Rained overnight, and the morning trails were watery when Captain Jack and I hit the hill. Chilly enough for a sweatshirt, but calm, with air that had the fragrance of fall.
Plenty of birds—I suppose thanks to a change in wind direction—including a minor fallout of yellow-rumps, a very vocal kinglet, and some vocal woodpecker species. Most notable would be an Ovenbird that was hanging out with a Hermit Thrush. (They do look a little alike, I guess.)
To top things off, in afternoon, another dog (Oscar) and I walked the Rockland Breakwater—which will explain a few species listed below.
Beech Hill List Starting at 8:01 a.m. EST (9:01 DST), I hiked all trails.
Dog and I hiked in the rain this morning. Not a hard rain, but a steady one for much of it. Hardly any birds to start, but I began to hear some in the woodlands—and after the rain let up a bit, got a glimpse of a few species.
The highlight: a juvenile Prairie Warbler that popped up for a photo at the very end of our hike. First prairie I’ve seen this year (although I heard ’em singing in spring).
Beech Hill List Starting at 7:28 a.m. EST (8:28 DST), I hiked all trails.
1. Cedar Waxwing 2. Eastern Wood-pewee (v) 3. Black-capped Chickadee (v) 4. American Redstart 5. Red-eyed Vireo (v) 6. Broad-winged Hawk (v) 7. Gray Catbird 8. Eastern Towhee (v) 9. American Goldfinch (v) 10. Song Sparrow 11. American Crow* (v) 12. Prairie Warbler
We had a lovely hike on the hill this morning, dog and I—many birds, big skies, just a very wonderful experience. But the highlight of this day happened at evening. About 8:30 this evening, in fact, at a friend’s house near Clam Cove, less than a mile from me. Off in the woods I heard the voice of a Chuck Will’s Widow.
Decades ago, I used to hear Eastern Whip-poor-wills here on the coast at night—multiples even. But for the past twenty years or more, the only goatsucker I’ve encountered has been (very rarely) a Common Nighthawk in flight. Chuck Will’s Widows aren’t even supposed to range this far north along the coast.
Made for an exciting day for me.
Beech Hill List Beginning at 6:45 a.m. sun time (7:45 DST), I hiked all trails.
