Black-and-white warbler.
Woke up early, saw sunlight streaming in. Jumped up, got dressed, warmed some coffee. Grabbed Jack, camera, and binoculars—and paused at the back glass doors. There was a phoebe sitting on the post of the deck rail. I waited until it flitted up into the nest over the back window. Guess the pair of little flycatchers are still tending that nest after all.
Common raven.
The song of a house finch accompanied our trip down the back stairs to the pickup. As we got to Beech Hill, some clouds had moved across the sun, but still some blue shone through here and there. Right away I heard the calls of two warblers: black-throated green and ovenbird. Soon after we started up the wooded trail, bird voices began to rain down. Towhee. Hairy woodpecker. And the descending veeur! of a veery—first-of-year bird.
Blue jay, crow, a catbird with a particularly sweet mew! Heard the voice of a flicker, saw some chipping chickadees, heard a goldfinch overhead and a yellowthroat from the direction of one of the lower fields. Black-and-white warbler, white-breasted nuthatch, a singing white-throated sparrow.
As we emerged into the upper meadows, there were song sparrows and more yellowthroats singing. Behind me, down the lower trail, I heard the gobble of a turkey and the song of a cardinal.
Ascending to the summit, I saw one of the pair of Beech Nut phoebes. And I heard in the distance the high, thin, matchless, lovely call of a savannah sparrow. Twenty species before we reached the top—quite a few more than on my list for both of the past two days.
American kestrel.
Things got interesting as we descended the open trail. First I saw a tree swallow fly over. Then I heard a Nashville warbler singing from the base of the southern slope. About half-way down, I heard—then saw—a raven flying up toward us. It soared over, croaking, before sailing down over the crest of the eastern hill behind us.
Far off to the south, a solitary herring gull flapped away in the same direction. A black-and-white warbler was singing at the edge of the little copse toward the road—and I spotted it hunting for grub on the trunk of a nearby tree. I managed to get close enough for a few photos.
In the area of the Beech Hill Road parking lot: chestnut-sided warbler, chipping sparrow, mourning dove. A pair of robins on the trail as we made our way back up—and a kestrel sitting in the little solo oak. As we got closer, the kestrel flew to a farther tree. Got closer again, it flew again. (I find that kestrels, like several other species, will wait until you stop moving to fly—somehow it knows that’s a bad sign.)
About half-way up, an osprey flew over headed west. That was a surprise.
Saw a purple finch singing from atop one of the spruces at the summit. It flew off to the south before we got there.
Savannah sparrow.
The voices of more song sparrows, black-and-white warblers, yellowthroats, towhees. But as we entered the lower woodlands, there wasn’t so much activity. A few chickadees, another hairy woodpecker.
Sunlight bathed the parking lot when we arrived back. I paused at the door of the truck for a moment to listen for my thirty-second bird—and by golly I heard it: the whistle of a broad-winged hawk. I peered across Rockville Street and caught sight of the bird in a tree. Watched it take flight and soar low over the canopy.
The mourning dove was sitting on the utility line on South Street this morning. Same place it sits in evening. Nesting nearby, no doubt.
Got back, took a shower, got to work. A frustrating day full of technical glitches that took until mid-afternoon to resolve. By then I was ready for a bike ride in the strong southerly wind. Coming south proved a challenge, but heading north, I flew. Starlings in town, many chippies singing along Route 1.
Late this afternoon, I watched the pair of nuthatches above the back deck engage in some of their interesting nesting rituals.
Two islands.
Tonight, I can still see stars up there. Supposed to cloud over, though, and likely even rain again tomorrow.
Beech Hill List
Beginning at 6:45 a.m., I hiked all trails.
1. Black-throated green warbler (voice)
2. Ovenbird (voice)
3. Eastern towhee
4. Hairy woodpecker (voice)
5. Veery (voice)
6. Blue jay (voice)
7. American crow
8. Gray catbird (voice)
9. Northern flicker (voice)
10. Black-capped chickadee
11. American goldfinch
12. Common yellowthroat
13. Black-and-white warbler
14. White-breasted nuthatch (voice)
15. White-throated sparrow (voice)
16. Song sparrow
17. Wild turkey (voice)
18. Northern cardinal (voice)
19. Eastern phoebe
20. Savannah sparrow
21. Tree swallow
22. Nashville warbler (voice)
23. Common raven
24. Herring gull
25. Chestnut-sided warbler (voice)
26. Chipping sparrow (voice)
27. Mourning dove
28. American robin
29. American kestrel
30. Osprey
31. Purple finch (voice)
32. Broad-winged hawk
Elsewhere
33. House finch
34. European starling
Tags: American crow, American kestrel, American robin, black-and-white warbler, black-capped chickadee, black-throated green warbler, blue jay, broad-winged hawk, chestnut-sided warbler, chipping sparrow, common raven, common yellowthroat, eastern phoebe, eastern towhee, gray catbird, hairy woodpecker, herring gull, mourning dove, Nashville warbler, northern cardinal, northern flicker, osprey, ovenbird, purple finch, savannah sparrow, song sparrow, tree swallow, veery, white-breasted nuthatch, white-throated sparrow, wild turkey
