This first day of autumn brought a morning much like yesterday’s: sunny, cool, and fragrant. It also brought a surprising bird species: a Horned Lark. They’re not rare on the hill, but they typically come in small flocks. I rarely see just one, as I did today. An immature male, the bird was poking around the edges of the main trail—and at one point got very near to dog and me as we stood still, and I took photos.
Another oddball was a Nashville Warbler (haven’t seen any since spring, and few then), adult and juvie Hermit Thrush, and a bunch of the usual suspects.
All in all, a fun one.
Beech Hill List Starting at 7:24 a.m. EST (8:24 DST), I hiked all trails.
Cool and bright again this morning—but not quite so cool. In fact, the day warmed up pretty good by the time dog and I reached the summit. A noteworthy day, though, with a few nice sightings. Most noteworthy, perhaps was a whitetail doe and fawn that appeared in a little clearing far below us.
Bird-wise, also at the summit, I spotted my first yellow-rump since spring. and I spotted my first Nashville Warbler in months, down in the woodlands.
Sitting here this evening, I find myself wondering what tomorrow’s hike will bring.
Beech Hill List Starting at 7:04 a.m. EST (8:04 DST), I hiked all trails.
’Tis the season of the Ovenbird. This perky little terrestrial-nesting warbler—with his stylish orange mohawk—nests in a dutch-oven-style nest of leaves on the sun-dappled forest floor and declares its existence from a tree limb twenty or thirty feet above: Teacher, teacher, teacher, teacher, teacher!
They also chase each other with great speed, zipping between trunks, a frantic sort of demonstration of their territorial imperative. But mostly, these mid-May days, their voices echo loudly in the woodlands.
Otherwise notable this lovely (if nippy) morning: a first-of-hill Ruby-throated Hummingbird. Such a fun time of year.
Beech Hill List Beginning at 6:18 a.m. sun time (7:18 DST), I hiked all trails.
