood-pewee
Elsewhere
26. Herring Gull 27. Barn Swallow 28. Downy Woodpecker
Mammals
Eastern Chipmunk
(v) Voice only *Also elsewhere **Voice only elsewhere †First-of-year
Dog and I got to the trailhead a bit later than yesterday, but still we were the first in the parking lot. Not as warm as yesterday, not quite as cloudless, not quite so many mosquitos—but every bit as lovely, interesting, miraculous.
Snowshoe Hare.
Encountered thirty-three bird species and a Snowshoe Hare (with tick-infested ears, poor critter). Among the birds were a pair of Red-winged Blackbirds in overflight (not ID’d until after I viewed my photos later). Also a papa bluebird and mama Pileated Woodpecker, respectively with fledglings.
And for the first time in a long while, a Red-eyed Vireo posed for me.
Beech Hill List Beginning at 7:51 a.m., I hiked all trails.
1. Red-eyed Vireo** 2. Ovenbird 3. Northern Cardinal** (v) 4. Black-throated Green Warbler (v) 5. Hermit Thrush (v) 6. American Crow* 7. Veery 8. Hairy Woodpecker 9. American Redstart** (v) 10. Chestnut-sided Warbler 11. Gray Catbird 12. Common Yellowthroat 13. American Goldfinch (v) 14. Black-and-white Warbler 15. Black-capped Chickadee** 16. Eastern Towhee 17. Yellow Warbler 18. Pileated Woodpecker 19. Song Sparrow 20. Cedar Waxwing 21. Purple Finch (v) 22. Field Sparrow (v) 23. Red-winged Blackbird 24. Prairie Warbler 25. American Robin 26. White-breasted Nuthatch 27. Turkey Vulture 28. Tufted Titmouse (v) 29. Eastern Phoebe 30. Eastern Bluebird 31. Savannah Sparrow 32. Eastern Wood-pewee (v) 33. Brown Creeper (v)
Elsewhere
34. Herring Gull 35. European Starling 36. House Sparrow
Mammals
Eastern Chipmunk Snowshoe Hare
(v) Voice only *Also elsewhere **Voice only elsewhere †First-of-year
