Higher species numbers today, despite temps about 20° (F) and a nice little breeze. Perhaps it was the warmth of the morning sun that did it, of the fact that it was more a breeze than a wind.
Notable was a Cooper’s Hawk at the summit, first flickle in a while, a bluebird, a titmouse. Most photogenic was a little downy we encountered nearing the summit, dog and I. The moon was high in the blue, blue sky, and the view out over the bay was delicious.
I could do this day again and likely be at least as pleased.
Beech Hill List Beginning at 7:58 a.m., I hiked all trails.
Still in the 30s (F) when dog and I hit the trail this a.m. Bright, though, with barely a breeze, and the birds began to let themselves be heard—and seen. Chickadee, titmouse, nuthatch, woodpeckers, jays. They even showed up in numbers: a whole bunch of bluebirds in flight, even more robins bouncing around the treetops, and dozens of cawing crows.
But most fun for me were hawks. First, I spied a Cooper’s Hawk (which had the robins nervous), and later we came upon a handsome Northern Harrier, patrolling low above the blueberry barrens as they do here in both spring and fall. Got a glimpse of one last month, and now another in October.
It’ll be nice to see a “gray ghost” come spring.
Beech Hill List Beginning at 8:06 a.m., I hiked all trails.
1. Black-capped Chickadee 2. American Robin 3. Brown Creeper (v) 4. Tufted Titmouse 5. Eastern Bluebird 6. Blue Jay 7. White-breasted Nuthatch 8. Downy Woodpecker (v) 9. Hairy Woodpecker (v) 10. Yellow-rumped Warbler 11. Cooper’s Hawk 12. American Crow 13. American Goldfinch (v) 14. Northern Harrier 15. Savannah Sparrow 16. Dark-eyed Junco (v)
Elsewhere
17. Golden-crowned Kinglet (v) 18. Rock Pigeon 19. European Starling 20. Rock Pigeon
Mammals
Eastern Gray Squirrel
(v) Voice only *Also elsewhere **Voice only elsewhere †First-of-year
The sun shone this morning. Fog and rain and clouds had dispersed—well, most of ’em—and the brightness of our star rendered the landscape bright and colorful and squint-worthy. Birds were about, too—but, oddly, fewer sparrows. (Perhaps the recent socked-in days brought them down to browse for food.)
Two hawks, two corvids, two finches, two thrushes, two woodpeckers. A kinglet, a creeper, still quite a few yellow-rumps.
Most notable, perhaps, were the bluebirds fluttering around the spruce grove at the summit. Those, and the kinglets. And the promise of more birds to come.
Beech Hill List Beginning at 8:05 a.m., I hiked all trails.
1. American Crow 2. Yellow-rumped Warbler 3. Blue Jay 4. Hairy Woodpecker 5. American Robin 6. Hermit Thrush 7. Black-capped Chickadee 8. American Goldfinch 9. Eastern Bluebird 10. Northern Flicker 11. White-throated Sparrow 12. Purple Finch 13. Song Sparrow 14. Herring Gull 15. Sharp-shinned Hawk 16. Cooper’s Hawk 17. Brown Creeper 18. Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Elsewhere
19. Northern Cardinal
(v) Voice only *Also elsewhere **Voice only elsewhere †First-of-year
