Common yellowthroat.
Slept in on a Saturday morning (after staying up late reading). The sun was shining, though, so after coffee Jack and I took a quick drive up to Beech Hill. Met my friends O. and P. at the parking lot—they were just leaving—and noticed another car there also. Then I noticed a plastic bag on the ground containing some personal effects of (apparently) the hikers the car belonged to. (We met them at the summit and managed to get their things back to them.) The vireo was calling in the sugarbush. Also a blue jay and a few warblers.
Dragonfly.
Not as many species on my list today, it being rather late in the morning. (No catbird, for instance.) But most of the usual suspects made their presence known. Plenty of vireos. Several alder flycatchers. Many, many chestnut-sided warblers.
Nearing the upper fields, I spotted a lovely dragonfly perched on a green trailside frond. Also a spread-winged damselfly. Coming through the fields themselves, I spied a turkey vulture soaring over—then, not long after, two or three more in leisurely flight. A nice morning for getting out and about, for human and vulture. Because we did meet a number of other humans on the trail. And saw small flocks of waxwings. Oddly, though, no savannah sparrows.
The veery that sings along one section of trail was singing there again today. It’s skittish, however—once it senses our approach, it flies away. The yellowthroats are skittish also. Got only a glimpse of one. Still, in a couple weeks I expect they’ll be more visible once they’ve got a bunch of hungry mouths to feed.
Tree swallows in the blue, woodland warblers down the lower trail. More irises and a few daisies blooming. We spent a couple hours up there before the rain.
Turkey vulture.
Yes, it clouded over soon after our return—and not long after that, the rain came. A light but soaking rain. Regardless, the phoebes out back were busy feeding their nestlings. (I spotted both parents together a number of times.) Did not catch sight of the nesting nuthatches, though.
Tonight I stepped out onto the back deck to watch a fireworks display happening off toward the breakwater for some reason. That was a nice (if loud) diversion.
I’m starting to get that summery feeling. I wonder how long before I’ll see my first firefly.
Beech Hill List
Beginning at 9:30 a.m., I hiked all trails.
1. Red-eyed vireo
2. Blue jay (voice)
3. Chestnut-sided warbler
4. Ovenbird
5. Eastern phoebe
6. American redstart (voice)
7. Rose-breasted grosbeak (voice)
8. American goldfinch (voice)
9. Common yellowthroat
10. Eastern towhee
11. Alder flycatcher
12. Black-capped chickadee
13. American crow (voice)
14. Cedar waxwing
15. Veery
16. Eastern wood-pewee
17. Song sparrow
18. American robin
19. Turkey vulture
20. Chipping sparrow (voice)
21. Yellow warbler (voice)
22. Tree swallow
23. Black-throated green warbler (voice)
24. Black-and-white warbler (voice)
25. Northern parula (voice)
Elsewhere
26. Northern cardinal
27. House finch
28. Mourning dove
29. Herring gull
30. European starling
31. House sparrow
Daisy.
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, European starling, herring gull, house finch, house sparrow, mourning dove, northern cardinal, northern parula, ovenbird, red-eyed vireo, rose-breasted grosbeak, song sparrow, tree swallow, turkey vulture, veery, yellow warbler
