Red-eyed vireo.
A busy ol’ day. Worked. Rode my bicycle to the polls. Voted. Rode home. Hiked Beech Hill with Jack. Worked some more.
Daisies.
The day began sun-soaked but cool and breezy. About half-way through, a thin overcast moved over and a good breeze picked up, and by the time dog and I got to hiking, a haze cloaked the sun. Not a lot of birds calling, but plenty of vireos. Red-eyed vireos are a vocal bunch, calling over and over, thousands of times a day. But thrushes were out also—robin, veery, hermit thrush. And warblers—chestnut-sided, redstart, ovenbird, black-throated green, yellowthroat, yellow. Mosquitoes swarmed.
We found ourselves alone at the windy summit. The grass is high and thick up there now, and tall daisies grow from the roof of Beech Nut. I didn’t hear or see any savannah sparrows, but I know they’re up there. As we turned and began our descent, the sun emerged for a moment, provoking a sudden chorus of birdsong. Yellowthroats and yellow warblers, towhees and a field sparrow. They’re secretive at this season, though, and I didn’t see many—but I nearly got a great photo of a singing yellow warbler. Alas, it took off as soon as I finally spotted its perch on a low bush along the trail.
Grass.
I managed a few shots of a vireo, is all. But that’s all right. Photos are not the point, really. Not, in fact, at all.
Beech Hill List
Beginning at 4:45 p.m., I hiked the wooded trails.
1. Red-eyed vireo*
2. American robin* (v)
3. Chestnut-sided warbler*
4. Veery (v)
5. American crow*
6. American redstart* (v)
7. Eastern towhee (v)
8. Yellow warbler*
9. Song sparrow*
10. Common yellowthroat* (v)
11. Ovenbird* (v)
12. Field sparrow (v)
13. Hermit thrush* (v)
14. Black-throated green warbler (v)
15. Black-capped chickadee (v)
16. Eastern wood-pewee (v)
Elsewhere
17. House finch (v)
18. House sparrow
19. Herring gull
20. Rock pigeon
21. European starling
22. Chipping sparrow (v)
23. Northern cardinal (v)
24. Mourning dove (v)
v = Voice only
*Also elsewhere
Tags: American crow, American redstart, American robin, black-capped chickadee, black-throated green warbler, chestnut-sided warbler, chipping sparrow, common yellowthroat, eastern towhee, eastern wood-pewee, European starling, field sparrow, hermit thrush, herring gull, house finch, house sparrow, mourning dove, northern cardinal, ovenbird, red-eyed vireo, rock pigeon, song sparrow, veery, yellow warbler
