Another wet one. Rain early, fog and overcast. And another day—third day?—of migrating birds flitting through the wooded canopy.
Many were warblers: redstart, yellow, black-and-white, yellowthroat. Most were quiet and required an eagle eye to ID. Only one posed for a photo, a Chestnut-sided Warbler.
More rain and sun to come—and the remnants of a hurricane this weekend.
Beech Hill List Starting at 7:14 a.m. EST (8:14 DST), I hiked all trails.
1. Eastern Towhee 2. Herring Gull* (v) 3. Song Sparrow 4. Blue Jay** (v) 5. American Crow* 6. Pileated Woodpecker (v) 7. American Goldfinch 8. Yellow Warbler (v) 9. Common Yellowthroat 10. Gray Catbird** 11. Black-capped Chickadee 12. Chestnut-sided Warbler 13. American Redstart 14. Red-eyed Vireo 15. American Robin (v) 16. Hairy Woodpecker 17. Northern Flicker (v) 18. Black-and-white Warbler 19. Broad-winged Hawk
Elsewhere
20. White-breasted Nuthatch (v) 21. Tufted Titmouse (v) 22. Rock Pigeon 23. House Sparrow (v) 24. Northern Cardinal
Mammals
American Red Squirrel
(v) Voice only *Also elsewhere **Voice only elsewhere †First-of-year
A cool morning, with sun to start but clouds soon moving over and a bit of a breeze. Rain in the forecast, but it didn’t come while dog and I were hiking. However, the birds must’ve known a secret, because as our hike reached about its three-quarter mark, a sudden flood of species moved through the trees above us. And most of them were wood-warblers.
Chestnut-sided, redstart, parula, yellow-rump, black-and-white—it seemed like a little preview of a migratory fallout. With their quick flitting and the dim, gray conditions, it was hard to grab a decent photo. But here’s a pick of a singing Chestnut-sided Warbler.
Rain is forecast for much of tomorrow.
Beech Hill List Starting at 7:23 a.m. EST (8:23 DST), I hiked all trails.
Cool and bright again this morning—but not quite so cool. In fact, the day warmed up pretty good by the time dog and I reached the summit. A noteworthy day, though, with a few nice sightings. Most noteworthy, perhaps was a whitetail doe and fawn that appeared in a little clearing far below us.
Bird-wise, also at the summit, I spotted my first yellow-rump since spring. and I spotted my first Nashville Warbler in months, down in the woodlands.
Sitting here this evening, I find myself wondering what tomorrow’s hike will bring.
Beech Hill List Starting at 7:04 a.m. EST (8:04 DST), I hiked all trails.
