Within seconds after dog and I started up the wooded trail this morning, my world shifted. Up ahead of us I saw that the big mama maple tree near the trailhead, likely progenitor of the many other maples in the sugarbush there, had fallen across the trail. A huge tree she was, and handsome enough that I’ve taken dozens (scores?) of photos of her over the years, and there before us lay her fat trunk and thick leafy branches—some of them broken, some nearby trees scraped from nearby trees… What a surprise, what a shock, what a sound she must’ve made at the end.
Somehow, we wiggled through the obstacles and continued on a hike that was very different from usual—and will surely be a memorable one.
Birds were good—two vocal, chasing ravens among them—but they were not the most notable part of this day.
Beech Hill List Starting at 7:09 a.m. EST (8:09 DST), I hiked all trails.
1. Red-eyed Vireo** (v) 2. American Goldfinch 3. Ovenbird** (v) 4. Wood Thrush (v) 5. Veery (v) 6. Blue Jay (v) 7. Pileated Woodpecker (v) 8. Eastern Wood-pewee (v) 9. Black-capped Chickadee** 10. Common Raven 11. Osprey (v) 12. Brown Creeper (v) 13. White-breasted Nuthatch (v) 14. Gray Catbird 15. Eastern Towhee 16. American Crow* (v) 17. Hermit Thrush (v) 18. Chestnut-sided Warbler 19. Alder Flycatcher (v) 20. Song Sparrow** 21. Ruby-throated Hummingbird 22. Common Yellowthroat 23. Field Sparrow (v) 24. Yellow Warbler (v) 25. American Robin (v) 26. Northern Flicker 27. Black-throated Green Warbler** (v) 28. Tufted Titmouse (v) 29. Rose-breasted Grosbeak (v) 30. Eastern Bluebird (v) 31. Cedar Waxwing (v) 32. Eastern Phoebe 33. Black-and-white Warbler**
Elsewhere
34. Mallard 35. Mourning Dove 36. Herring Gull 37. House Finch 38. Swamp Sparrow† (v) 39. Red-winged Blackbird (v)
(v) Voice only *Also elsewhere **Voice only elsewhere †First-of-year
A warm, humid morning, this one. Dog and I headed up the trail at the usual time, unsure (at least I was) of what birds we’d encounter under such suddenly interesting conditions.
Quite a few, turns out—including a couple of surprises.
E.g., an Eastern Kingbird showed up out of nowhere and commenced to chasing other birds around. Another example: I happened to spy a juvie Brown-headed Cowbird. Possibly (judging by the nearness of a pair of them) raised by Yellow Warblers.
But this morning’s most photogenic bird? A Chestnut-sided Warbler.
Beech Hill List Starting at 6:32 a.m. EST (7:32 DST), I hiked all trails.
A warm and sunny morning for a change, leading to a warmer late morning and midday. During my daily hike with dog, it seemed everywhere I looked I saw birds with bills full of insects. Hungry fledglings all over the place.
Plenty of birds were singing, also, voicing their territorial claims. A particular Black-and-white Warbler stopped singing and posed for a photo.
Warm again tomorrow, so they say. I expect similar bird behavior on the hill.
(In late afternoon, I hiked with a friend up Ragged Mountain and heard the hoots of a Barred Owl.)
Beech Hill List Starting at 6:01 a.m. EST (7:01 DST), I hiked all trails.