Beech Nut.
In a brief moment of wakefulness overnight, I heard what sounded like rain. I awoke this morning to snow. Not a lot of snow, to be sure—very little snow. A dusting. But enough to turn the world white for a while and remind me what happens sometimes on the 44th parallel at this time of year.
The dusting didn’t bother the resident cardinal, who kept up his singing from the tip of the big overhanging oak. Or the house finch across the road. Or, of course, the crow. Chickadees flitted among the leafless tangles, and the plain, sweet love song of a titmouse came from somewhere up the hill. From the fitfulness of the anemometer, I took the suggestion to bring my winter coat to Beech Hill.
Rockland Breakwater Light.
I probably needn’t have, as the clouds were by then burning away—my face was all that burned in the chill wind up there. Saw only a crow and a herring gull, but the views were new and strange. Aimed my telephoto lens toward the reflective bay in the direction of the morning sun and noticed the breakwater light down at the harbor.
Returning, I marveled again at all the roadside sparrows. I even stopped the truck once, rolled down the dog’s window, and tried for some photos. The birds were too fleet for that, but most magical were their little partial trills and chimes—each with its own peculiar song sparrow score.
By mid-afternoon, the snow had vanished from all but the shadiest northern areas. The wind continued from that direction—or perhaps more northwesterly—for pretty much all day.
And tonight we had a nice-sized waxing moon.
Today’s List
Northern cardinal
House finch
American crow
Black-capped chickadee
Herring gull
Song sparrow
Rock pigeon
Ring-billed gull
White-breasted nuthatch
Beech Hill trail.
Tags: American crow, black-capped chickadee, herring gull, house finch, northern cardinal, ring-billed gull, rock pigeon, song sparrow, white-breasted nuthatch
