Tennessee warbler, Beech Hill Preserve, Rockport, Maine, 16 September 2013.
Rain this morning, and then it let up, and then it rained again, and then it stayed cloudy for most of the day. Sarah and Jack and I took a hike into the woods for a little private ceremony involving lost pets, then we drove around to the open Beech Hill trail. About that time, the sun emerged.
Song sparrow (juvie).
Not many birds in the woods or on the way up the hill or returning—until, back in the last stretch of greenery before the parking lot, we heard chickadees. Stopped, saw chickadees, then saw other little birds flitting about. One was a red-eyed vireo. I thought I saw a young chestnut-sided warbler, but I couldn’t be sure. I thought I also saw a yellow warbler, but I didn’t get a good enough look. One warbler, though, was cooperative enough to let me take photographs, but I had trouble identifying the bird from the photos later. Tennessee? Female black-throated blue? I finally decided it looked most like a fall and/or young palm warbler, but my friends Derek and Kristen both corrected my mistake in the realm of social media. I should’ve gone with my first hunch, turned out.
Tonight is really chilly—in the 40s (F)—but the sky is mostly clear again, and again I got a long look at the waxing moon.
Beech Hill List
Beginning at 4:15 p.m., I hiked part of the lower wooded trail and the whole open trail.
1. Black-capped chickadee
2. American goldfinch (v)
3. Blue jay
4. Gray catbird
5. American crow* (v)
6. Song sparrow
7. White-throated sparrow (v)
8. Tennessee warbler
9. Red-eyed vireo
Elsewhere
10. Herring gull
11. Mourning dove
v = Voice only
*Also elsewhere
Tags: American crow, American goldfinch, black-capped chickadee, herring gull, mourning dove, ray catbird, red-eyed vireo, song sparrow, Tennessee warbler, white-throated sparrow
