A mostly sunny morning for Captain Jack and me, but also a chilly one (temps in low–50s (F) to start). Still, a much birdier hike than in recent days.
Yellow-rumps still, late-to-migrate catbirds and towhees and thrushes and vireo. A kinglet. The usual chickadees and jays and crows. And three woodpecker species.
Most woodpeckers hereabouts don’t migrate, which makes their presence comforting in a way. Flickers will move around some in the colder months, but for several years now a few have wintered over.
I truly do appreciate our resident woodpeckers.
Beech Hill List Starting at 7:40 a.m. EST (8:40 DST), I hiked all trails.
Our ceiling on this morning’s hike was a gray overcast, and the air was damp and breezy. The forecast rain would not arrive until later in the day, though, so we’d keep comparatively dry, dog and I. And there was no shortage of bird species—including three corvids.
Of the three—crow, jay, and raven—the most notable was the solitary raven flying above us, accompanied by a single crow. (The crows were many and vocal, apparently gearing up for their annual October convention on the hill.)
Beech Hill List Starting at 7:19 a.m. EST (8:19 DST), I hiked all trails.
1. American Crow* 2. White-breasted Nuthatch** (v) 3. Black-capped Chickadee 4. American Robin (v) 5. White-throated Sparrow (v) 6. American Goldfinch 7. Yellow-rumped Warbler 8. Northern Flicker (v) 9. Blue Jay (v) 10. Song Sparrow 11. Red-bellied Woodpecker (v) 12. Brown Creeper (v) 13. Common Raven 14. Gray Catbird (v) 15. Red-eyed Vireo
Elsewhere
16. Mallard 17. Herring Gull
Mammals
Eastern Chipmunk (v)
(v) Voice only *Also elsewhere **Voice only elsewhere †First-of-year
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.
