Today was a special day that only happens once a year: Audubon Christmas Bird Count Day. It’d been four years since I’d participated, and I was really looking forward to it. It did not disappoint.
In fact, among the birds we spotted at the Rockland Breakwater (which I hadn’t walked since Jack’s and my return from Salt Lake City back in April) was a lifer for me: Dunlin. Fact is while heading out across the great granite blocks, I nearly stepped on the bird. (OK, it was maybe eight or ten feet away.) There were a pair that I saw (although my birding pals saw a third). Not every day you get a lifer.
Brown Creeper.
Many other species also (see below), and then I returned home for Jack and right away we hiked Beech Hill—albeit a little later than usual.
Notable at the hill were a posing Brown Creeper and the call of an Evening Grosbeak in overflight. Snow up there (not much here, a mile and a half away).
I kinda like the end of the year but, to me, every day is a holiday.
Beech Hill List Beginning at 10:02 a.m., I hiked all trails.
1. Blue Jay (v) 2. American Crow* (v) 3. Golden-crowned Kinglet (v) 4. Downy Woodpecker** (v) 5. Brown Creeper 6. Evening Grosbeak (v) 7. Black-capped Chickadee** 8. Red-breasted Nuthatch** (v) 9. Northern Flicker 10. Tufted Titmouse (v)
Elsewhere
11. Mallard 12. Herring Gull 13. Great Black-backed Gull 14. Ring-billed Gull 15. House Sparrow 16. House Finch 17. Common Goldeneye 18. Common Loon 19. Horned Grebe 20. Long-tailed Duck 21. Black Guillemot 22. Purple Sandpiper 23. Canada Goose 24. American Wigeon 25. Surf Scoter 26. Bufflehead 27. Red-breasted Merganser 28. Dunlin‡ 29. Common Eider 30. Ring-billed Gull
(v) Voice only *Also elsewhere **Voice only elsewhere †First-of-year ‡Lifer
(Some photos from today’s Audubon Society Christmas Bird Count.)
Purple Sandpiper.
Common Eider (female).
American Goldfinch.
Red-breasted Merganser (with an itch).
American Tree Sparrow.
Red-tailed Hawk.
Beech Hill List Beginning at 1 p.m., I hiked the open trail.
1. American Robin*
2. Black-capped Chickadee*
3. White-breasted Nuthatch*
4. American Goldfinch* (v)
5. American Crow* (v)
6. Downy Woodpecker
7. Tufted Titmouse** (v)
8. Blue Jay
Elsewhere
9. Canada Goose
10. American Black Duck
11. Mallard
12. Common Eider
13. Long-tailed Duck
14. Bufflehead
15. Common Goldeneye
16. Red-breasted Merganser
17. Common Loon
18. Horned Grebe
19. Great Cormorant
20. Northern Harrier
21. Red-tailed Hawk
22. Purple Sandpiper
23. Ring-billed Gull
24. Herring Gull
25. Great Black-backed Gull
26. Black Guillemot
27. Mourning Dove
28. American Tree Sparrow
29. Song Sparrow
30. House Finch
31. American Goldfinch
32. House Sparrow
v = Voice only *Also elsewhere **Voice only elsewhere
