A coolish, calmish, dryish morning with plenty of buzzing mosquitos—and a good plenty of bird species, too. An amazing array, in fact: four thrushes, three woodpeckers; a passel of warblers; lots of sparrows.
Most notable—a quiet juvenile Black-billed Cuckoo that showed up in a shady place about 20 feet in front of us, dog and me. We even managed to stay still enough to grab portrait.
I’ll take a day like today any day.
Beech Hill List Beginning at 7:18 a.m., I hiked most trails.
Cooler and damper after yesterday’s rain, sunny with a bit of a breeze. I truly had no expectations, just figured I’d hear and/or see a few birds, maybe learn a thing or two.
And I did—both. Notably, I heard/saw a Least Flycatcher, and spied a Red Crossbill (fem./imm.—first I’ve seen on the hill) high on a spruce at the summit and, in the woods toward the end of our hike, I heard two species of tanager.
First was a Scarlet Tanager, which I hunted for up in the leafy canopy but could not get a look at. Finally I spotted the bird apparently being chased by another tanager. And then I heard the voice of the other tanager—a Summer Tanager. Couldn’t get a good bead on that one, either, although I did watch it fly away
I’ll be keeping my eye peeled for tanagers going forward.
Beech Hill List Beginning at 7:22 a.m., I hiked most trails.
1. Song Sparrow** 2. Ovenbird 3. Red-eyed Vireo** 4. Black-throated Green Warbler (v) 5. Veery 6. Gray Catbird 7. Chestnut-sided Warbler 8. Eastern Towhee 9. Common Yellowthroat 10. American Crow* 11. American Goldfinch** 12. Black-and-white Warbler 13. Black-capped Chickadee** 14. Field Sparrow 15. Alder Flycatcher (v) 16. Yellow Warbler 19. Cedar Waxwing 20. Red Crossbill† 21. Purple Finch 22. American Robin* 23. Red-breasted Nuthatch (v) 24. Prairie Warbler 25. Least Flycatcher 26. Tufted Titmouse (v) 27. Herring Gull* 28. Broad-winged Hawk 29. Hermit Thrush (v) 30. Pileated Woodpecker (v) 31. Eastern Wood-pewee 32. Scarlet Tanager (v) 33. Summer Tanager (v)
Elsewhere
34. White-breasted Nuthatch (v)
Mammals
Eastern Chipmunk
(v) Voice only *Also elsewhere **Voice only elsewhere †First-of-year
Dog and I got to the trailhead a bit later than yesterday, but still we were the first in the parking lot. Not as warm as yesterday, not quite as cloudless, not quite so many mosquitos—but every bit as lovely, interesting, miraculous.
Snowshoe Hare.
Encountered thirty-three bird species and a Snowshoe Hare (with tick-infested ears, poor critter). Among the birds were a pair of Red-winged Blackbirds in overflight (not ID’d until after I viewed my photos later). Also a papa bluebird and mama Pileated Woodpecker, respectively with fledglings.
And for the first time in a long while, a Red-eyed Vireo posed for me.
Beech Hill List Beginning at 7:51 a.m., I hiked all trails.
1. Red-eyed Vireo** 2. Ovenbird 3. Northern Cardinal** (v) 4. Black-throated Green Warbler (v) 5. Hermit Thrush (v) 6. American Crow* 7. Veery 8. Hairy Woodpecker 9. American Redstart** (v) 10. Chestnut-sided Warbler 11. Gray Catbird 12. Common Yellowthroat 13. American Goldfinch (v) 14. Black-and-white Warbler 15. Black-capped Chickadee** 16. Eastern Towhee 17. Yellow Warbler 18. Pileated Woodpecker 19. Song Sparrow 20. Cedar Waxwing 21. Purple Finch (v) 22. Field Sparrow (v) 23. Red-winged Blackbird 24. Prairie Warbler 25. American Robin 26. White-breasted Nuthatch 27. Turkey Vulture 28. Tufted Titmouse (v) 29. Eastern Phoebe 30. Eastern Bluebird 31. Savannah Sparrow 32. Eastern Wood-pewee (v) 33. Brown Creeper (v)
Elsewhere
34. Herring Gull 35. European Starling 36. House Sparrow
Mammals
Eastern Chipmunk Snowshoe Hare
(v) Voice only *Also elsewhere **Voice only elsewhere †First-of-year
