Hermit Thrush (with litter).
Up early, clear and 30s (F), not too windy. And when dog and I got to the trailhead at 6:30 a.m. on the dot, there were thrushes everywhere. First a robin, then a Veery, then a whole mess of Hermit Thrushes. And a flicker, a junco—and the syncopated drumming of a first-of-year sapsucker.
Northern Flicker.
The species kept mounting—sparrows, hawks, tree swallows. The swallows, in fact, were checking out some of the new bluebird boxes. Not unexpected.
At one point, a raven flew low over the trail, gurgling in that liquid way they do. Some geese flew over.
Truly, what a great way to start the day.
Beech Hill List
Beginning at 6:30 a.m., I hiked the open trail.
1. American Robin*
2. Veery
3. Hermit Thrush
4. Eastern Phoebe*
5. American Goldfinch**
6. Northern Flicker**
7. Ruby-crowned Kinglet
8. Dark-eyed Junco**
9. Purple Finch
10. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (drumming)
11. Black-capped Chickadee**
12. Yellow-rumped Warbler
13. Song Sparrow**
14. White-throated Sparrow
15. American Crow*
16. Northern Cardinal**
17. Brown-headed Cowbird
18. Pileated Woodpecker (v)
19. Eastern Towhee (v)
20. Northern Harrier
21. Cooper’s Hawk
22. Golden-crowned Kinglet (v)
23. Tree Swallow
24. Common Raven
25. Canada Goose
26. White-breasted Nuthatch** (v)
27. Tufted Titmouse** (v)
28. Herring Gull*
29. Mourning Dove* (v)
30. Downy Woodpecker** (v)
Elsewhere
31. Blue Jay (v)
32. European Starling
33. Turkey Vulture
v = Voice only
*Also elsewhere
**Voice only elsewhere
Tree Swallows, Beech Hill Preserve, Rockport, Maine, 21 April 2016.
Tags: American crow, American goldfinch, American robin, black-capped chickadee, blue jay, brown-headed cowbird, common raven, cooper's hawk, dark-eyed junco, downy woodpecker, eastern phoebe, eastern towhee, European starling, golden-crowned kinglet, hermit thrush, herring gull, mourning dove, northern cardinal, northern flicker, northern harrier, pileated woodpecker, purple finch, ruby-crowned kinglet, song sparrow, tree swallow, tufted titmouse, turkey vulture, veery, white-breasted nuthatch, white-throated sparrow, yellow-bellied sapsucker, yellow-rumped warbler
