Our ceiling on this morning’s hike was a gray overcast, and the air was damp and breezy. The forecast rain would not arrive until later in the day, though, so we’d keep comparatively dry, dog and I. And there was no shortage of bird species—including three corvids.
Of the three—crow, jay, and raven—the most notable was the solitary raven flying above us, accompanied by a single crow. (The crows were many and vocal, apparently gearing up for their annual October convention on the hill.)
Beech Hill List Starting at 7:19 a.m. EST (8:19 DST), I hiked all trails.
1. American Crow* 2. White-breasted Nuthatch** (v) 3. Black-capped Chickadee 4. American Robin (v) 5. White-throated Sparrow (v) 6. American Goldfinch 7. Yellow-rumped Warbler 8. Northern Flicker (v) 9. Blue Jay (v) 10. Song Sparrow 11. Red-bellied Woodpecker (v) 12. Brown Creeper (v) 13. Common Raven 14. Gray Catbird (v) 15. Red-eyed Vireo
Elsewhere
16. Mallard 17. Herring Gull
Mammals
Eastern Chipmunk (v)
(v) Voice only *Also elsewhere **Voice only elsewhere †First-of-year
The past few mornings of hiking the hill with dog, I’ve heard the distinctive tseet! note of migrating White-throated Sparrows. I’ve had no good looks at white-throats—they mostly flit through leafy tangles, staying out of sight—but they’re always on the move this time of year.
Today, surprisingly, I had a chance glimpse of one along the wooded trail and managed a (not great) photo. Ta-da!!
You never know in early October. Wonder what we’ll encounter tomorrow.
Beech Hill List Starting at 7:39 a.m. EST (8:39 DST), I hiked all trails.
This morning dog and I hiked a calm, cool quiet, early autumn trail. Migration was going on—many yellow-rumps, a kinglet, White-throated Sparrows—but after four sweet days on an island, it felt mostly like being back amid close family.
Best family photo? A close-up of a resident chickadee.
[On our morning hike, I dropped my Garmin device. Didn’t notice till we got back to the truck. So in afternoon, I went back without Jack—and, by golly, someone had found it and left it on a bench at the hut. Added a raven.]
Beech Hill List Starting at 8:03 a.m. EST (9:03 DST) and again at 1:09 (2:09), I hiked all trails.
