This morning’s hike was a c-c-cold one to start: mid-40s (F). her But the sky was mostly blue, and over time, the sun warmed things up, as it does. Not a huge number of bird species—but some really interesting ones. Heard the cry of a red-tail, for instance (and saw two flying in a southerly direction). Saw a pair of larks. Listened to another kinglet’s rollicking song.
Most fun, though, was discovering a Northern Parula amid a little flock of yellow-rumps along the wooded trail. One even stopped moving long enough for a photographic glimpse.
[Note on Bird Report: This might well be my last post for a while—possibly the last post. These daily missives take a while to create, and I’m finding I have a lot I want to do with my time these days. But never fear: I do intend still to hike around a lot with binoculars and camera, so there will be bird photos out there. But mostly likely they’ll be on Instagram: @brrrder.]
Beech Hill List Starting at 7:46 a.m. EST (8:46 DST), I hiked all trails.
This morning was clear and cool and breezy and lovely—one of my favorite mornings in a long time, weather-wise. But also a favorite, bird-wise. Not only did many show up, but quite a few posed for photos.
My favorite of the bunch (photo, not bird) was the cooperative young thrush you see here.
(Note: I heard the notes of a White-throated Sparrow this morning, first since spring. Another of several recent signs of fall migration.)
Beech Hill List Starting at 7:23 a.m. EST (8:23 DST), I hiked all trails.
1. Blue Jay (v) 2. Black-capped Chickadee** 3. White-breasted Nuthatch (v) 4. Hairy Woodpecker 5. Broad-winged Hawk 6. Hermit Thrush 7. Red-eyed Vireo 8. White-throated Sparrow (v) 9. American Crow* 10. Common Yellowthroat 11. Gray Catbird (v) 12. Yellow-rumped Warbler 13. American Robin (v) 14. Eastern Towhee (v) 15. Northern Parula 16. Northern Flicker (v) 17. Osprey 18. Common Raven 19. Song Sparrow 20. Turkey Vulture 21. American Goldfinch (v)
The forecast rain didn’t arrive, and the fog at the beginning of my hike with dog vanished within about twenty minutes, but still I didn’t list too many bird species this morning. However, toward the end of this daily excursion of ours, we encountered another little mini fallout.
Today’s warbler species included redstart, yellow-rump, parula, and chestnut-sided. Chickadees and a vireo were a part of this antic collection of little flitting birds.
I love this time of year.
Beech Hill List Starting at 7:14 a.m. EST (8:14 DST), I hiked all trails.
1. American Crow* 2. Blue Jay** (v) 3. Black-capped Chickadee** 4. American Goldfinch 5. Gray Catbird** 6. Common Raven (v) 7. Common Yellowthroat (v) 8. American Robin 9. Savannah Sparrow 10. Eastern Bluebird (v) 11. Eastern Wood-pewee (v) 12. Song Sparrow 13. Yellow-rumped Warbler 14. Red-eyed Vireo 15. Eastern Towhee 16. White-breasted Nuthatch** (v) 17. Pileated Woodpecker (v) 18. Northern Flicker (v) 19. Cedar Waxwing (v) 20. Turkey Vulture 21. Chestnut-sided Warbler 22. Northern Parula 23. American Redstart
