Song sparrow.
When I opened my eyes, sunlight was streaming through the blinds, so I grabbed Jack and we set off right away for Beech Hill. The first bird I heard there was the great crested flycatcher that’s been hanging around the sugarbush. (I’d like to get a nice photo of that guy someday.) Warblers were singing also, and vireos—but no veery right off. I did see the resident phoebe.
American redstart.
It was short-sleeved-shirt weather, but with a bit of a breeze. And plenty of biting insects, but we ascended at a fairly brisk pace so they didn’t pester us much. As soon as we got within range of the fields, I heard alder flycatchers and yellow warblers and song sparrows. Oddly, I heard no catbird coming up. And I neither saw nor heard a savannah sparrow today. But I did hear gobbling turkeys.
By the time we’d reached the summit, cloud cover had moved in from the west, but we didn’t mind. As we came down the open trail, hopping along ahead of us were a mourning dove, a towhee, and a pair of robins. At one point we stopped for a moment so I could watch a singing song sparrow at the trail’s edge—where usually the savannahs are. Parula and black-throated green and wood-pewee down the lower wooded trail. I finally did hear a veery and a catbird. And, notably, redstarts were singing at several points on the hill.
In fact, redstarts were singing all over the place today. Out back of my place, of course, and here and there along Route 1 during my afternoon bicycle ride. The wind had risen by afternoon—a strong westerly wind—and I got blown around a bit. But still I managed to spotted ring-billed gulls and pigeons, and hear chestnut-sided and yellow warblers.
Alder flycatcher.
This evening, while watching the nuthatches and phoebes from the back deck, I heard the urgent-sounding notes of a cardinal. Then, just as I stepped inside, a pair of red males zoomed past not two feet from the door, right where I’d been standing.
The air remains a little blustery tonight. Every now and then I hear an ovenbird talking in its sleep.
Beech Hill List
Beginning at 7:30 a.m., I hiked all trails.
1. Great crested flycatcher (voice)
2. Chestnut-sided warbler
3. American robin
4. Ovenbird (voice)
5. Eastern phoebe
6. American goldfinch (voice)
7. Red-eyed vireo (voice)
8. Common yellowthroat
9. American redstart
10. Eastern towhee
11. Herring gull (voice)
12. Black-capped chickadee (voice)
13. Black-and-white warbler (voice)
14. Yellow warbler (voice)
15. Alder flycatcher
16. Veery
17. Song sparrow
18. American crow (voice)
19. Mourning dove
20. Field sparrow (voice)
21. Nashville warbler (voice)
22. Hermit thrush (voice)
23. Chipping sparrow (voice)
24. Wild turkey (voice)
25. Gray catbird (voice)
26. Cedar waxwing (voice)
27. Northern parula (voice)
28. Eastern wood-pewee (voice)
29. Black-throated green warbler (voice)
30. Blue jay (voice)
Elsewhere
31. House finch
32. House sparrow
33. Northern cardinal
34. Ring-billed gull
35. Rock pigeon
36. White-breasted nuthatch
Tags: alder flycatcher, American crow, American goldfinch, American redstart, American robin, black-and-white warbler, black-capped chickadee, black-throated green warbler, blue jay, Cedar waxwing, chestnut-sided warbler, chipping sparrow, common yellowthroat, eastern phoebe, eastern towhee, eastern wood-pewee, field sparrow, gray catbird, great crested flycatcher, hermit thrush, herring gull, house finch, house sparrow, mourning dove, Nashville warbler, northern cardinal, northern parula, ovenbird, red-eyed vireo, ring-billed gull, rock pigeon, song sparrow, veery, white-breasted nuthatch, wild turkey, yellow warbler
