A second straight windy morning greeted dog and me as we hit the trail—but even windier. Chilly air from the northwest was a-waggin’ the young, leafing-out hardwoods around and making it tough for birds to perch on high. Plus, listening was often a challenge.
Nonetheless, I somehow managed to tally up thirty species on today’s list—including three first-of-year birds.
FOYs are of course fun sightings for avid birders: the after many months away, the old familiar has returned. I’ve had FOY birds just about every day for a week, I bet. And I didn’t even realize I had three today until I viewed my photos, when what I thought was a Red-eyed-Vireo turned out to be a Tennessee Warbler.
Crow dive-bombing a raven, bluebirds taking over the tree swallow box, first-of-year wood-pewee delivering my favorite sound of summer.
Summer will be here before you know it.
Beech Hill List Beginning at 7:12 a.m., I hiked most trails.
Cold and wet morning. Forties (F) and drippy from some overnight precip. Didn’t expect much in the way of birds or photos—but, as often happens, I was pleasantly surprised.
First were all the warblers flitting silently through the leafing-out hardwoods. (Sure enough not a lot of singing going on.) Next came some nice surprises at the misty summit: activity in the spruce grove including a Least Flycatcher, a Yellow Warbler, A Magnolia Warbler, a Wilson’s Warbler—and a first-of-preserve Lincoln’s Sparrow. Pretty sure that was the first of the species I had to ID on my own, in fact.
Sweet.
In all, thirty-six species on a drippy, gray day. I’ll take it.
Beech Hill List Beginning at 8 a.m., I hiked all trails.
1. American Robin* (v) 2. Ovenbird 3. Black-throated Green Warbler 4. American Goldfinch (v) 5. Chestnut-sided Warbler (v) 6. Hairy Woodpecker 7. American Redstart (v) 8. Veery (v) 9. Gray Catbird (v) 10. Northern Cardinal (v) 11. Herring Gull* (v) 12. Eastern Towhee 13. Rose-breasted Grosbeak* 14. Common Yellowthroat (v) 15. Hermit Thrush (v) 16. Northern Parula (v) 17. Yellow Warbler** 18. Song Sparrow** 19. Eastern Phoebe* (v) 20. Tree Swallow 21. Field Sparrow (v) 22. American Crow (v) 23. Blue Jay (v) 24. Cedar Waxwing 25. Lincoln’s Sparrow† 26. Magnolia Warbler 27. Least Flycatcher 28. Scarlet Tanager (v) 29. Wilson’s Warbler 30. Red-eyed Vireo 31. Northern Flicker (v) 32. Purple Finch (v) 33. Wood Thrush (v) 34. Black-capped Chickadee (v) 35. Black-and-white Warbler (v) 36. Common Raven (v)
Elsewhere
37. House Finch 38. Chipping Sparrow
v = Voice only *Also elsewhere **Voice only elsewhere †First-of-year bird.
Warm and gray this morning. Temps in the 60s (F) early. A thrushy sort of day—but one with a couple of interesting species (notably Black-billed Cuckoo and Magnolia Warbler). So muggy that the raven in the blueberry barren kept its mouth open to keep cool. And I fell in love with female yellowthroat.
Common Raven (panting).
Not bad for a humid morning.
Beech Hill List Beginning at 8 a.m., I hiked all trails.
1. Wood Thrush (v)
2. Ovenbird**
3. Red-eyed Vireo (v)
4. American Redstart**
5. Veery
6. Rose-breasted Grosbeak (v)
7. Black-and-white Warbler
8. Black-throated Green Warbler (v)
9. American Goldfinch
10. Common Yellowthroat**
11. Chestnut-sided Warbler**
12. Eastern Towhee
13. American Crow*
14. Alder Flycatcher (v)
15. Yellow Warbler (v)
16. Song Sparrow**
17. Gray Catbird
18. Black-billed Cuckoo
19. Eastern Wood-pewee
20. Eastern Phoebe*
21. Field Sparrow
22. Common Raven
23. Tree Swallow
24. Savannah Sparrow (v)
25. American Robin (v)
26. Black-capped Chickadee (v)
27. Blue Jay
28. Chipping Sparrow (v)
29. Eastern Bluebird
30. Magnolia Warbler
31. Mourning Dove (v)
32. Purple Finch (v)
33. Scarlet Tanager (v)
34. Tufted Titmouse (v)
35. Great Crested Flycatcher (v)
Elsewhere
36. European Starling
37. Herring Gull
38. Common Grackle
v = Voice only *Also elsewhere **Voice only elsewhere
