24 March 2023

Posts Tagged ‘purple finch’

Buncha Birds

Sunday, February 19th, 2023
Brown Creeper, Beech Hill Preserve, Rockport, Maine, 19 February 2023.
Brown Creeper.

About freezing when dog and I reached the main parking lot. Calm, hazy sky. And a whole bunch of birds flitting around the trees above my truck. Before I even got out, I’d tried for a few photos—and spent maybe a few minutes snapping pictures of titmice, goldfinches, woodpecker, etc. Before we’d left the parking lot, I had seven species on my list.

That number rose by five during the rest of our hike. Most notable, probably was a new call I heard made by a Red-breasted Nuthatch—the last species on my list.

Great day. Tomorrow’s hike will be a little later. We shall see what we shall see.

Beech Hill List
Beginning at 8:10 a.m., I hiked all trails.

1. Tufted Titmouse
2. American Goldfinch
3. Black-capped Chickadee
4. White-breasted Nuthatch**
5. American Crow*
6. Brown Creeper
7. Eastern Bluebird
8. Downy Woodpecker
9. Purple Finch (v)
10. Yellow-rumped Warbler
11. American Robin
12. Red-breasted Nuthatch

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

†First-of-year

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

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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