Leaf bud.
I awoke to an overcast day. The cardinal awoke to the same kind of day and commenced to singing. So did the song sparrow. And the phoebe. Also (a first this spring at my place) a white-throated sparrow. The crows didn’t seem to be paying attention to the kind of day it was—they had a job to do regardless of the weather. Likewise, the mourning dove, house finch, and robin.
We had to take a quick trip to town, dog and I, and en route spotted starlings and rock pigeons and herring gulls. We didn’t make it up Beech Hill until mid-afternoon.
Monhegan and Manana.
Chickadees, phoebes, goldfinches, and some particularly vociferous house finches greeted us. Also crows. About half-way up the open trail, I caught site of a solitary bird in a bare tree: a kestrel, no doubt. We couldn’t get very near, but I snapped some distant photos, and sure enough it turned out to be a male. I love the little sparrow hawks.
Didn’t see a lot else up there, and the day was chilly, so we headed down pretty quickly—and I resigned myself to not listing any new 2010 birds. However, descending the last stretch of trail, I couldn’t help but hear the loud, clear notes of a northern flicker—first-of-year on the hill, for me (though others no doubt have seen them sooner). Also apparent were the green leaf sprouts on the undergrowth and trees.
During my subsequent bike ride, I saw starlings and heard house sparrows and saw rock pigeons and a solitary mallard in flight near the little cow farm. Quite a few species in any event—and a truly nice (if overcast) day.
Today’s List
Northern cardinal
Song sparrow
Eastern phoebe
White-throated sparrow
House finch
Mourning dove
American robin
American crow
Black-capped chickadee
Downy woodpecker
Herring gull
Tufted titmouse
American goldfinch
American kestrel
European starling
House sparrow
Rock pigeon
Mallard
American kestrel (male).
Tags: American crow, American goldfinch, American kestrel, American robin, Black-cpaped chickadee, downy woodpecker, eastern phoebe, European starling, herring gull, house finch, mallard, mourning dove, northern cardinal, rock pigeon, song sparrow, tufted titmouse
