Again Jack and I hiked the Ragged Mountain Snow Bowl trails with our best dog and human friends. Warm again but not as bright, with rain in the late-morning forecast. Not the number of bird species as last time, but still a fun hike in a different place with a lot going on.
Saw my first bluebird fledgling up there perched on a lift cable. Also a starling clearly nesting somewhere up there among the gears.
Tomorrow it’ll be back to Beech Hill, but we’ll hit the mountain again soon, I bet.
(An alphabetized list again.)
Camden Snow Bowl Trails List Starting at 6:48 a.m. EST (7:48 DST), I hiked some Camden Snow Bowl trails.
1. Alder Flycatcher 2. American Goldfinch 3. American Redstart (v) 4. American Robin* 5. Baltimore Oriole (v) 6. Black-and-white Warbler (v) 7. Brown Creeper (v) 8. Cedar Waxwing 9. Chipping Sparrow (v) 10. Common Yellowthroat (v) 11. Eastern Bluebird 12. Eastern Phoebe* (v) 13. Eastern Towhee (v) 14. Eastern Wood-pewee (v) 15. European Starling 16. Great Crested Flycatcher 17. Least Flycatcher (v) 18. Mourning Dove** (v) 19. Ovenbird (v) 20. Red-eyed Vireo** (v) 21. Red-winged Blackbird 22. Ruby-crowned Kinglet (v) 24. Scarlet Tanager (v) 24. Song Sparrow* 25. Tree Swallow 26. Tufted Titmouse (v) 27. Turkey Vulture 28. Wild Turkey 29. Yellow Warbler (v)
Elsewhere
30. Mallard 31. Red-bellied Woodpecker (v) 32. American Crow
Mammals
Eastern Chipmunk
(v) Voice only *Also elsewhere **Voice only elsewhere †First-of-year
Circumstances had me hiking Beech Hill twice this morning: once, briefly, early, and another hike of all trails in late morning. (Between I had a hike with Jack-my-dog and our human and doggie friends on the Community Wellness Trail.) Birds were out during both hikes—fewer in the late-morning heat (it got to 80° (F) today), but that’s also when the most interesting sighting occurred.
I’d heard the wild cheeping in the same location on a couple of earlier hikes but could never track down the source. Today I did: a juvenile Hairy Woodpecker. That little bird (or, possibly, multiple youngsters taking turns sticking their heads out of the nest cavity) made a lot of noise. Saw an adult (male) offer a quick bite only once, no doubt because of my presence.
Otherwise just a lovely (warm) day.
Beech Hill List Beginning at 6:45 a.m. sun time (7:45 DST), and resuming at 9:14 (10:14), I hiked all trails—and then some.
A bright, chilly morning with a breeze. Upper 40s (F) to start, so I wore my birding hoodie—a smooth move. Wild birds, however, seemed relatively undaunted by the fact that the breeze was northeasterly, and dog and I had a nice hike.
That said, I had relatively few photo opportunities for much of our nature walk, which was a tad frustrating. Then, during our return, a long dark bird flitted across the hedgy trail ahead of us. It turned out to be my first Black-billed Cuckoo of the year. And the cuckoo stayed at its perch long enough for me to sneak up and get a few close photos of this handsome bird’s upper half.
Also noteworthy: a flushed woodcock, a vocal Least Flycatcher, and—at home—a fox carrying a deceased gray squirrel across the lawn.
Ah, spring!
Beech Hill List Beginning at 6:11 a.m. sun time (7:11 DST), I hiked all trails.
1. Red-eyed Vireo** (v) 2. Ovenbird** 3. Chestnut-sided Warbler 4. American Redstart** 5. Eastern Phoebe** 6. Blue Jay (v) 7. Black-throated Green Warbler (v) 8. Hermit Thrush (v) 9. American Goldfinch 10. Gray Catbird** 11. Black-capped Chickadee (v) 12. Black-and-white Warbler (v) 13. Eastern Towhee 14. Common Yellowthroat (v) 15. Ruby-throated Hummingbird 16. American Woodcock 17. Veery 18. Song Sparrow** 19. American Crow* 20. Yellow Warbler (v) 21. Field Sparrow 22. Least Flycatcher (v) 23. American Robin 24. Alder Flycatcher (v) 25. Scarlet Tanager (v) 26. Chipping Sparrow 27. Purple Finch (v) 28. Eastern Bluebird 29. Herring Gull* 30. Tufted Titmouse (v) 31. Brown-headed Cowbird 32. Northern Parula (v) 33. Red-winged Blackbird (v) 34. Black-billed Cuckoo† 35. Broad-winged Hawk (v) 36. Rose-breasted Grosbeak (v) 37. Wood Thrush (v)
Elsewhere
38. Pine Warbler (v) 39. European Starling
Mammals
Eastern Gray Squirrel (live one) Red Fox
(v) Voice only *Also elsewhere **Voice only elsewhere †First-of-year
