Today was a special day that only happens once a year: Audubon Christmas Bird Count Day. It’d been four years since I’d participated, and I was really looking forward to it. It did not disappoint.
In fact, among the birds we spotted at the Rockland Breakwater (which I hadn’t walked since Jack’s and my return from Salt Lake City back in April) was a lifer for me: Dunlin. Fact is while heading out across the great granite blocks, I nearly stepped on the bird. (OK, it was maybe eight or ten feet away.) There were a pair that I saw (although my birding pals saw a third). Not every day you get a lifer.
Brown Creeper.
Many other species also (see below), and then I returned home for Jack and right away we hiked Beech Hill—albeit a little later than usual.
Notable at the hill were a posing Brown Creeper and the call of an Evening Grosbeak in overflight. Snow up there (not much here, a mile and a half away).
I kinda like the end of the year but, to me, every day is a holiday.
Beech Hill List Beginning at 10:02 a.m., I hiked all trails.
1. Blue Jay (v) 2. American Crow* (v) 3. Golden-crowned Kinglet (v) 4. Downy Woodpecker** (v) 5. Brown Creeper 6. Evening Grosbeak (v) 7. Black-capped Chickadee** 8. Red-breasted Nuthatch** (v) 9. Northern Flicker 10. Tufted Titmouse (v)
Elsewhere
11. Mallard 12. Herring Gull 13. Great Black-backed Gull 14. Ring-billed Gull 15. House Sparrow 16. House Finch 17. Common Goldeneye 18. Common Loon 19. Horned Grebe 20. Long-tailed Duck 21. Black Guillemot 22. Purple Sandpiper 23. Canada Goose 24. American Wigeon 25. Surf Scoter 26. Bufflehead 27. Red-breasted Merganser 28. Dunlin‡ 29. Common Eider 30. Ring-billed Gull
(v) Voice only *Also elsewhere **Voice only elsewhere †First-of-year ‡Lifer
A morning similar to yesterday’s—low 20s (F), light winds—but nearly cloudless skies. Had few birds to start, but they started showing up eventually.
Most notable was a Ruffed Grouse we flushed, dog and me, as we ascended the upper wooded trail. But I suspected the blue sky and light wind would mean bluebirds (which it did) and yellow-rumps (also did). Two nuthatch species, chickadees and titmice.
All in all a fun hike with my ol’ dog (and best friend) Captain Jack.
Beech Hill List Beginning at 8:06 a.m., I hiked all trails.
Dog and I had a nice long hike today with our friends Joe and Amy—including a stretch of the Erickson Fields trail. Not a whole lot of birds, but enough to make things interesting.
Especially interesting was yet another harrier experience: crows mobbed the bird, which rose and dipped (as usual), and then a Merlin appeared and began zipping all over the place, chasing whatever it could. When the harrier finally decided to move on, the little falcon stuck around and began to dive bomb the crows. Was a lot of fun.
Final bird? A high-flying eagle that Joe spotted. Nice end to a nice hike with friends.
Beech Hill List Beginning at 7:59 a.m., I hiked all trails.
1. American Crow* 2. American Robin 3. Hairy Woodpecker 4. Blue Jay** 5. Yellow-rumped Warbler 6. Tufted Titmouse** 7. Northern Cardinal 8. Black-capped Chickadee 9. Northern Flicker 10. Eastern Bluebird 11. American Goldfinch 12. Northern Harrier 13. Merlin 14. Herring Gull 15. Great Black-backed Gull 16. Common Raven 17. Bald Eagle
Elsewhere
18. Wild Turkey
(v) Voice only *Also elsewhere **Voice only elsewhere †First-of-year
