Veery.
Up early, muggy and at least 70 degrees (F) already by the time dog and I got to Beech Hill. Plenty of birds, plenty of bugs. Not quite as much mud as yesterday—nor quite as many cuckoos calling. (I heard two.)
Eastern wood-pewee.
Heard another booming grouse. Encountered four or five pewees in the woods—including what appeared to be a mating pair—and heard another tanager. Saw a cormorant fly over. Saw waxwings for a change. (They’ve been scarce.) Heard that curious human-falsetto-like call of a raven.
Their behavior is changing, though—the birds’. They’re beginning to pair off and hunker down. Not so much flitting around, tending to sing from a stationary perch. Now the reward comes in recognition: recognizing the alder flycatcher that’s nesting down near the open trail (for, I think, the second straight spring); recognizing the voice of the hermit thrush in the woods; recognizing the phoebe at Beech Nut, and the new chipping sparrow holding forth in the spruces there. I know there will be redstarts near the Beech Hill Road parking lot. I know where there will be yellow warblers, yellowthroats, catbirds. I know the haunts of a certain black-throated blue.
While out on my bike this afternoon, I added a few big birds to my list—osprey, Canada goose, great blue heron—along with the regular townies. Heard first-of-year chimney swifts near Rockport Village. It was a nice, sweaty ride.
Eastern towhee.
For the first of June, it sure felt summery today. (Tonight it feels summery also.)
Beech Hill List
Beginning at 8 a.m., I hiked all trails.
1. Ovenbird** (v)
2. Red-eyed vireo**
3. Black-throated green warbler** (v)
4. Black-and-white warbler (v)
5. Gray catbird**
6. Chestnut-sided warbler** (v)
7. Hermit thrush (v)
8. Mourning dove
9. Eastern towhee
10. Veery**
11. American redstart**
12. Eastern wood-pewee**
13. Black-capped chickadee** (v)
14. Yellow warbler**
15. Alder flycatcher
16. Common yellowthroat**
17. American crow*
18. Blue jay** (v)
19. Field sparrow
20. American robin*
21. Chipping sparrow**
22. Eastern phoebe**
23. Savannah sparrow
25. Song sparrow
26. Cedar waxwing**
27. White-throated sparrow (v)
28. Nashville warbler (v)
29. Brown-headed cowbird (v)
30. Tufted titmouse** (v)
31. Double-crested cormorant
32. Black-billed cuckoo (v)
33. Ruffed grouse (booming)
34. Northern flicker (v)
35. Scarlet tanager (v)
36. Black-throated blue warbler (v)
37. Common raven (v)
Elsewhere
38. House finch
39. Northern cardinal
40. Herring gull
41. European starling
42. Common grackle
43. Rock pigeon
44. House sparrow
45. Sharp-shinned hawk
46. Osprey
47. Laughing gull (v)
48. Chimney swift† (v)
49. Canada goose
50. Great blue heron
v = Voice only
*Also elsewhere
**Voice only elsewhere
†First-of-year bird
Tags: alder flycatcher, American crow, American redstart, American robin, black-and-white warbler, black-billed cuckoo, black-capped chickadee, black-throated blue warbler, black-throated green warbler, blue jay, brown-headed cowbird, Canada goose, Cedar waxwing, chestnut-sided warbler, chipping sparrow, common grackle, common raven, common yellowthroat, double-crested cormorant, eastern phoebe, eastern towhee, eastern wood-pewee, European starling, field sparrow, gray catbird, great blue heron, hermit thrush, herring gull, house finch, house sparrow, laughing gull, mourning dove, Nashville warbler, northern cardinal, northern flicker, osprey, ovenbird, red-eyed vireo, rock pigeon, ruffed grouse, savannah sparrow, scarlet tanager, sharp-shinned hawk, song sparrow, tufted titmouse, veery, white-throated sparrow, yellow warbler
