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Posts Tagged ‘northern raven’
Thursday, June 14th, 2012
 Savannah sparrow. Wow, what a busy day. Glorious weather, for one thing, which might’ve caused the mad scramble at work. Got a lot done, and did it quickly and efficiently so I could get out on my bike. Rode farther than usual, and managed several errands while I was at it. Heard the calls of house sparrows, a red-winged blackbird, several chipping sparrows, cardinals, roadside warblers. Got back about 5 and at once put a leash on Jack.
 Eastern phoebe. We were the only ones at wooded Beech Hill trail—or anywhere on the hill, in fact, during the time we were there—except for the wildlife. Lots of calling birds. Including a few newly vocal residents, like the rose-breasted grosbeak calling from the canopy near the trailhead. I imagine nests have proved fruitful, chicks have hatched, and the adults are busy feeding and introducing the young ‘uns to song.
About half-way up, I heard the guttural call of a raven, then spotted the solitary bird flying up the hill from the direction of the bay. It croaked and squawked and, eventually, attracted the attention of crows.
At the summit, the Beech Nut phoebes were attending to their nest in the eaves. And I spotted a savannah sparrow with a mouthful of leggy bugs and a caterpillar, all stuffed together in its beak. (Even miniature warblers—e.g., yellowthroats—can cram a lot of grub in there when it’s nesting time.) Also heard the song of a wood thrush for the first time in a few weeks, along with the subtler calls of other nesting species (alder flycatcher, aforementioned yellowthroat).
Back down in the woods, more thrushes: hermit, veery, robin. Wood-pewees, of course. (Simply love their call.) Oddly, I heard no chickadees today. But I did hear the crash and clatter of what I must presume were deer bounding through the trees. Or maybe a yearling moose.
 Black-and-white warbler. Tonight, out back, it’s cool and starry. And here and there in the trees are the flashes of the first fireflies of the year.
Beech Hill List
Beginning at 5:3o p.m., I hiked the wooded trails.
1. Red-eyed vireo* (v)
2. Chestnut-sided warbler*
3. Ovenbird* (v)
4. Veery (v)
5. Rose-breasted grosbeak (v)
6. American robin*
7. Eastern towhee (v)
8. Cedar waxwing* (v)
9. Mourning dove* (v)
10. American redstart* (v)
11. Northern raven
12. Herring gull* (v)
13. American crow* (v)
14. Hairy woodpecker (drumming)
15. Gray catbird (v)
16. Yellow warbler* (v)
17. Song sparrow*
18. Common yellowthroat* (v)
19. Eastern phoebe*
20. Wood thrush (v)
21. Savannah sparrow
22. Alder flycatcher (v)
23. Eastern wood-pewee
24. Black-throated green warbler (v)
25. Hermit thrush* (v)
26. Black-and-white warbler* (v)
27. American goldfinch* (v)
Elsewhere
28. House finch (v)
29. Tufted titmouse (v)
30. House sparrow
31. Red-winged blackbird (v)
32. Chipping sparrow
33. Northern cardinal (v)
34. Mallard
v = Voice only
*Also elsewhere
Tags: alder flycatcher, American crow, American goldfinch, American redstart, American robin, black-and-white warbler, black-thoated green warbler, Cedar waxwing, chestnut-sided warbler, chipping sparrow, common yellowthroat, eastern phoebe, eastern towhee, eastern wood-pewee, gray catbird, hairy woodpecker, hermit thrush, herring gull, house finch, house sparrow, mallard, mourning dove, northern cardinal, northern raven, ovenbird, red-eyed vireo, red-winged blackbird, rose-breasted grosbeak, savannah sparrow, tufted titmouse, veery, wood thrush, yellow warbler
Posted in Lists, Observations | No Comments »
Saturday, April 28th, 2012
 Three crows. Brrr. The day dawned excruciatingly clear and bright—and distractingly cold. But never mind. Spent much of the day working at the kitchen table—where I downed a delicious breakfast of eggs scrambled with onions and hot peppers, a few fried potatoes, and fresh black coffee—with a break to chat with the across-the-road neighbors. At last, Jack and I took a hike.
 Moon. The wind was whipping at the summit of Beech Hill. On the way up, I heard the voice of a raven and flushed a woodcock from the muddy trail not twenty feet in front of us. (Wished I’d seen it first.) Tried out my new camera, which I’m still getting used to. The colors of the day and my mood and the whole world around me were predominantly blue and gold. Half moon in the blue sky. Blue bay beyond the gold-green fields. American goldfinch at the top of a budding-out maple.
Tonight is a crisp and starry one—just like I like ’em.
Beech Hill List
Beginning at 4:45 p.m., I hiked the wooded trails.
1. Black-capped chickadee
2. Northern raven (v)
3. American woodcock
4. American robin*
5. Eastern towhee (v)
6. American crow*
7. Eastern phoebe (v)
8. American goldfinch*
Elsewhere
9. Tufted titmouse (v)
10. Northern cardinal (v)
11. Turkey vulture
12. House finch
13. Mourning dove
14. House sparrow
15. Herring gull
v = Voice only
*Also elsewhere
 American goldfinch.
Tags: American crow, American goldfinch, American robin, American woodcock, black-capped chickadee, eastern phoebe, eastern towhee, herring gull, house finch, house sparrow, mourning dove, northern cardinal, northern raven, tufted titmouse, turkey vulture
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Monday, August 29th, 2011
 Red-eyed vireo. If I were asked to concoct a perfect day, weather-wise, it might look something like this one. Sun drenched the morning landscape. Very few clouds, light wind. Quite a contrast to conditions not very many hours ago.
 Red-eyed vireo. The usual birds were out carousing—crows, chickadees, gulls, cardinals. I spent a typically busy Monday at my desk but, by mid-afternoon, couldn’t fight off my hankering for my first bike ride since the remnants of Tropical Storm Irene raked the coast with moderate rain and fairly blustery winds. (Considering the forecast, we were pretty damn lucky.) And it was a nice ride. Plus, a number of birds were out, especially in Rockport Village. Sparrow, nuthatch, cardinal. Wrapped up work after my ride then hurried with Jack up to Beech Hill.
Sun drenched the afternoon landscape. A little gang of chickadees greeted us as we turned into the lot. Heard goldfinches, waxwings. and, coming up the rise, a distant flicker. A few frogs chirped, no doubt encouraged by the recent rain. Scraps of loose clouds hung in the west, just this side of the sun. Hardly any wind at all.
We met a couple hikers, one of them a Texan with a dog. (We even talked Longhorns football for a little while—a Beech Hill first for me.) The tall mast of a visiting super yacht towered over the bay just beyond the tree line up Camden way. Heard crows, towhees, and two more flickers bantering back and forth. Then, down at the berry patch (ate eight or ten blackberries, eight or ten blueberries), a yellowthroat sang and a catbird chattered.
 Landscape. Returning, I caught sight of a couple song sparrows flitting in the brush near Beech Nut. In fact, most birds were still behaving secretively—that is, until we got back near the road, when I heard a minor commotion of chickadees in the trees. We stopped so I could scan for other birds, and sure enough I got a glimpse of a warbler of some kind. I couldn’t ID its chip. (Maybe a yellow?) While working to focus in on the little bird, I saw two larger ones up there—vireos. We moved a bit closer and stood there a moment. Suddenly the vireos swooped down into a berry bush not ten feet from us. Got a blurry photo of both together, then some decent shots of one eating berries. In fact, I believe it’s the best photos I’ve yet managed of any kind of vireo.
Tonight is cool and still. Stars everywhere. A starlit landscape, you might say.
Beech Hill List
Beginning at 5:30 p.m., I hiked the open trail.
1. Black-capped chickadee
2. American goldfinch (voice)
3. Cedar waxwing (voice)
4. Northern flicker (voice)
5. American crow (voice)
6. Eastern towhee (voice)
7. Northern raven
8. Common yellowthroat (voice)
9. Gray catbird (voice)
10. Song sparrow
11. Red-eyed vireo
Elsewhere
12. Herring gull
13. Rock pigeon
14. House sparrow
15. White-breasted nuthatch
16. Northern cardinal
 Beech Nut.
Tags: American crow, American goldfinch, black-capped chickadee, Cedar waxwing, common yellowthroat, eastern towhee, gray catbird, herring gull, house sparrow, northern cardinal, northern flicker, northern raven, red-eyed vireo, rock pigeon, song sparrow, white-breasted nuthatch
Posted in Lists, Observations | No Comments »
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| Bird Report is a (sometimes intermittent) record of the birds I encounter while hiking, see while driving, or spy outside my window. —Brian Willson |
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