Eastern phoebe.

Somehow I knew it was a gorgeous morning before I’d even fully awakened. Somewhere in my brain I felt the sunlight beyond the blinds. And the sun had already been up a while. Even so, Jack and I managed to scramble up to the wooded Beech Hill trail by shortly after 8 a.m.

Daisy.

We pulled in right as a young couple also arrived and everybody exchanged pleasantries. Then we hiked on up ahead. Warblers, vireo, veery, goldfinch. A cool breeze rushing in the full canopy but a warm sun made things heat up in a hurry. Waxwing, towhee—then we startled a woodcock on the trail. It fluttered away on whistling wings. (And I cursed my inability to spot it soon enough for a photo. Getting a good woodcock photo is about the only thing on my so-called “bucket list.”) Catbird, flycatcher, song sparrow at the upper fields. We met two young couples at the summit. And a dog.

Down the open trail I ran into a family I know and we had a nice chat. At that point, I’d racked up only fourteen species—but then I heard a robin and a chipping sparrow, spotted a cowbird at the top of a spruce tree, and heard the single call of a northern parula. Added several other species coming down through the lower woods, including a hairy woodpecker raising a cloud of sawdust while pecking away at an old trunk not far off the trail. Figured that’d be the last bird, but then I heard the voice of a redstart and, on one of the boulders at the trailhead itself, a pair of purple finches. Nearly got a photo of ’em, even, but just then black shook and jingled his collar, and they flew away.

The rest of the day proved warm and lovely and postcard-perfect. Spent a while walking around town with a friend from away who would catch the ferry to Vinalhaven.

This late afternoon, the phoebe flitted around out back, as usual. I peeked at the nest and saw at least three chicks, I think. I’m a little worried about the nuthatch nest, though—haven’t seen those birds around the nesting cavity in about a week.

Hairy woodpecker making sawdust.

Tonight—a lovely night, with cool, whispering, fragrant air and stars above—came with multiple firefly sightings.

Beech Hill
Beginning at 8:15 a.m., I hiked all trails.

1. Chestnut-sided warbler
2. Red-eyed vireo (voice)
3. Ovenbird (voice)
4. Veery (voice)
5. American goldfinch
6. Common yellowthroat
7. Cedar waxwing (voice)
8. Eastern towhee
9. American woodcock
10. Yellow warbler (voice)
11. Gray catbird
12. Song sparrow
13. Black-capped chickadee (voice)
14. Savannah sparrow
15. American robin (voice)
16. Chipping sparrow (voice)
17. Brown-headed cowbird
18. Northern parula (voice)
19. Hermit thrush (voice)
20. Eastern wood-pewee (voice)
21. Blue jay (voice)
22. American crow
23. Hairy woodpecker
24. American redstart (voice)
25. Purple finch

Elsewhere

26. House finch
27. Mourning dove
28. Herring gull
29. Eastern phoebe
30. Rock pigeon
31. Northern robin

Savannah sparrow.