Cedar waxwing.
Today was much like yesterday—only cooler. Got work done. Got a nice bike ride in. Finally got my dog up to Beech Hill.
Savannah sparrow.
Crazy random birds up there. Not outlantish, exactly, but unexpected. The second bird on my list: a white-breasted nuthatch. Heard one calling off in the trees. Can’t remember the last time I heard one on the hill. Maybe six weeks or so ago? A bunch of the usual species—more catbirds singing than in recent days—and a suddenly calling cardinal.
All the resident thrushes in the woods, veery and robin and hermit. More alder flycatchers trying to be invisible. The most apparent birds were vireos (voice), waxwings (scattered all over), and towhees (likewise). And I heard the voices of herring gulls for the first time in a while.
The sun came in and out as dog and I made our way up the wooded trail. As we emerged into the upper fields, I couldn’t help but notice a thick bank of fog out on the water. I also couldn’t help but notice the Savannah sparrow flitting about the porch of Beech Nut, scouting for remnants of food left by hikers. Perhaps the same bird as yesterday.
Out of the blue—or hazy blue-gray—a solitary osprey appeared, flapping from the shore toward the west. Been a while since I’ve seen an osprey up there also.
Then, to top things off, coming down the lower woods amid the pan-flute songs of hermit thrushes, I heard the voice of a scarlet tanager. Jack and I stopped, and I scanned the canopy. But I never got a look at it. Never saw it at all. That’s just the nature of a tanager.
Savannah sparrow.
Finally, getting close to the parking lot again, I heard an ovenbird. And it called twice. And then, a couple hundred yards later, I heard another. I heard it call four times. That’s six times more ovenbird calls than I’ve heard in the past several days.
Tonight, just a minute ago, I thought I heard the patter of a little rain.
Beech Hill List
Beginning at 5:30 p.m., I hiked the wooded trails.
1. Red-eyed vireo (v)
2. White-breasted nuthatch (v)
3. Chestnut-sided warbler
4. American robin* (v)
5. American goldfinch* (v)
6. Eastern towhee
7. Black-capped chickadee (v)
8. Gray catbird* (v)
9. Cedar waxwing* (v)
10. Northern cardinal* (v)
11. Common yellowthroat* (v)
12. Veery (v)
13. Alder flycatcher
14. American crow* (v)
15. Herring gull*
16. Hermit thrush (v)
17. Song sparrow* (v)
18. Savannah sparrow
19. Osprey
20. Scarlet tanager (v)
21. Ovenbird (v)
Elsewhere
22. Mourning dove
23. Chipping sparrow (v)
24. Canada goose
25. House finch (v)
v = Voice only
*Also elsewhere
Looking inland (from Beech Hill).
Tags: alder flycatcher, American crow, American goldfinch, American robin, black-capped chickadee, Canada goose, Cedar waxwing, chestnut-sided warbler, chipping sparrow, common yellowthroat, eastern towhee, gray catbird, hermit thrush, herring gull, house finch, mourning dove, northern cardinal, osprey, ovenbird, red-eyed vireo, savannah sparrow, scarlet tanager, song sparrow, veery, white-breasted nuthatch
