Black-capped chickadee.
Up late last night, slept late this morning. Didn’t get to the hill until 9:30. An overcast morning. Muggy. Earlier it’d rained a little, and the air held about as much moisture as possible. And about as many deer flies. Swarms of them buzzed around my head and around Jack’s back as we hurried up the wooded trail. The majority of level-headed humans would’ve turned back within a couple of minutes.
But we forged ahead, ventured forth, sallied onward.
Common yellowthroat (male).
Not a lot of excitement at first. In fact, I’d only listed thirteen bird species by the time we reached the top of the forested slope, and only a couple adult chickadees posed for pictures. But I felt like I’d list at least that many more down the open trails and coming back along the lower woodlands. I did ID my first alder flycatcher in I bet a couple weeks.
Sure enough, coming down the open trail I quickly heard sparrows and jays and saw an over-flying turkey vulture. Heard both cardinal and redstart soon after.
But it wasn’t until we began retracing our steps up the open trail that bird sightings increased—beginning with a family of scissor-tailed barn swallows zipping back and forth and around the summit. A thrilling scene, frankly, as adults and young veered and soared and dive-bombed. Crazily, a few seconds later I spotted a great blue heron flying lazily overhead. And then a suddenly approaching swallow that passed very near turned out to be a tree swallow.
I stood a long time watching the swallows. Their flight is hypnotizing.
Coming around the corner 0f the eastern fields by the fence, we came upon a snake. A garter snake, whose back half was all I saw as it dipped under a rock beneath some lush grass. Yesterday an amphibian, today a reptile.
A cooling breeze on the open slope had chased away the flies, but they appeared in full force once we entered the woods again—along with a surprising flurry of birds. Four wood-warblers, woodpecker, nuthatch, titmouse. Honestly, I was astonished at how many species I managed to list this overcast, humid, oh-so-late morning hike up Beech Hill.
Savannah sparrow in the trail.
Beech Hill List
Beginning at 9:30 a.m., I walked all trails.
1. Red-eyed vireo (voice)
2. American goldfinch (voice)
3. Common yellowthroat
4. Chestnut-sided warbler (voice)
5. Veery (voice)
6. Northern flicker (voice)
7. Gray catbird
8. Eastern towhee
9. American robin
10. Alder flycatcher (voice)
11. Black-capped chickadee
12. Song sparrow (voice)
13. Cedar waxwing
14. Field sparrow (voice)
15. Yellow warbler (voice)
16. Savannah sparrow
17. Blue jay (voice)
18. Turkey vulture
19. White-throated sparrow (voice)
20. Chipping sparrow (voice)
21. Northern cardinal (voice)
22. American redstart (voice)
23. Hermit thrush (voice)
24. Barn swallow
25. Great blue heron
26. Tree swallow
27. Mourning dove (voice)
28. American crow
29. Black-throated green warbler (voice)
30. Black-throated blue warbler (voice)
31. Ovenbird
32. Black-and-white warbler
33. White-breasted nuthatch
34. Hairy woodpecker
35. Tufted titmouse
Elsewhere
36. Herring gull
Mushroom.
Tags: alder flycatcher, American crow, American goldfinch, American redstart, American robin, barn swallow, 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 yellowthroat, eastern towhee, field sparrow, gray catbird, great blue heron, hairy woodpecker, hermit thrush, mourning dove, northern cardinal, northern flicker, ovenbird, red-eyed vireo, savannah sparrow, song sparrow, tree swallow, tufted timouse, turkey vulture, veery, white-breasted nuthatch, white-throated sparrow, yellow warbler
