17 January 2025

Posts Tagged ‘pine siskin’

Woodpecker

Friday, February 10th, 2023
Pileated Woodpecker (male), Beech Hill Preserve, Rockport, Maine, 10 February 2023.
Pileated Woodpecker (male).

Rained pretty much all night, as forecast. I knew the landscape would be transformed this morning—and it was. Not in a bad way, but under overcast skies, up a foggy trail, in warmish temperatures, dog and I hiked alone. Heard a few birds, but what with the fog, I didn’t expect to get any good photos.

I was wrong.

Because as we wandered down through the trail’s woodland loop, I heard a distinctively slow tap, tap, tap of a particular woodpecker: a Pileated Woodpecker. Sure enough, I spotted the guy, took a few photos, and felt like I’d actually accomplished something.

Then coming back over the open trail, we came upon bluebirds and a yellow-rump or two. Ended up with ten species, much to my surprise.

Tomorrow the sun’s supposed to shine.

Beech Hill List
Beginning at 8:36 a.m., I hiked all trails.

1. Blue Jay
2. American Crow*
3. Tufted Titmouse (v)
4. Purple Finch (v)
5. Black-capped Chickadee**
6. Pine Siskin (v)
7. American Robin
8. Pileated Woodpecker
9. Yellow-rumped Warbler
10. Eastern Bluebird
11. White-breasted Nuthatch (v)

Mammals

American Red Squirrel

(v) Voice only
*Also elsewhere
**Voice only elsewhere

†First-of-year

Grosbeak

Tuesday, January 10th, 2023
Pine Grosbeak, Beech Hill Preserve, Rockport, Maine, 10 January 2023.
Pine Grosbeak.

Nippy this morning, and with some wind, but clear. Wore my winter coat, which was a good idea. The sun warmed us up a bit (Jack never seems cold), but I didn’t expect many birds what with the wind.

Welp, sure enough, I had a good bird: a Pine Grosbeak, up toward the summit, perched high and singing—looking for another of its kind, is my guess. Kind of made the morning.

More wintry birding tomorrow.

Beech Hill List
Beginning at 8:17 a.m., I hiked all trails.

1. Hairy Woodpecker
2. Black-capped Chickadee**
3. American Crow (v)
4. Red-breasted Nuthatch (v)
5. Pine Siskin
6. Yellow-rumped Warlber (v)
7. Northern Flicker (v)
8. American Robin*

Elsewhere

9. Northern Cardinal (v)

(v) Voice only
*Also elsewhere
**Voice only elsewhere

†First-of-year

Finally Winter

Saturday, January 7th, 2023
Northern Flicker, Beech Hill Preserve, Rockport, Maine, 07 January 2023.
Northern Flicker.
The bay this morning, Beech Hill Preserve, Rockport, Maine, 07 January 2023.
The bay this morning.

More light snow overnight combined with what fell yesterday to create the first truly winter landscape I’ve seen since returning to Maine. The eastern sky was glowing purple and orange, so dog and I headed up to the hill early, to try to get a photo of it.

Just beautiful up there. Very few early birds, though a couple interesting ones. Most noteworthy, probably, was a big gang of crows mobbing a hawk or owl or fox or something—more than a dozen crows.

But a flicker presented the best bird photo. They’ve been wintering over for several years now.

Warmed up later, and will be warm and clear tomorrow. A bluebird day?

Beech Hill List
Beginning at 7:50 a.m., I hiked all trails.

1. American Crow*
2. Purple Finch (v)
3. Red Crossbill (v)
4. Black-capped Chickadee**
5. Northern Flicker
6. Pine Siskin (v)

Elsewhere

7. Northern Cardinal
8. Tufted Titmouse (v)

(v) Voice only
*Also elsewhere
**Voice only elsewhere

†First-of-year

 
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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