Bohemian Waxwing.
Cold and clear and not too windy on the first day of this year. Decided to take Jack up to Beech Hill early, thinking perhaps we’d avoid the holiday throngs. And we did: not a single vehicle in the parking lot.
Waiting for waxwings.
Right away I heard a raven—then saw the bird winging its way at treetop level in an eastern direction. Wondered if the waxwings would still be there. And they were.
Four of them again today. Same four, I bet. Perched in the same little treetop. We met a woman hiking down and I pointed out the birds. I’d walked past the winterberry bush maybe thirty feet to get a look at the waxwings lit by the morning sun. And I’l be darn if they didn’t take wing and flutter, calling slightly, over to the berries.
Snapped off a couple photos, but they took off fast, so we continued up the hill.
On the way down, though, I had a plan: stop about thirty feet away from the bush again and just stand there, waiting. It took about ten minutes for the birds to leave their perch and head over to the berries. Got maybe twenty or thirty photos—some decent—before they took wing again.
Aaaand I spent the rest of this New Year’s Day working on a newscast.
Good night, all.
Beech Hill List
Beginning at 9 a.m., I hiked the open trail.
1. Black-capped Chickadee**
2. Common Raven
3. American Crow*
4. Bohemian Waxwing
5. Herring Gull
6. Eastern Bluebird (v)
7. House Finch (v)
Elsewhere
8. House Sparrow
v = Voice only
*Also elsewhere
**Voice only elsewhere
Bohemian Waxwing.
Tags: American crow, black-capped chickadee, Bohemian waxwing, common raven, herring gull, house finch, house sparrow
