Savannah sparrow.
Bounced out of bed early. OK, so I didn’t exactly bounce—drug myself out of bed early for a sunny Beech Hike with Jack.
Chestnut-sided warbler.
Seemed like a typical lovely, cool morning. The first bird song I heard was a black-throated green warbler’s, followed quickly by a chestnut-sided warbler’s, a robin’s, an ovenbird’s, and a vireo’s. All while still standing beside the pickup. Added another half-dozen species while walking through the sugarbush—including a catbird (missing from yesterday’s count). In fact, I heard three or four catbirds on the hill this morning.
More birds sing early. When all is fresh. Newly bright. Sweet-smelling. Serene.
Just after we turned left onto the upper trail, I heard a bird flutter frantically onto a perch behind me. I turned and caught a glimpse of it—some kind of thrush (probably a veery)—before it quickly darted farther away into some thick brush. And then a hawk flew through the wood. Although it wasn’t flying slowly, I got a great look at it: a broad-wing. Impressive in itself, but what really thrilled me was how silently it flew, and how swiftly it navigated the maze of tree trunks. A forest hawk, for sure.
On up to the upper fields, where sang the usual yellowthroats, alder flycatchers, and song sparrows. Also a yellow warbler or two. And at the summit, the resident phoebe sang, as did a chipping sparrow in the spruce grove—not a common occurence.
American goldfinch.
Coming down the open trail, I heard a titmouse in the distance and saw three species of warbler in a single trailside birch (yellowthroat, yellow, and black-and-white). A veery was singing in the little copse of trees down there. A redstart and the black neighborhood cat were hanging around down at the Beech Hill Road parking lot.
Back at the summit, I heard the chippy singing still, along with a couple song sparrows and a little flock of goldfinches. Then I heard a plaintive note and spotted a young fledgling being fed by its parent, which happened to be a purple finch. That was a nice surprise.
Down the lower wooded trail: parula, pewee, jay, flicker. Then we drove home, checked for ticks, and I turned around to help tote some wood chips from the transfer station to the trailhead I’d just used, where they’d be spread to stave off poison ivy. At the dump were starlings, grackles, and waxwings.
The day commenced into a hazy overcast. It never got very warm—maybe upper-60s (F)—and I abandoned my plan for a bike ride in favor of desk work. Then this evening I took a quick count of the birds about my place: nuthatches (I can hear the tiny voices of the hatchlings in the nest cavity), phoebes, redstart, chickadees, yellow warbler, chestnut-sided warbler, crow, house finch, catbird, and hermit thrush.
Morning fog.
Tonight is cool. A couple crickets chirping. A setting waxing crescent moon.
Beech Hill List
Beginning at 6:30 a.m., I hiked all trails.
1. Black-throated green warbler (voice)
2. Chestnut-sided warbler
3. American robin
4. Ovenbird (voice)
5. Red-eyed vireo
6. American goldfinch
7. Common yellowthroat
8. Veery
9. American crow (voice)
10. Eastern towhee
11. Gray catbird
12. American redstart (voice)
13. Broad-winged hawk
14. Black-capped chickadee
15. Black-and white warbler
16. Alder flycatcher
17. Yellow warbler
18. Song sparrow
19. Eastern phoebe
20. Mourning dove
21. Savannah sparrow
22. Tree swallow
23. Tufted titmouse (voice)
24. Cedar waxwing (voice)
25. Chipping sparrow (voice)
26. Purple finch
27. Northern parula (voice)
28. Eastern wood-pewee (voice)
29. Blue jay (voice)
30. Northern flicker (voice)
Elsewhere
31. House finch
32. House sparrow
33. Herring gull
34. European starling
35. Common grackle
36. Northern cardinal
37. White-breasted nuthatch
38. Hermit thrush
Tags: alder flycatcher, American crow, American goldfinch, American redstart, American robin, black-and-white warbler, black-capped chickadee, black-throated green warbler, blue jay, broad-winged hawk, Cedar waxwing, chestnut-sided warbler, chipping sparrow, common grackle, common yellowthroat, eastern phoebe, eastern towhee, eastern wood-pewee, European starling, gray catbird, hermit thrush, herring gull, house finch, house sparrow, mourning dove, northern cardinal, northern flicker, northern parula, ovenbird, purple finch, red-eyed vireo, savannah sparrow, song sparrow, tree swallow, tufted titmouse, veery, white-breasted nuthatch, yellow warbler
