Rained overnight, and this morning when the sun rose, the woods were damp and drippy. Awful quiet, but birds were lurking and skulking and flitting—mostly just out of sight. A few revealed themselves, though: flickers, robins, a lone Swainson’s Thrush; calling raven and jays and goldfinches; a flushed grouse.
Even quieter on our way back down the lower wooded trail, until just a few hundred yards from the trailhead, when chickadees piped up, and a glance into the damp foliage exposed a wave of little birds—warblers, creepers, a wood-pewee.
I’m a big fan of this time of year—a time you might call summer’s last gasp.
Beech Hill List Beginning at 7:45 a.m., I hiked all trails.
1. Common Raven (v) 2. Blue Jay** 3. Black-capped Chickadee 4. Northern Flicker 5. Yellow-rumped Warbler 6. Gray Catbird 7. Eastern Towhee 8. Swainson’s Thrush 9. American Robin* 10. Red-eyed Vireo 11. American Goldfinch** 12. Ruffed Grouse 13. American Crow* 14. Common Yellowthroat 15. Cedar Waxwing 16. Red-breasted Nuthatch (v) 17. Song Sparrow 18. White-breasted Nuthatch** (v) 19. Savannah Sparrow 20. White-throated Sparrow 21. Downy Woodpecker (v) 22. Brown Creeper 23. Black-and-white Warbler 24. Chestnut-sided Warbler 25. Black-throated Green Warbler 26. Eastern Wood-pewee
Mammals
Eastern Gray Squirrel Eastern Chipmunk
(v) Voice only *Also elsewhere **Voice only elsewhere †First-of-year
Dog and I hit the hill early this morning. That’s because rain was approaching—and approaching pretty fast, from what the weather radar showed. In case we needed to hightail it early, I parked in the main lot for the first time since our return to Maine. (Closer to the birch I photograph every day.)
Not many species, as you might imagine, but ending with a real nice sighting: a Swainson’s Thrush (first for me in years). It perched high in an oak, within view, but it was backlit, and I couldn’t ID it with my eyes—but it uttered a quick scratchy call (“oriole?” I thought) and, as it flew away, sang a few sweet little notes. Confirmed later that it was a thrush, but none that I knew well. Swainson’s occurred to me, so I checked. Exactly the vocalizations I’d heard.
The rain did arrive, although we likely didn’t have to hurry. Good and soaking. Still need more, though.
Beech Hill List Beginning at 6:48 a.m., I hiked all trails.
1. American Goldfinch** 2. American Crow* (v) 3. Blue Jay 4. Black-capped Chickadee** 5. Song Sparrow 6. Eastern Towhee (v) 7. Common Yellowthroat (v) 8. Eastern Wood-pewee 9. White-breasted Nuthatch 10. Brown Creeper (v) 11. Tufted Titmouse (v) 12. Red-breasted Nuthatch (v) 13. Red-eyed Vireo (v) 14. Gray Catbird (v) 15. Swainson’s Thrush†
(v) Voice only *Also elsewhere **Voice only elsewhere †First-of-year
The first warm spring day of 2019. I mean, truly warm. Plenty of birds about—including a first-of-year House Wren in “my” birch tree. Flycatchers, another Swainson’s Thrush.
Looks like the hill will have no Savannah Sparrows, though, for the first year I can remember.
Beech Hill List Beginning at 7:30 a.m., I hiked the open trail.
1. Ovenbird** (v) 2. American Redstart** 3. Black-and-white Warbler 4. Chestnut-sided Warbler** 5. Black-capped Chickadee (v) 6. Red-eyed Vireo** 7. American Goldfinch** 8. Gray Catbird* 9. Swainson’s Thrush 10. Hairy Woodpecker 11. Northern Parula** 12. Least Flycatcher** 13. Black-throated Green Warbler (v) 14. Eastern Towhee 15. Common Yellowthroat *(v) 16. Yellow Warbler** 17. Eastern Wood-pewee (v) 18. Wood Thrush* 19. Alder Flycatcher 20. Blue Jay* 21. Tree Swallow* 22. Broad-winged Hawk* 23. Purple Finch (v) 24. Eastern Phoebe** 25. Field Sparrow 26. American Crow* 27. Eastern Kingbird 28. Mourning Dove* 29. House Wren 30. Ruffed Grouse (drumming) 31. Song Sparrow** 32. Tufted Titmouse** (v) 33. Hermit Thrush (v) 34. Great Crested Flycatcher (v) 35. Northern Flicker (v) 36. Black-throated Blue Warbler (v)
Elsewhere
37. House Finch (v) 38. Wild Turkey 39. Herring Gull 40. Double-crested Cormorant 41. American Robin 42. European Starling 43. Chipping Sparrow (v) 44. Brown-headed Cowbird 45. Common Grackle
v = Voice only *Also elsewhere **Voice only elsewhere
