Blue was the color of the sky. Blue were the wing-flashing highlights on the magpies flapping overhead. Blue infused the back of the perching scrub-jay. And a wave of blue washed over me when I couldn’t manage a decent photo of my first Utah warbler sighting: a Nashville Warbler flitting through the scrub oak. A fairly uncommon migrant, from what I gather.
But here’s a photo of a scrub jay.
Grandeur Peak Area List Beginning at 8:45 a.m., I hiked a few hundred feet up the mountain.
A warm, humid morning. Got to the hill early, and the bird life did not disappoint. Lots of activity, singing and begging and feeding.Got a nice look at a singing/preening redstart. Spotted a Hermit Thrush rather out of place in the spruce grove at the summit.
Also spied two turkey families on the drive back home—two adults and a dozen tiny poults swimming in the tall July grass.
(Supposed to have gotten T-storms, but none by late this evening. Still humid, though.)
Beech Hill List Beginning at 7 a.m., I hiked the open trail.
1. Veery (v) 2. Black-capped Chickadee* * 3. American Redstart 4. White-breasted Nuthatch (v) 5. Ovenbird (v) 6. Chipping Sparrow** 7. Red-eye Vireo (v) 8. Chestnut-sided Warbler (v) 9. American Crow* 10. Common Yellowthroat** 11. Northern Cardinal* (v) 12. Song Sparrow** 13. Alder Flycatcher (v) 14. Cedar Waxwing 15. American Goldfinch (v) 16. Purple Finch (v) 17. Eastern Towhee 18. Field Sparrow (v) 19. Savannah Sparrow 20. Nashville Warbler (v) 21. Eastern Phoebe* 22. Eastern Bluebird 23. Yellow Warbler (v) 24. Tufted Titmouse (v) 25. Mourning Dove* (v) 26. American Robin (v) 27. Gray Catbird** 28. Hermit Thrush 29. Blue Jay (v) 30. Rose-breasted Grosbeak (V)
Elsewhere
31. House Finch (v) 32. Wild Turkey 33. Herring Gull
v = Voice only *Also elsewhere **Voice only elsewhere
Kind of a lovely morning. Sunny and calm, with just a hint of breeze. Not too warm, not too cold. Summer singing going on.
I don’t know this for a fact, but my theory is that birds are singing again now that they’ve got fledglings roaming about who need to learn the songs of the species.
Whatever the fact of it, it’s lovely to think of all those young birds out there.
Beech Hill List Beginning at 7:15 a.m., I hiked the open trail.
Bird Report is an intermittent record of what's outside my window in Rockport, Maine, USA (44°08'N latitude, 69°06'W longitude), and vicinity. —Brian Willson
