Two Beech Hill hikes today: a quick, early one with Jack-my-dog, and a later, longer one with a group of curious kids on a middle school field trip. Both were fun.
Ten species early and another six later—the latter ones being most interesting (including an eagle accompanied by hawks). Alas, the last bird on my list was deceased: a dead Black-and-white Warbler I found lying along the trail near the summit. My guess is the bird flew into a window of the hut and managed to flutter across the lawn a ways before succumbing to its injuries. Whatever the case, it’s always sad to find a dead bird.
Migration is risky no matter who you are, and some migrants don’t make it to their destinations. I tossed the little warbler into a soft, shady patch of grass.
Beech Hill List Starting at 7:30 a.m. EST (8:30 DST), I hiked all trails.
The forecast rain didn’t arrive, and the fog at the beginning of my hike with dog vanished within about twenty minutes, but still I didn’t list too many bird species this morning. However, toward the end of this daily excursion of ours, we encountered another little mini fallout.
Today’s warbler species included redstart, yellow-rump, parula, and chestnut-sided. Chickadees and a vireo were a part of this antic collection of little flitting birds.
I love this time of year.
Beech Hill List Starting at 7:14 a.m. EST (8:14 DST), I hiked all trails.
1. American Crow* 2. Blue Jay** (v) 3. Black-capped Chickadee** 4. American Goldfinch 5. Gray Catbird** 6. Common Raven (v) 7. Common Yellowthroat (v) 8. American Robin 9. Savannah Sparrow 10. Eastern Bluebird (v) 11. Eastern Wood-pewee (v) 12. Song Sparrow 13. Yellow-rumped Warbler 14. Red-eyed Vireo 15. Eastern Towhee 16. White-breasted Nuthatch** (v) 17. Pileated Woodpecker (v) 18. Northern Flicker (v) 19. Cedar Waxwing (v) 20. Turkey Vulture 21. Chestnut-sided Warbler 22. Northern Parula 23. American Redstart
Another nippy morning—low-60s (F) to start—that warmed into a lovely late-summer day. On the hill, birds were stirring, including one species I hadn’t encountered since spring: Scarlet Tanager. I heard a high, loud, abrupt call that I didn’t recognize coming from up in the wooded canopy. Turned out to be a female tanager. (Learned another bird call today!)
