Eastern towhee.
On awakening, I heard fog horns, but sunlight was illuminating the back sides of the blinds. On our drive up Powerhouse Hill, Jack’s and mine, I saw nothing but blue above, but a great fog bank cloaked the bay. As we started up the trail, the air felt cool, with maybe just a nip of fall—the kind of nip at the heels that’ll cause a tiny songbird to want to stock up on food all day.
Common yellowthroat (female).
Nuthatch, vireo, blue jay, crow, robin, black-billed cuckoo. That last one was unusual. Catbird, veery—veery? I’d neither seen nor heard a veery in weeks. How come I heard one calling this morning all of a sudden? I suppose I’ll never know.
Towhee, yellowthroat, hairy woodpecker. Plenty of birds out this morning. Then about half-way up we heard the panting of Greta behind us, and so we let Chuck and his German shepherd dog pass. After all, we pause for pictures.
At the summit, the spruces were busy with birds, as usual lately. More ruby-throats (what is it they like about spruces?), a red-breasted nuthatch, some warblers I couldn’t identify. Also the obligatory phoebe and mourning dove. And the sparrows—white-throat and song and savannah.
Eastern phoebe.
Descending the open trail, I heard the pewee that’s been singing down the slope toward South Street. And for the third straight day, winding through the last brushy stretch to Beech Hill Road, I came upon a celebration of small birds. Vireos, sparrows, wood-warblers—yellow, chestnut-sided, black-and-white, yellow-rump—and a lone least flycatcher singing it’s chi-bek! up in the crown of a hardwood tree. I caught sight of the flycatcher. And got a distant photo.
(Why would a least flycatcher show up all of a sudden today?)
On the return trip up and over, nothing much stood out. No large, overflying bird—no hawk or raven. But nearing our starting point, I heard the loud, long call of a pileated woodpecker not a hundred feet away. And a titmouse sang too-too-too-too! just as we reached the truck.
Later, while cycling up Powerhouse Hill, I couldn’t help but notice a large wheel of laughing gulls circling overhead. “What’s up with all the laughing gulls?” I thought to myself.
Some questions have no answers.
Chestnut-sided warbler (juvenile).
Beech Hill List
Beginning at 6:45 a.m., I hiked all trails.
1. White-breasted nuthatch (voice)
2. Red-eyed vireo (voice)
3. American crow (voice)
4. Blue jay
5. American robin (voice)
6. Black-billed cuckoo (voice)
7. Gray catbird
8. Veery (voice)
9. Eastern towhee
10. Common yellowthroat
11. Hairy woodpecker
12. Cedar waxwing
13. American goldfinch (voice)
14. White-throated sparrow
15. Eastern phoebe
16. Yellow warbler
17. Northern flicker (voice)
18. Song sparrow
19. Mourning dove
20. Ruby-throated hummingbird
21. Red-breasted nuthatch
22. Savannah sparrow
23. Eastern wood-pewee (voice)
24. Chestnut-sided warbler
25. Rose-breasted grosbeak (voice)
26. Least flycatcher
27. Black-and-white warbler
28. Blue-headed vireo (voice)
29. Yellow-rumped warbler
30. Pileated woodpecker (voice)
31. Tufted titmouse (voice)
Elsewhere
32. Herring gull
33. Northern cardinal
34. Rock pigeon
35. Laughing gull
36. European starling
Least flycatcher.
Tags: American crow, American goldfinch, American robin, black-and-white warbler, black-billed cuckoo, blue jay, blue-headed vireo, Cedar waxwing, chestnut-sided warbler, common yellowthroat, eastern phoebe, eastern towhee, eastern wood-pewee, gray catbird, hairy woodpecker, herring gull, least flycatcher, mourning dove, northern cardinal, northern flicker, pileated woodpecker, red-breasted nuthatch, red-eyed vireo, rose-breasted grosbeak, ruby-throated hummingbird, savannah sparrow, song sparrow, tufted titmouse, veery, white-breasted nuthatch, white-throated sparrow, yellow warbler, yellow-rumped warbler
