Thicker fog, cooler temps, drippier understory—that about describes the meteorological conditions as dog and I headed up the main Beech Hill trail. Honestly, so foggy I didn’t think I’d get close to any decent bird photos. If in fact we I caught sight of any birds.
Right away I caught sight of several species moving around in the dim, drippy trees. And eventually I managed several pretty decent pics.
Supposed to be rainy tomorrow. We shall see.
Beech Hill List Starting at 7:58 a.m. EST (8:58 DST), I hiked all trails.
Today dawned foggy. Very, very foggy. When dog and I started up the trailhead, it felt like we were wandering around in a cloud. Foggy, wet, calm—and yet surprisingly birdy for such conditions. Many Yellow-rumped Warblers still, along with bunches of chickadees in the woods.
Most notable was a solitary White-crowned Sparrow that had been chasing after a yellow-rump when it decided to stop and check the trail for seeds. I only see white-crowns at just about this time of year.
Onward!
Beech Hill List Starting at 7:58 a.m. EST (8:58 DST), I hiked all trails.
1. American Crow* (v) 2. White-throated Sparrow (v) 3. Yellow-rumped Warbler 4. Northern Flicker (v) 5. White-crowned Sparrow† 6. Eastern Towhee 7. Gray Catbird (v) 8. American Robin (v) 9. Song Sparrow 10. Tufted Titmouse (v) 11. Black-capped Chickadee 12. Blue Jay** (v)
Elsewhere
13. Northern Cardinal (v) 14. Mourning Dove 15. Wild Turkey 16. Herring Gull 17. Rock Pigeon 18. Canada Goose (v)
Mammals
Eastern Chipmunk (v)
(v) Voice only *Also elsewhere **Voice only elsewhere †First-of-year
Another bright, breezy fall morning—but a bit warmer than yesterday. The winds were still unfavorable, migration-wise, but birds were about. Three species in particular were active: chickadees, yellow-rumps, and jays.
The Blue Jays were especially vocal and traveled in little roving bands. I even heard one deliver a pretty accurate Broad-winged Hawk whistle.
Smart birds, jays (as are all corvids). I often wonder what’s on their minds.
Beech Hill List Starting at 7:30 a.m. EST (8:30 DST), I hiked all trails.
