American Redstart.
Saturday, the day before the solstice. Sunny, dry, breezy, lovely. Drove around with Jack doing a few errands. Ran into somebody who noticed my pickup’s Texas Longhorns back window sticker and also lived in Austin. Made it to Beech Hill in late morning.
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (female).
And had forgotten Jack’s leash. So I grabbed one of the land trust’s thoughtful lending leashes about the time a group of folks were checking the kiosk. I saw binoculars, asked if they were birders, got a positive response, and offered to show them some sapsuckers. And the sapsuckers were considerate enough to be browsing at their favorite tree trunks—which made me look like some kind of bird magician.
Was nice having company for a change. Really nice folks. Really lovely day. Spent a lot longer up there than usual. Jack enjoyed it, too.
In afternoon, I rode twenty miles on my bicycle. Stopped off briefly at the solstice celebration in Rockland to check in with my old VStv colleagues. Spied a young lady I had a crush on once. Rode up to Megunticook Market in Camden to buy another bottle of a tiny beautiful something, which I tried for the first time yesterday and liked a lot. Saving it for tomorrow. You know, Father’s Day.
Aside: I couldn’t help but admire the John Muir quote on that beer page. In case you didn’t visit:
Birch.
Most people are on the world, not in it—having no conscious sympathy or relationship to anything about them—undiffused, separate, and rigidly alone like marbles of polished stone, touching but separate.
And then I vacuumed.
And then mowed the lawn.
Beech Hill List
Beginning at 11:30 p.m., I hiked the open trail.
1. American Redstart**
2. Song Sparrow**
3. Eastern Towhee (v)
4. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
5. Black-and-white Warbler
6. Red-eyed Vireo** (v)
7. Chipping Sparrow** (v)
8. Yellow Warbler**
9. Common Yellowthroat
10. Cedar Waxwing
11. Savannah Sparrow
12. Herring Gull*
13. Gray Catbird
14. Eastern Phoebe**
15. Chestnut-sided Warbler (v)
16 Mourning Dove
17. Ruby-throated Hummingbird
18. Ovenbird** (v)
Elsewhere
19. American Crow
20. White-breasted Nuthatch (v)
21. House Finch (v)
22. House Sparrow
23. European Starling
24. Northern Cardinal (v)
25. Tufted Titmouse (v)
26. Black-capped Chickadee (v)
27. Northern Parula (v)
28. Black-throated Green Warbler (v)
v = Voice only
*Also elsewhere
*Voice only elsewhere
Tags: American crow, American redstart, black-and-white warbler, black-capped chickadee, black-throated green warbler, Cedar waxwing, chestnut-sided warbler, chipping sparrow, common yellowthroat, eastern phoebe, eastern towhee, European starling, gray catbird, herring gull, house finch, house sparrow, mourning dove, northern cardinal, northern parula, ovenbird, red-eyed vireo, ruby-throated hummingbird, savannah sparrow, song sparrow, tufted titmouse, white-breasted nuthatch, yellow warbler, yellow-bellied sapsucker
