Deep summer has a different feel here on the 44th parallel. The photoperiod has been shortening for a month or more, but because of the earth’s great lag—and the meteorological peculiarities of this particular year—we’ve had some nice heat lately. The hardwoods have been fully leafed out for a while, and their growth has slowed. Flies and bees and cicadas are busy. Clouds pile up in the sky.

I awoke early again to take Jack out and decided to count all the birds I heard: cardinal, house finch, catbird, song sparrow, redstart, house sparrow, herring gull, crow, yellowthroat, robin. To the northeast, out beyond Clam Cove, the sunrise glowed a sort of big purplish-red. I wondered why so much Route 1 traffic was moving around at 5 a.m.

Got back to sleep in a hurry, and once I awoke again, a little rain had fallen, cooling things off a bit from yesterday’s peak of heat. The rest of the morning had a blue-blue sky and much drier air than yesterday.

I worked on a font while listening to NPR podcasts. Got a lot done. Then, about 4:30, I tore myself loose and went for a bicycle ride. A good, long ride. A southwest wind was blowing at a fair clip, and I pushed myself—first hit Rockland (checked the mail) then turned an zipped up to downtown Camden and returned via Aldermere Farm. Chipping sparrows sang here and there along my route. In Rockport Village I noted the sweet, loud sound of robins and cardinals. Something about the landscape, the hillsides, the houses, the trees seemed to amplify and enlarge the sound. I thought the folks who live there are pretty lucky.

Eighteen miles (nineteenth straight cycling day), and by the time I got home I felt a little lame. But I had to take Jack to Beech Hill. It’s simply a given.

Deer flies dive-bombed us again, as they have been, but as long as you keep moving, you’re all right. The blackberries amid the trailside brambles are getting bigger. I heard a grosbeak pretty early on the hike. Nice.

I forgot to mention yesterday that along one section of trail—just as you come around a fair-sized glacial boulder—Jack suddenly began to growl and his hackles stood up. I saw what he saw: a large bush had somehow been broken and lay crazily along the trail. Dog knows the trail and knew something was amiss. He was seriously alarmed. I sort of had to chuckle. Today, he merely eyed the broken bush suspiciously. But farther up, where a rodent had left a big pile of light-colored earth directly across our path, his ears went up and he stopped. Again, I had to chuckle.

In deep summer, the birds are furtive, secretive. There are fledglings to protect. I came upon a couple families of chestnut-sided warblers as they eyed us from the thicket. Towhees were leery. As were catbirds and yellowthroats. I got mere glimpses of those species.

An artist was painting up at Beech Nut. A robin was flitting about in the upper branches of the little spruce grove, and a phoebe was tending to some vocal nestlings up in the eaves of the hut. The bay spread away to the east clearer than yesterday.

Returning, I heard the resident hermit thrush and (finally) the note of a veery. My list had sixteen species today.

Back home, tonight, a minute ago, the air is still. The air remains rather warm—mid-70s (F), at least, I’d say. And the night has a certain thick, fragrant feel to it. After all, it’s deep summer.

Beech Hill List
Beginning at 6:15 p.m., I hiked the wooded trail.

1. Red-eyed vireo (voice)
2. American goldfinch
3. Rose-breasted grosbeak (voice)
4. Chestnut-sided warbler
5. Black-capped chickadee (voice)
6. American crow
7. Gray catbird
8. Common yellowthroat
9. Alder flycatcher (voice)
10. Eastern towhee
11. Cedar waxwing (voice)
12. Song sparrow
13. American robin
14. Eastern phoebe
15. Hermit thrush (voice)
16. Veery (voice)

Elsewhere

17. Northern cardinal
18. House finch
19. House sparrow
20. Herring gull
21. American redstart
22. Chipping sparrow
23. Mourning dove

Tags: alder flycatcher, American crow, American goldfinch, American redstart, American robin, black-capped chickadee, Cedar waxwing, chestnut-sided warbler, chipping sparrow, common yellowthroat, eastern phoebe, eastern towhee, gray catbird, hermit thrush, herring gull, house finch, house sparrow, mourning dove, northern cardinal, red-eyed vireo, rose-breasted grosbeak, song sparrow, veery

This entry was posted on Saturday, July 23rd, 2011 at 10:02 pm and is filed under Lists, Observations. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.