Savannah sparrow.
A cool, dark, foggy morning. The early light, though, prompted plenty of birdsong—including some young crows I heard begging well before I got out of bed. House finch, redstart, yellow warbler, and a flicker calling in the distance.
Orange hawkweed.
But by early afternoon, the sky had brightened considerably, and then a little sun emerged, and I caught a glimpse of blue. About the time I finished up a long, tedious desk job (new typeface coming soon!), the day had become positively lovely, with brilliant sun, warm air, clear skies over thick green foliage—pretty much the opposite of the weather in recent days—and, at Beech Hill, mosquitoes.
Lots of mosquitoes, matter of fact. But Jack and I didn’t mind. You gotta swat some bugs, pick off some ticks. It’s all a part of the package.
The usual warblers were singing alternate, late-season versions of their songs—chestnut-sided, yellow warbler, black-throated green—and other woodland species seemed almost joyfully vocal. But they’re still being elusive enough that I actually saw only a fraction of those on today’s list. Did see a catbird, a goldfinch, some singing sparrows, and a couple flyers (gull and swallow). Got a glimpse of a phoebe, as well.
The trailside raspberries are blooming like crazy. Daisies. Found a few orange hawkweed flowers. Irises still at the summit. Along the edges of the fields, I heard the high strains of what sounded like hoarse cicadas. (The sound was faint but dissonant almost to the point of pain—can’t remember hearing anything like it.) And I saw a few butterflies, including a black swallowtail and a monarch flitting about some small patches of milkweed down the open trail.
Savannah sparrow.
But by far the most interesting display today was the alarmed behavior of savannah sparrows that clearly had nests near the trail. The birds flitted back and forth as we walked, perching occasionally on the tips of weeds, raising high, their headfeathers flaring.
A nice final bird today was a tanager calling from down the lower wooded trail.
Back home, the phoebe seemed particularly protective of its nest above the back window. It would stand peeping at me from the deck rail until I withdrew back into the house. The yellow warbler across the road sang until nearly 9 p.m.
And tonight, a minute ago—with the moon rising out of the bay and a clear sky overhead—I heard an ovenbird wake up and sing from off in the woods somewhere.
Beech Hill List
Beginning at 3:30 p.m., I hiked all trails.
1. Red-eyed vireo (voice)
2. Chestnut-sided warbler (voice)
3. Mourning dove (voice)
4. Ovenbird (voice)
5. Veery (voice)
6. American redstart (voice)
7. Eastern towhee
8. Gray catbird
9. Blue jay (voice)
10. American goldfinch
11. Alder flycatcher (voice)
12. Yellow warbler (voice)
13. Common yellowthroat (voice)
14. Song sparrow
15. American crow (voice)
16. Eastern phoebe
17. Savannah sparrow
18. Tree swallow
19. Herring gull
20. American robin
21. Field sparrow (voice)
22. Hermit thrush (voice)
23. Eastern wood-pewee (voice)
24. Black-throated green warbler (voice)
25. Scarlet tanager (voice)
Elsewhere
26. House finch
27. Northern flicker
28. Northern cardinal
29. Black-capped chickadee
Eastern black swallowtail.
Tags: alder flycatcher, American crow, American goldfinch, American redstart, American robin, black-capped chickadee, black-throated green warbler, blue jay, chestnut-sided warbler, common yellowthroat, eastern phoebe, eastern wood-pewee, field sparrow, gray catbird, hermit thrush, herring gull, house finch, mourning dove, northern cardinal, northern flicker, ovenbird, red-eyed vireo, savannah sparrow, scarlet tanager, song sparrow, tree swallow, veery, yellow warbler
