Stayed up late last night, slept late-ish this morning. Captain Jack and I didn’t make it to the hill until about 8 o’clock sun time. Sunny and cool and breezy, didn’t think I’d list so many birds at the late hour—but turned out I matched yesterday’s total number of species.
No firsts-of-year, no lifers. Mostly the usual suspects (along with a calling Black-billed Cuckoo, a species I hope to catch sight of one day). Some posed, although my captures tended toward the plain.
Still, what a lovely morning, and what a magical place we get to hang out in every day, dog and me.
Beech Hill List Beginning at 9:01 a.m., I hiked most trails.
Slept well enough last night that dog and I were a couple hours late to the trailhead. A foggy, drippy, luscious day. Many bird species were quieter than usual, but their numbers were high.
Most notable was a first-of-year Black-billed Cuckoo, whose voice came clearly from the bayberry tangles down the eastern slope.
Beech Hill List Beginning at 9:05 a.m., I hiked most trails.
1. Ovenbird** 2. Chestnut-sided Warbler** 3. Red-eyed Vireo** (v) 4. American Goldfinch* 5. Song Sparrow* 6. Black-throated Green Warbler* (v) 7. Common Yellowthroat (v) 8. Hairy Woodpecker 9. Gray Catbird 10. Black-and-white Warbler 11. Veery (v) 12. Eastern Towhee 13. American Redstart (v) 14. Northern Parula (v) 15. Black-capped Chickadee** 16. Nashville Warbler (v) 17. Wood Thrush (v) 18. American Crow* (v) 19. Ruby-throated Hummingbird 20. Great Crested Flycatcher (v) 21. Yellow Warbler 22. Blue Jay 23. Field Sparrow (v) 24. American Robin 25. Savannah Sparrow 26. Prairie Warbler (v) 27. Alder Flycatcher (v) 28. Black-billed Cuckoo† (v) 29. Tufted Titmouse (v) 30. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (v) 31. Hermit Thrush (v) 32. Brown Creeper 33. Northern Cardinal** 34. Eastern Phoebe*
Elsewhere
35. Mallard 36. Herring Gull
Mammals
Gray Squirrel
(v) Voice only *Also elsewhere **Voice only elsewhere †First-of-year
An overcast morning, calm and cool. Birds weren’t particularly vocal, so I wondered if the atmospheric conditions might keep this morning’s numbers down—but it turned out they were flitting all over the place.
Notable was a sapsucker that popped up as I was angling for photos of (I believe) a hummingbird. Three thrushes, nine warblers, two birds posing with nesting materials in their beaks (catbird and robin). One of the thrushes was a Prairie Warbler.
No first-of-years, but dog and I didn’t mind.
Beech Hill List Beginning at 8:05 a.m., I hiked most trails.
1. Red-eyed Vireo** (v) 2. Chestnut-sided Warbler** 3. Ovenbird** 4. Black-throated Green Warbler* (v) 5. American Crow* 6. Northern Parula (v) 7. Northern Cardinal (v) 8. Gray Catbird 9. Black-capped Chickadee 10. Great Crested Flycatcher (v) 11. Veery (v) 12. American Goldfinch* 13. American Redstart (v) 14. Eastern Towhee 15. Ruby-throated Hummingbird 16. Black-and-white Warbler 17. Common Yellowthroat (v) 18. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 19. Blue Jay 20. Hermit Thrush 21. Tufted Titmouse** 22. Song Sparrow* 23. Yellow Warbler (v) 24. Common Raven 25. Field Sparrow 26. Eastern Phoebe* (v) 27. Prairie Warbler 28. Tree Swallow 29. American Robin 30. Savannah Sparrow 31. Nashville Warbler 32. Wood Thrush (v) 33. Eastern Bluebird
