I didn’t bundle up too much for my hike with dog this morning. That’s because the forecast called for calm air and some sun. It was quite calm, in fact, but also mostly overcast early—still, it was a lovely day, and comfortable excursion for both of us.
Penobscot Bay.
More species than yesterday, but fewer photo ops. In fact, the only bird I got a photo of was a crow that happened to fly over our path. (I did miss a few pics of too-quick-moving smaller birds.) But the light over the bay was wondrous, and the air tasted wonderful, and Captain Jack got to smell a bunch of smells and lead me quickly back to the pickup at the end of things.
Now that it’s evening, winter has come. Tomorrow’s will be our first hike in the new season.
Beech Hill List Beginning at 8:12 a.m., I hiked all trails.
1. Pileated Woodpecker (v) 2. Yellow-rumped Warbler 3. Tufted Titmouse (v) 4. Black-capped Chickadee 5. American Crow 6. Brown Creeper 7. Red Crossbill (v) 8. American Goldfinch (v) 9. Red-breasted Nuthatch 10. Northern Flicker (v) 11. House Finch (v)
Elsewhere
12. Herring Gull
(v) Voice only *Also elsewhere **Voice only elsewhere †First-of-year
This morning’s hike was all about blue. Blue sky, bluebirds, blue bay—fingertips a teeny bit blue from the cold. This clear morning, after last night’s big rains and high winds, a pretty strong west-northwest breeze was blowing, but the sun was bright, and the air was clean, and dog and I had a really fun hike.
Neither saw nor heard many birds coming up through the woods—where I cleared a bunch of fallen branches off the trail—but at the summit, a batch of bluebirds showed up. Also chickadees, nuthatches, and other usual suspects.
All in all, a lovely, wonderfully gratifying hike this morning with my good ol’ best friend Jack.
Beech Hill List Beginning at 7:44 a.m., I hiked all trails.
1. White-breasted Nuthatch 2. Black-capped Chickadee 3. Downy Woodpecker 4. American Crow (v) 5. Eastern Bluebird 6. Red-breasted Nuthatch (v) 7. American Robin (v) 8. American Goldfinch (v) 9. Purple Finch (v) 10. Northern Flicker (v)
Elsewhere
11. Wild Turkey
(v) Voice only *Also elsewhere **Voice only elsewhere †First-of-year
Chilly again—upper 40s (F)—when we hit the trail, dog and I. Sunny at first, but an a thin layer of clouds overtook the sky before we’d hit the summit. Another birdy day.
Most notable were a Northern Harrier scanning the barrens for a good while, an American Kestrel perched on the highest spruce on the summit, and a Ruffed Grouse we flushed on our ascent. Also heard a raven, spied an osprey, encountered many, many Yellow-rumped Warblers.
I dearly love this time of year.
Beech Hill List Beginning at 7:43 a.m., I hiked all trails.
1. White-breasted Nuthatch (v) 2. American Crow** (v) 3. Blue Jay (v) 4. Common Raven (v) 5. Black-capped Chickadee 6. Purple Finch (v) 7. Tufted Titmouse 8. Yellow-rumped Warbler 9. Ruby-crowned Kinglet (v) 10. Brown Creeper 11. Black-and-white Warbler 12. Red-eyed Vireo 13. Red-breasted Nuthatch 14. American Robin* 15. Hermit Thrush 16. Gray Catbird (v) 17. Eastern Towhee (v) 18. Hairy Woodpecker 19. Ruffed Grouse 20. White-throated Sparrow (v) 21. Northern Harrier 22. Song Sparrow (v) 23. American Kestrel 24. American Goldfinch (v) 25. Osprey 26. Common Yellowthroat 27. Savannah Sparrow 28. Eastern Bluebird
Elsewhere
29. Carolina Wren (v) 30. Wild Turkey
Mammals
Eastern Gray Squirrel
(v) Voice only *Also elsewhere **Voice only elsewhere †First-of-year
