Clear skies this morning, along with warm temperatures—upper 40s (F)—and a pretty good gusty west-northwest wind. Many more birds than during yesterday’s rainy hike, but none would pose for photos.
That is, until we’d just about finished our hike, dog and me, when a chickadee showed up in a tree above my head, wrangling a brunch of seeds.
Quite a few birds at home, too—turkeys, jays (first in a while), gull.
Tonight will be colder (i.e., more seasonable), which should make it an interesting Friday morning hike.
Beech Hill List Beginning at 7:50 a.m., I hiked all trails.
1. White-breasted Nuthatch (v) 2. Black-capped Chickadee 3. American Robin 4. American Goldfinch (v) 5. American Crow (v) 6. Red-breasted Nuthatch (v) 7. Brown Creeper (v) 8. Yellow-rumped Warbler (v) 9. Tufted Titmouse (v)
Elsewhere
10. Herring Gull 11. Blue Jay (v) 12. Mallard (v) 13. Wild Turkey
(v) Voice only *Also elsewhere **Voice only elsewhere †First-of-year
Warm again, though not quite so warm as yesterday. Clear and bright and many birds—even more than yesterday. Legions of robins and juncos again, joined by finches and chickadees and a Chukar and a titmouse and (as usual lately) a cottontail and a few deer.
Yellow-rumped Warbler.
No elk this year, it seems.
However, just dog and me on the high deer trails, chasing (but not finding) Mountain Chickadees and a titmouse. A thaw in progress—too soon, no doubt, but the scent of spring is on everything.
At home, later, I sure enough spied a Yellow-rumped Warbler on the deck. Even got a blurry photo through the window.
And tomorrow will bring another birdy morning.
Grandeur Peak Area List Beginning at 8:32 a.m. (MST), I hiked a few hundred feet up a mountain.
Damn, what a lovely day. I worked a little in the morning, and then I got bottles and cans and recycling material together and went to the redemption center and dump. And then Jack and I ended up at Beech Hill—hiking early.
Black-capped chickadee, Beech Hill Preserve, Rockport, Maine, 02 November 2013.
We started in the wooded section, each wearing eye-catching orange, and saw quite a few birds—including a hermit thrush and (soon after) a sharp-shinned hawk, zipping between tree trunks. Heard and saw plenty of yellow-rumps, couple of sparrows, a surprise goldfinch, crows. Also saw tiny flying insects and a big fat dragonfly and heard crickets in the fields.
Quite a few people up there, and another dog or two. Truly gorgeous weather.
Immediately afterward, I intended to ride twenty miles on my bike, but I found out the Texas Longhorns were playing an afternoon game. I hesitated. I looked at the weather (rain and possible snow tomorrow?). I decided to go ahead and watch the game—but during half-time, I went out and gave the lawn its final mow of the year.
I see no rain tonight just yet. In fact, the stars are out still. And it’s not all that cold.
Beech Hill List Beginning at 1:15 p.m., I hiked all trails.
