Still life.
A drizzly morning. I noticed my dog had begun acting kind of lame—perhaps from our long hike yesterday morning—which got me distracted. Other stuff got me even more distracted, but I managed to hear a house finch singing in the rain. And saw crows flapping past the window. And, from somewhere, caught the flutey rattle of a pileated woodpecker.
Beech Nut.
As the morning progressed, I heard occasional thunder, but the rain didn’t increase much here. And by midday, it’d let up altogether. By mid-afternoon, the roads were dry.
Took Jack with me in the pickup while I did a few errands, but I didn’t want to aggravate his gimpiness and so took him back home and hiked Beech Hill alone (for only the second time since I’ve known him). The air was warm enough that I could’ve worn a T-shirt instead of the hooded sweatshirt I did wear. Gray and foggy and drippy, but with a stout, gusty, southerly wind.
The woods were quiet. Not until I crossed the little footbridge did I see or hear a bird of any species—a herring gull crying from off in the gray sky—but I noticed the snow had dwindled to nearly nothing. In fact, I had to take only a dozen steps on trail-snow during the whole ascent (near the top). By the time I’d reached the upper field, I’d counted only four species (including chickadee, robin, crow). But at the edge of the field, I caught sight of a small bird flitting amid the brown undergrowth: a silent song sparrow.
Striptease.
Beech Nut stood like a secret behind a moving veil of fog. The trees clattered and rushed in the warm wind. Slogging back down the lower trail, I heard only a couple chickadees, a gull, and a crow.
While driving home I saw a mourning dove fly over. And shortly after, from the back deck, I spotted a phoebe—chipping softly—diving for earthbound insects. It’d perch on a low branch then swoop down then dart back up again. (Not many flies yet, but plenty of food nonetheless.) I also heard the chips of the neighborhood cardinal.
And come twilight, I stepped out into the astonishingly warm air to the big background sound of a chorus of spring peepers. And the sweet miraculous tittering of a woodcock’s flight song overhead. And two fog whistles moaning from out across the harbor. Such luscious music. Spring.
Beech Hill List
Beginning at 5 p.m., I hiked the wooded trails.
1. Herring gull (voice)
2. American robin (voice)
3. Black-capped chickadee
4. American crow (voice)
5. Song sparrow
Elsewhere
6. House finch
7. Pileated woodpecker
8. Mourning dove
9. House sparrow
10. Eastern phoebe
11. Northern cardinal
12. American woodcock
Eastern phoebe.
Tags: American crow, American robin, American woodcock, black-capped chickadee, eastern phoebe, herring gull, house finch, house sparrow, mourning dove, northern cardinal, pileated woodpecker, song sparrow
