Yellow warbler.
I rose pretty early today—considering I got up at 4:45 a.m. yesterday and proceeded to burn (according to my fancy-ass bicycle GPS unit) about 2,500 calories—and by a quarter to seven, dog and I were embarking on our daily walk up Beech Hill. The morning had that late-spring feel to it, something about the fragrance in the air, the warming sun, the mosquitos hovering in the woodland understory. We had temps in the upper-50s (F), I’d guess. The usual warblers singing near the trailhead, along with a red-eyed vireo and tufted titmouse.
Chestnut-sided warbler.
Up and around the first curve and into the first clearing, and I heard the quacking of ducks above me and in the pure blue sky saw four mallards chasing each other on rapidly beating wings. A couple curves later, I got a little inner thrill at hearing the familiar wet weat! call of an alder flycatcher—first of the year. Over the course of our hike, in fact, I heard at least three alders, the last resident species to arrive aside from ruby-throated hummingbird (which species I remain concerned about).
Otherwise, I tallied the usual eight or ten warblers, all four resident thrushes (robin, hermit, wood, veery), and all five resident sparrows (white-throat, field, song, savannah, chippy). Come to think of it, among the warblers was a first-of-year bird: a Canada. I never saw the bird itself but heard its voice (which I decided sounded like “Ooey-gooey, cha-chewy, cha-chewy!”).
American robin.
Over the hill and coming down the open trail, I heard the singing yellowthroat with the crazy warbling voice. I think the bird must be deaf. Flying over, displaying bright red epaulets, came a red-winged blackbird. And down by the parking lot, in the poplar patch, the redstart that’s apparently taken up residence there kept expertly out of sight, frustrating me no end. It was so near, and I so desperately wanted a photo, that Jack and I took a little off-trail walk through some tall weeds—but right away dog and leash and I all got confused, and I took a tumble down into the brush, rolling my left ankle and hearing a loud “pop.” Still, I jumped up before anyone saw me and continued back up the hill as if nothing had happened.
The ankle hurt, but not too bad. Soon after, we came upon a nice woman with an off-leash dog. (How come people don’t follow the rules?) And after that, I ran separately into two other birders, Jay and Ed. As Jay and I discussed this year’s peculiarities (all the while being serenaded by a yellow warbler), a young fellow rode up on a mountain bike.
“Hey, sorry, no wheeled vehicles on this hill,” I advised.
Savannah sparrow.
He claimed ignorance and asked if he could just continue down the wooded trail. I told him not if he was riding. He said he’d walk the bike. Judging by the depth of the tire tracks I saw later, he broke his word. But it was nice running into Ed, whom I hadn’t met before. We discussed thrushes and bird photography and birding trips to Texas and Alaska and Patagonia. The community of birders is a unique and reassuring one.
I iced the ankle after we got home then decided to test it on my bicycle. Some discomfort walking but thankfully none cycling: fourteen miles didn’t bother it at all. (Whew.)
Singing field sparrow.
Beech Hill List
Beginning at 6:45 a.m., I walked all trails.
1. Ovenbird
2. Common yellowthroat
3. American goldfinch (voice)
4. Black-throated green warbler (voice)
5. Tufted titmouse (voice)
6. Chestnut-sided warbler
7. Red-eyed vireo
8. Black-and-white warbler
9. Blue jay (voice)
10. American redstart
11. Eastern towhee
12. Gray catbird
13. Mourning dove
14. White-throated sparrow (voice)
15. Veery (voice)
16. Wood thrush (voice)
17. Mallard
18. Alder flycatcher* (voice)
19. Cedar waxwing
20. Field sparrow
21. Song sparrow
22. Yellow warbler
23. Tree swallow
24. Nashville warbler (voice)
25. Canada warbler* (voice)
26. Savannah sparrow
27. Eastern phoebe
28. American robin
29. Hermit thrush (voice)
30. Red-winged blackbird
31. American crow
32. Chipping sparrow (voice)
33. Northern parula (voice)
34. Black-capped chickadee
35. Northern flicker (voice)
Elsewhere
36. Herring gull
37. Laughing gull
38. European starling
The open Beech Hill trail.
Tags: alder flycatcher, American crow, American goldfinch, American redstart, American robin, black-and-white warbler, black-capped chickadee, black-throated green warbler, blue jay, Canada warbler, Cedar waxwing, chestnut-sided warbler, chipping sparrow, common yellowthroat, eastern phoebe, eastern towhee, field sparrow, gray catbird, hermit thrush, mallard, mourning dove, Nashville warbler, northern flicker, northern parula, ovenbird, red-eyed vireo, red-winged blackbird, savannah sparrow, song sparrow, tree swallow, tufted titmouse, veery, white-throated sparrow, wood thrush, yellow warbler
