A sunny, summery first of September day. Tons of busy desk work—and then a late-afternoon hike with dog. The hike was noteworthy because of: a) very few birds at first, b) a little jumble of them later, including two hawk species, c) frustration over some missed dragonfly photos, d) a dog fight.
The dog fight was kind of scary—basically, a friend’s strong young dog lunged at Jack on his leash and got loose from his collar. A swift whirlwind of dog-to-dog combat ensued. Jack held his own but ended up with a couple minor puncture wounds. (He’s licking one of them as I type.) He’ll be fine, I feel sure—but, kind of an unsettling end of the day.
Then again, what is life without a little drama?
Beech Hill List
Beginning at 5 p.m., I hiked the open trail.
1. Black-capped Chickadee**
2. Cedar Waxwing
3. Song Sparrow (v)
4. Herring Gull*
5. Purple Finch (v)
6. Northern Flicker (v)
7. American Goldfinch (v)
8. Sharp-shinned Hawk
9. Broad-winged Hawk
10. Mourning Dove*
Elsewhere
11. House Finch (v)
12. Osprey (v)
13. American Crow
14. Rock Pigeon
v = Voice only
*Also elsewhere
**Voice only elsewhere
Tags: American crow, American goldfinch, black-capped chickadee, broad-winged hawk, Cedar waxwing, herring gull, house finch, mourning dove, northern flicker, osprey, purple finch, rock pigeon, sharp-shinned hawk, song sparrow

