Chestnut-sided warbler.
One of life’s greatest challenges is overcoming expectations. Yesterday dawned dreary and overcast, and I counted twice as many species as I figured I would (including three first-of-year birds); the sun this morning flooded promisingly across a green spring landscape, and it turned out to be a wicked tough day for birding.
Chestnut-sided warbler.
I knew from the thermometer it’d be a cold one: about 40 degrees (F) when we headed out, dog and I. What I didn’t exactly anticipate was the ferocity of the wind. At the protected wooded Beech Hill trailhead, young trees wagged and whispered, and upper limbs rubbed together with tiny creaks and squeals. I’d worn a hooded sweatshirt and felt prepared. And sure enough I heard the the birdsong I expected at the outset: ovenbird, black-throated green warbler, yellowthroat, chickadee, jay. But it took a while to hear the voices of many other warblers—or even a towhee. Then I noticed the scarcity of black flies and mosquitos, thanks to a gusty understory. Good for me and Jack, not so much for warblers.
Still, I eventually saw and/or heard most of the usual woodland birds—even the quiet, nesting ones, like robins. The rose-breasted grosbeak had hung around, somehow I managed to make out the distant drumming of a partridge, and a few chestnut-sided warblers proved cooperative portrait subjects. But once we reached the summit, a strong, steady northwest wind rushed loudly through the little spruce grove—and against my ears—making it difficult to hear a thing (or I expect, if you’re a bird, to fly.) I did check the phoebe nest and found it occupied. But I saw no birds in the air at all, and the savannah sparrows didn’t even bother singing. Plus, it was colder’n hell up there. Just not overly comfortable at all.
Mother's Day robin.
Coming back up over the open trail, I did finally spot a savannah flitting along the edge of the trail. And at one point, I caught sight of a tree swallow in flight, battling the wind. But it took me a good five minutes of standing, listening, rocking against the gusts, and tipping my head before I heard the three species that’ve been calling dependably down the slope toward South Street: titmouse, yellow warbler, hermit thrush.
We hiked down the lower wooded trail at a brisk pace, hardly bothering to stop to listen for calls. Ovenbird and black-throated green is about all there was down there today. The full circuit took a lot less time than yesterday.
But the list could’ve been a lot worse. And warming up back home was nice. And late this afternoon we took a quick walk to the end of the breakwater and back—an even windier and more bone-chilling experience than our morning hike, by the way—and saw a few nice shoreside birds.
Taking the dog out a minute ago, though, I had probably my nicest thrill of the day when I heard the strange, crazy flight song of a woodcock spiraling down through a black night sky gone relatively, sweetly calm.
Pair of common eiders.
Beech Hill List
At 6:45 a.m., I walked all trails.
1. Black-throated green warbler (voice)
2. Ovenbird (voice)
3. Black-capped chickadee
4. Herring gull (voice)
5. Blue jay (voice)
6. American crow (voice)
7. Common yellowthroat
8. Rose-breasted grosbeak (voice)
9. American robin
10. Common raven (voice)
11. Chestnut-sided warbler
12. White-throated sparrow (voice)
13. Ruffed grouse (booming)
14. Eastern towhee
15. Gray catbird (voice)
16. Nashville warbler
17. Black-and-white warbler
18. American goldfinch
19. Hairy woodpecker
20. Northern parula (voice)
21. Blue-headed vireo (voice)
22. Mourning dove
23. Eastern phoebe
24. Savannah sparrow
25. Tree swallow
26. Tufted titmouse (voice)
27. Yellow warbler (voice)
28. Hermit thrush (voice)
Elsewhere
29. House finch
30. Northern cardinal
31. Common grackle
32. Great black-backed gull
33. Ring-billed gull
34. Common eider
35. Double-crested cormorant
36. American woodcock
Two islands (from Beech Hill).
Tags: American crow, American goldfinch, American robin, black-and-white warbler, black-capped chickadee, black-throated green warbler, blue jay, blue-headed vireo, chestnut-sided warbler, common eider, common grackle, common raven, common yellowthroat, double-crested cormorant, eastern phoebe, eastern towhee, gray catbird, great black-backed gull, hairy woodpecker, hermit thrush, herring gull, house finch, mourning dove, Nashville warbler, northern cardinal, northern parula, ovenbird, ring-billed gull, rose-breasted grosbeak, ruffed grouse, savannah sparrow, tree swallow, tufted titmouse, white-throated sparrow, yellow warbler
