Considering this balmy, droughty stretch of days, I figured it might be nice to take Jack up the hill earlier than usual. After all, the sun rises about 5:15 here at this time of year.
It was a very good hike—warm, but less so than on recent days. Quieter to to start, but ending with a nice batch of bird species—highlight being the very vocal loon that flew over our heads near the summit.
It was a blueberry pick day at Beech Hill. We did our hike and were headed down before the pick began. A warm one, a dry one, but a darn good one.
Beech Hill List Beginning at 7:27 a.m., I hiked most trails.
1. Red-eyed Vireo** 2. Blue Jay (v) 3. Black-throated Green Warbler (v) 4. American Goldfinch** 5. American Crow* 6. Veery (v) 7. Black-capped Chickadee** 8. Eastern Wood-pewee 9. White-breasted Nuthatch 10. Brown Creeper (v) 11. Northern Flicker (v) 12. Tufted Titmouse (v) 13. Hermit Thrush 14. Red-bellied Woodpecker (v) 15. Pine Warbler (v) 16. Downy Woodpecker 17. Eastern Towhee 18. Common Yellowthroat 19. Alder Flycatcher 20. Cedar Waxwing 21. Song Sparrow 22. Yellow Warbler 23. House Wren (v) 24. Purple Finch (v) 25. Herring Gull* 26. Savannah Sparrow (v) 27. Chipping Sparrow 28. Common Loon 29. Blue-headed Vireo (v) 30. American Robin 31. Gray Catbird 32. Chestnut-sided Warbler
Elsewhere
33. Mourning Dove 34. Northern Cardinal (v)
Mammals
Gray Squirrel
(v) Voice only *Also elsewhere **Voice only elsewhere †First-of-year
Buncha birds this morning. Warm, muggy, quiet at first—but once we got up through the woods and emerged into the hazy sun, things got interesting.
In all, I listed 35 species and had a couple nice photos.
Notable: Broad-winged Hawk, Pine Warbler, and thirty three other spp. On account of this anthropogenic heat wave going on, on the other hand, just laying low in the shade is liable to wear you out, whether bird or dog or human.
Beech Hill List Beginning at 7:37 a.m., I hiked most trails.
1. Red-eyed Vireo** 2. Black-throated Green Warbler (v) 3. Tufted Titmouse 4. Wood Thrush (v) 5. Downy Woodpecker 6. Common Yellowthroat** 7. Eastern Towhee 8. American Crow* 9. American Goldfinch 10. Brown Creeper (v) 11. Hairy Woodpecker 12. Black-capped Chickadee** 13. Eastern Wood-pewee (v) 14. American Robin 15. White-breasted Nuthatch (v) 16. Ovenbird (v) 17. Pine Warbler (v) 18. Veery (v) 19. Hermit Thrush (v) 20. Gray Catbird 21. Chestnut-sided Warbler 22. Cedar Waxwing 23. Alder Flycatcher (v) 24. Field Sparrow (v) 25. Yellow Warbler (v) 26. Savannah Sparrow 27. Common Raven 28. Tree Swallow 29. Red-breasted Nuthatch (v) 30. Eastern Bluebird (v) 31. Song Sparrow** 32. Blue Jay (v) 33. Chipping Sparrow 34. Herring Gull* 35. Broad-winged Hawk (v)
Elsewhere
36. Rock Pigeon 37. Northern Cardinal (v) 38. Eastern Phoebe
(v) Voice only *Also elsewhere **Voice only elsewhere †First-of-year
Overcast to start, but soon the sun came out, and the temperature began to rise. Still rather quiet along the wooded trails to start—but things picked up. Had a three or four nice conversations with fellow hikers.
Wood Lily (first of year).
Ripe blueberries yesterday, and a first-of-year Wood Lily today. Both three or four weeks early.
The Wood Thrush persists, but I can’t lay eyes on it. Fewer species all told than on recent excursions—but a few nice ones, too.
Most memorable was a photo of a Savannah Sparrow with a big beak full of fledgling food.
Beech Hill List Beginning at 7:28 a.m., I hiked most trails.
