Northern cardinal.

A warm, cloudless, breezy day. Warmer than recently, anyway—up into the 50s (F). I worked in the morning, with occasional strolls out onto the back deck to take photos of the resident cardinal and a phoebe that seems determined to nest against the back of my place somewhere.. By early afternoon, I was ready for a bike ride. It was a swift one, south bound. It occurred to me when I passed a fellow cyclist that I haven’t been passed myself since sometime in 2011.

Eastern phoebe.

Beech Hill was luscious. A stout wind but lots of sun—I rolled up my long sleeves. Not many birds up there today, but the second one I saw was an adult bald eagle flapping overhead. (Didn’t make the ID until it was about to head behind some trees so, alas, no photo.) At the summit, I ran into an old friend whose birthday it was. Chatted with her and her friend for a little while before heading back down.

En route, I heard no birdsong—but I did hear two species of frog.

Beech Hill List
Beginning at 4 p.m., I hiked the open trail.

1. American crow*
2. Bald eagle†
3. Song sparrow* (v)
4. Herring gull*

Elsewhere

5. Eastern phoebe
6. Tufted titmouse (v)
7. Northern cardinal
8. House sparrow (v)
9. House finch
10. Rock pigeon
11. Black-capped chickadee (v)
12. European starling (v)
13. American robin
14. Double-crested cormorant

v = Voice only
*Also elsewhere
†First-of-year bird