Eastern towhee.
Sometime overnight, the clouds moved away, and sunlight streamed through the blinds first thing. Sunlight streamed, and the landscaped steamed—a couple days of dampness set free unto the local atmosphere. The good news: deer flies weren’t so active this morning as the past two (though still they were active). The bad news: man, was it sticky and humid and sweaty.
Eastern towhee.
But you know what? That wasn’t really bad news. There’s just something lush and rich and fragrant about a good sweaty hike up a hill.
At Beech Hill, the first-heard-bird today was a nuthatch. I believe that’s a first first-heard-bird.
I came also upon a few oddball sightings: looking up in the lower woodland at warblers in the canopy, I caught sight of a great blue heron flying over. Coming up along the first open hedgerow, I came upon a garter snake in the same place as yesterday—doubtless the same snake—curled up on a rock, sunning itself, but again couldn’t get my camera cocked in time. Alder flycatchers for the second straight day; barn swallows for the third.
Savannah sparrow.
The savannah sparrows of the open fields are behaving differently, now that their chicks have taken wing. They no longer perch so much on the wooden posts as they hop a ways in front of us along the trail. Occasionally, I’ll see the youngsters as well as the adults. Mourning doves do the same up there. As, occasionally, do robins.
But fledglings are everywhere at this time of year. Sparrow fledglings, warbler fledglings, tit fledglings—chickadee and titmouse—and certainly the ground birds.
The warmth must’ve approached 80 degrees (F) even in early morning. Cicadees trilled lazily from trees on the fringes. A lush heat. Summer also means lushness of sound and scent and sightings—and the taste of newly ripe blueberries.
Now I await the ripening of the blackberries.
American robin.
Beech Hill List
Beginning at 7 a.m., I walked all trails.
1. White-breasted nuthatch (voice)
2. Red-eyed vireo (voice)
3. Ovenbird (voice)
4. American goldfinch (voice)
5. American crow (voice)
6. Veery (voice)
7. Chestnut-sided warbler
8. Common yellowthroat
9. Great blue heron
10. Eastern towhee
11. Gray catbird
12. Black-capped chickadee
13. Alder flycatcher (voice)
14. American robin
15. Yellow warbler (voice)
16. Cedar waxwing
17. Field sparrow (voice)
18. Song sparrow
19. Savannah sparrow
20. White-throated sparrow (voice)
21. Chipping sparrow (voice)
22. Tufted titmouse (voice)
23. American redstart (voice)
24. Hermit thrush (voice)
25. Black-and-white warbler (voice)
26. Barn swallow
27. Northern cardinal (voice)
28. Mourning dove
29. Herring gull
30. Black-billed cuckoo (voice)
31. Eastern wood-pewee (voice)
32. Black-throated green warbler (voice)
Elsewhere
33. Eastern phoebe
34. Turkey vulture
35. Rock pigeon
Eastern phoebe.
Tags: alder flycatcher, American crow, American goldfinch, American redstart, American robin, barn swallow, black-and-white warbler, black-billed cuckoo, black-capped chickadee, black-throated green warbler, Cedar waxwing, chestnut-sided warbler, chipping sparrow, common yellowthroat, eastern towhee, eastern wood-pewee, field sparrow, gray catbird, great blue heron, hermit thrush, mourning dove, northern cardinal, ovenbird, red-eyed vireo, savannah sparrow, song sparrow, tufted titmouse, veery, white-breasted nuthatch, white-throated sparrow, yellow warbler
