Yellow warbler.
Sunny morning. Lovely day. Up and to the hill early with Jack. Saw and/or heard plenty of birds—including the booming of a grouse. First-of-year bird today: black-billed cuckoo.
Common yellowthroat.
I got lost in it a few times—standing in one place, waiting for just the right bird photo opportunity, afraid to move to shoo away the black flies and mosquitos that have cropped up suddenly in the wake of all that rain. Got bit on the back of my hand and on my forehead and elsewhere, I’m pretty sure. Of course the mosquitos and black flies are food for the alder flycatcher and eastern wood-pewee and the flashing fluttering redstart. Food for the sweet phoebe at the trailhead, for the many little jewel-like warblers in the leaves.
Still, hiking down the streamlike lower wooded trail, I felt that itch on the back of my hand, and the urge to scratch it rose. But I resisted. I managed to convince my mind that it was more like a drawn-out tickle, maybe even like a not-so-petite mort. Somehow, it worked. I never scratched it, and tonight I hardly notice it’s there.
Tonight, a night after a glorious day that included a shorter-than-I’d-hoped for bike ride, thanks to a construction-style staple through my back tire. Needed a new tire anyway, so I dropped by the bike shop and got me a new tire. I also got the cat some food and the dog a new toy.
Gray catbird.
Busy ol’, lovely ol’ day.
Beech Hill List
Beginning at 7:15 a.m., I hiked all trails.
1. American goldfinch
2. Ovenbird**
3. Black-and-white warbler** (v)
4. Hairy woodpecker
5. Veery**
6. Black-throated green warbler**
7. Common yellowthroat**
8. Eastern towhee
9. Red-eyed vireo
10. Eastern phoebe**
11. Chestnut-sided warbler**
12. Tufted titmouse (v)
13. Gray catbird**
14. Blackpoll warbler (v)
15. Black-capped chickadee
16. American redstart**
17. Eastern wood-pewee
18. Yellow warbler**
19. Least flycatcher (v)
20. Common raven
21. Ruffed grouse (booming)
22. Alder flycatcher
23. Yellow warbler**
24. American robin*
25. Ruby-throated hummingbird
26. American crow*
27. Northern cardinal* (v)
28. Black-billed cuckoo† (v)
29. Song sparrow**
30. Mallard
31. Blue jay
32. Field sparrow (v)
33. Savannah sparrow
34. Rose-breasted grosbeak (v)
35. Brown-headed cowbird (v)
36. White-throated sparrow (v)
37. Yellow-rumped warbler
38. Purple finch (v)
39. Nashville warbler
40. Scarlet tanager (v)
41. Hermit thrush (v)
Elsewhere
42. House finch (v)
43. Herring gull
44. European starling
45. Common grackle
46. Laughing gull (v)
47. Osprey (v)
48. Double-crested cormorant
49. Chipping sparrow (v)
v = Voice only
*Also elsewhere
**Voice only elsewhere
†First-of-year bird
Tags: alder flycatcher, American crow, American goldfinch, American redstart, American robin, black-and-white warbler, black-billed cuckoo, black-capped chickadee, black-throated green warbler, blackpoll warbler, blue jay, brown-headed cowbird, chestnut-sided warbler, chipping sparrow, common grackle, common raven, common yellowthroat, double-crested cormorant, eastern phoebe, eastern towhee, European starling, field sparrow, gray catbird, hairy woodpecker, hermit thrush, herring gull, house finch, laughing gull, least flycatcher, mallard, Nashville warbler, northern cardinal, osprey, ovenbird, purple finch, red-eyed vireo, rose-breasted grosbeak, ruby-throated hummingbird, ruffed grouse, savannah sparrow, scarlet tanager, song sparrow, tufted titmouse, veery, white-throated sparrow, yellow warbler, yellow-rumped warbler
