It rained most of last night, and the day dawned wet and drippy. The overcast lasted all day, but my morning hike with dog was all sweet, watery drippiness. Quiet, though, with few birds flitting around in the greenery.
Until (as yesterday) we reached a spot on the wooded trail where chickadees were chatting at each other. Sure enough, several species of small birds were accompanying the chickadees—vireo, warblers, a wood-pewee….
Also spied a Swainson’s Thrush again, perhaps the same individual as yesterday. I listened as it repeatedly uttered a sweet short note I’d never heard before.
Beech Hill List Beginning at 8:03 a.m., I hiked all trails.
1. Blue Jay (v) 2. American Crow 3. Ovenbird 4. Northern Flicker 5. Gray Catbird 6. Eastern Towhee (v) 7. Song Sparrow 8. Common Yellowthroat (v) 9. Swainson’s Thrush 10. Yellow-rumped Warbler 11. Cedar Waxwing (v) 12. Black-capped Chickadee 13. Black-throated Green Warbler 14. Black-and-white Warbler 15. Tufted Titmouse (v) 16. Red-eyed Vireo 17. Eastern Wood-pewee (v) 18. White-throated Sparrow 19. American Goldfinch
Elsewhere
20. Mallard
Mammals
Eastern Gray Squirrel Eastern Chipmunk
(v) Voice only *Also elsewhere **Voice only elsewhere †First-of-year
Another in a string of fair, cool mornings. When much of the rest of the country is suffering through heat waves and droughts and fires and flooding, dog and I are particularly lucky in these challenging days.
Plus, I had thirty bird species on my list today. Notable: a gull in the woods (?), first Hermit Thrush in a while, first Veery in a while, first Ovenbird in a while, first Savannah Sparrow in a while. The latter, in particular rather thrilled me.
What a lovely morning. To be followed by a day of rain—or so they say.
Beech Hill List Beginning at 7:40 a.m., I hiked all trails.
1. Black-capped Chickadee 2. American Crow 3. Red-eyed Vireo 4. Red-bellied Woodpecker 5. Ovenbird 6. Herring Gull 7. Brown Creeper 8. Hermit Thrush 9. White-breasted Nuthatch 10. Tufted Titmouse 11. Red-breasted Nuthatch 12. Eastern Towhee 13. Veery 14. Gray Catbird 15. American Goldfinch 16. Hairy Woodpecker 17. Song Sparrow 18. Yellow-rumped Warbler 19. Purple Finch 20. Common Yellowthroat 21. Savannah Sparrow 22. Field Sparrow 23. Cedar Waxwing 24. Rose-breasted Grosbeak 25. Yellow Warbler 26. Ruby-throated Hummingbird 27. Eastern Phoebe 28. Blue Jay 29. Least Flycatcher 30. Northern Flicker
Elsewhere
31. Northern Cardinal 32. Carolina Wren
Mammals
Eastern Gray Squirrel Eastern Chipmunk
(v) Voice only *Also elsewhere **Voice only elsewhere †First-of-year
A lovely morning—clear, with a bit of breeze, still greenery everywhere. Also birds, quite a few species. Among them three woodpecker species.
I do like woodpeckers. Love ’em, actually—their drumming, their unique method of hunting and dining, their calls, their bouncy flight. Today’s species were hairy and downy and red-bellied (in the reverse order). Others I see on the hill are pileated, flicker, and sapsucker. I love ’em all.
Today’s best woodpecker encounter was at the end of our hike, when dog and I stopped to admire the interactions of a little family of Hairy Woodpeckers—a chase, some vocalizations, some excavations.
In my world, a day without woodpeckers is just a little diminished.
Beech Hill List Beginning at 7:30 a.m., I hiked all trails.
1. Black-capped Chickadee 2. Red-breasted Nuthatch (v) 3. Ovenbird (v) 4. Gray Catbird** 5. Eastern Wood-pewee (v) 6. White-breasted Nuthatch (v) 7. Tufted Titmouse (v) 8. Red-eyed Vireo 9. Downy Woodpecker (v) 10. Eastern Towhee 11. Common Raven (v) 12. Common Yellowthroat 13. Red-bellied Woodpecker (v) 14. American Goldfinch (v) 15. American Crow* (v) 16. Yellow-bellied Flycatcher 17. Yellow-rumped Warbler 18. Ruby-throated Hummingbird 19. Cedar Waxwing 20. Song Sparrow 21. Blue Jay 22. Northern Cardinal** 23. Purple Finch 24. American Robin 25. Ruffed Grouse 26. Hairy Woodpecker
Elsewhere
27. Mourning Dove
Mammals
Eastern Gray Squirrel
(v) Voice only *Also elsewhere **Voice only elsewhere †First-of-year
