Black-and-white warbler.
The wet week continues. Fog this morning, fog all day, water dripping from the trees, mud on the trails.
The weather didn’t discourage the resident house finch, however, whose calls rang out above the rush of Route 1 traffic. Crows went about their business, as usual. I got a quick glimpse of a hummingbird zipping away from the azales out front—whose blossoms, by the way, are beginning to cover the soggy ground beneath them.
Gray catbird.
Took a quick trip to town late in the day. Gulls about, and rock pigeons. A pair of mourning doves flew by.
I stood for a minute in the parking lot of the wooded Beech Hill trail, listening. Heard water dripping. Heard a fog whistle. Heard the distant rush of traffic on Route 1. Heard not a peep from any bird.
But after a while, an ovenbird sang from off in the foggy woodlands. Then I heard the cries of herring gulls coming from farther away. Eventually, the voice of a towhee. And the distinctive chip note of a rose-breasted grosbeak—which then burst into song.
A chickadee up the hill. A flicker in the distance. Also the magical fluting of a hermit thrush. And dog and I surprised a pair of mourning doves near the top of the trail—they disappeared on whistling wings.
At the upper fields: yellowthroats, catbirds, and song sparrows. Interestingly, the yellowthroats were the only warblers I saw or heard on the hill today. Did spot the Beech Nut savannah sparrow flitting around at the summit.
Blue-headed vireo.
Returning, I heard a singing robin. A goldfinch flew over. More gulls. And that was about it—which was disappointing, since I had hoped to break in my new camera. (I only managed one misty shot of a catbird.) Then again, foggy conditions are probably the worst you can encounter when you’re hoping to photograph birds.
But back home, I brought my camera out onto the deck hoping for a look at the nuthatches nesting in the hole in the big oak limb. What I saw instead was a miniature wave of warblers moving through the trees—black-and-white warblers, darting here and there along the trunks and branches. The light was low, but I got a few half-way decent shots. Also noticed a blue-headed vireo among warblers. And a pair of noisy titmice. Sure enough, a nuthatch. And up the misty hillside, a solitary, silent crow.
More rain is forecast for tomorrow. And possibly Saturday. But Sunday could end up a sun-day.
Beech Hill List
Beginning at 4:45 p.m., I hiked the wooded trails.
1. Ovenbird (voice)
2. Herring gull (voice)
3. Eastern towhee
4. Rose-breasted grosbeak (voice)
5. Black-capped chickadee
6. White-throated sparrow
7. Common yellowthroat
8. Northern flicker (voice)
9. Hermit thrush (voice)
10. Mourning dove
11. Song sparrow (voice)
12. Gray catbird
13. Savannah sparrow
14. American robin (voice)
15. American goldfinch (voice)
Elsewhere
16. House finch
17. American crow
18. Ruby-throated hummingbird
19. Rock pigeon
20. Black-and-white warbler
21. White-breasted nuthatch
22. Tufted titmouse
23. Blue-headed vireo
Tags: American crow, American goldfinch, American robin, black-and-white warbler, black-capped chickadee, blue-headed vireo, common yellowthroat, eastern towhee, gray catbird, hermit thrush, herring gull, house finch, mourning dove, northern flicker, ovenbird, rock pigeon, rose-breasted grosbeak, savannah sparrow, song sparrow, tufted titmouse, white-breasted nuthatch, white-throated sparrow
