Black-throated blue warbler.
The most notable thing about today’s Beech Hill bird list is the species that aren’t on it. No field sparrow, no kestrel. And that’s about it. I counted every other recent species—plus several new arrivals. Thirty-six birds in all, nine of them warblers.
In other words: it was a fun morning.
Nesting phoebe.
6:30 a.m. Temperatures in the upper-50s (F). A light wind. From the shore inland, zero clouds in the empty blue sky; offshore, toward the rising sun, a few faint layers of water vapor. At the trail head, not much in the way of birdsong. In fact, I had a bit of a sinking feeling at first. Robin, chickadee, herring gull. Then I heard the first warbler, a black-throated green. Then an ovenbird. A few other common species called as we walked the couple hundred yards to the split in the wooded trail—and suddenly, amid the small yellow-green leaves of the poplar, everywhere were wood-warblers.
First I heard the lazy buzz of a black-throated blue. Then the rising zip of a nothern parula. Then another version of the black-throat’s call. Black-and-whites, a couple of them. Yellow-rump. Chestnut sided. Warblers everywhere—invisible but for their tiny flitting shapes in the canopy, but oh-so-audible. I can’t think of much that rivals the thrill I get when standing amid a wave of wood-warblers.
Gray catbird.
But that wasn’t all. A nuthatch showed up. Both common vireos. And nearing the open part of the hill, I heard the song of a prairie warbler. Prairies first showed up a few years ago—the same year the field sparrows did—and returned for a couple years. Last spring, however, I heard none singing on the hill. So today’s rising, buzzy trill gave me a special sense of hope.
Northern harrier.
Savannah sparrows posed. The Beech Nut phoebe sat on her nest. A harrier hovered low above the summit, hunting. And near the Beech Hill Road parking lot, I heard the loud qurrr of a red-bellied woodpecker coming from a stand of saplings right in front of me. Crazy—until I realized, from its follow-up calls, that what I was listening to was a gray catbird. By far the best job of mimicry I’ve yet heard from that so-called mimic.
On our return trip up over the summit, dog and I were startled by a flushed wild turkey. Species No. 36 were tree swallows—another I thought I’d be having to omit today.
A sun-and-cloud, temperate, spirit-lifting day, today was. While out cycling, I heard the song of a cardinal and the cry of an osprey. I saw and heard other birds also—but those were the only two species I didn’t also list during my morning walk up Beech Hill.
The bay.
Beech Hill List
At 6:30 a.m., I walked all trails.
American robin
Black-capped chickadee (voice)
Herring gull (voice)
Black-throated green warbler
Ovenbird (voice)
American goldfinch
Blue jay
White-throated sparrow (voice)
Eastern towhee
Black-and-white warbler
Nashville warbler (voice)
Black-throated blue warbler*
Northern parula* (voice)
Chestnut-sided warbler
Yellow-rumped warbler
Common yellowthroat
Cedar waxwing
Ruffed grouse (booming)
American crow
Common raven
Eastern phoebe
Red-eyed vireo (voice)
Song sparrow
Savannah sparrow
Prairie warbler*
White-breasted nuthatch (voice)
Hermit thrush (voice)
Mourning dove
Tufted titmouse (voice)
Northern flicker (voice)
House finch (voice)
Chipping sparrow (voice)
Gray catbird*
Northern harrier
Wild turkey
Tree swallow
Elsewhere
Northern cardinal
Osprey
Savannah sparrow.
Tags: American crow, American goldfinch, American robin, black-and-white warbler, black-capped chickadee, black-throated blue warbler, black-throated green warbler, blue jay, Cedar waxwing, chestnut-sided warbler, chipping sparrow, common raven, common yellowthroat, eastern phoebe, eastern towhee, gray catbird, hermit thrush, herring gull, house finch, mourning dove, Nashville warbler, northern cardinal, northern flicker, northern harrier, northern parula, osprey, ovenbird, prairie warbler, red-eyed vireo, ruffed grouse, savannah sparrow, song sparrow, tree swallow, tufted titmouse, white-breasted nuthatch, white-throated sparrow, wild turkey, yellow-rumped warbler
