Mourning cloak.
Humans seem hard-wired to seek and discover. I got to thinking, while hiking through the woods today, how my senses grow focused as I approach every rise and round every corner. What will I see? What will I hear? (Jack does the same.) And this is a familiar trail. On unfamiliar trails, I become even more attentive and expectant, such that I’m hardly aware of myself being there, moving and smelling and feeling.
American robin.
Given our crazy March weather—today reached 80 degrees (F) at my place—I’ve found my focus has increased. This landscape seems unfamiliar. Spring peepers already, and wood frogs. What will I see? What will I hear?
The first thing I saw in the woods today was a butterfly, a mourning cloak, flitting across the trail ahead of us. It landed on the branch of a young maple and sat there in the afternoon sun. Then I heard crows. Then I saw robins, perched in the canopy flicking their tails. We stopped so I could watch the robins, and a flicker called loudly off in the trees somewhere. Then I saw the flicker in distinctive, undulating flight headed up the wooded slope. Then I heard chickadees.
At the summit, I got distracted by the sudden appearance in the northwest distance of a new white wind generator. I kind of wish I hadn’t, because as I was contemplated the wind machine, I caught a movement in the corner of my eye, turned my head, and got a glimpse of a gray ghost—a male harrier—flapping up over Beech Nut. We hurried around the hut, but I got only faraway views of the handsome bird as it soared low over the base of the eastern hillside. Much nearer, a song sparrow popped up in a patch of brush. Two of them. One was singing. First song sparrows I’ve seen on the hill this year.
Song sparrow.
Returning, I heard a sound and we stopped. The spring call of a titmouse. Farther down, I heard goldfinches fly over. Nearing the parking lot, I heard a brightly singing cardinal and the chuck! chuck! of a small group of blackbirds. (I must practice IDing their species by their chip-notes.)
Late tonight, it’s balmy out. Upper-60s, I bet. I stood out there for a while a moment ago simply marveling at the chorus of peepers. It’s somehow unfamiliar.
Beech Hill List
Beginning at 5 p.m., I hiked the wooded trails.
1. American crow (voice)
2. American robin
3. Northern flicker
4. Black-capped chickadee
5. Herring gull (voice)
6. Northern harrier
7. Song sparrow
8. Tufted titmouse (voice)
9. American goldfinch (voice)
10. Northern cardinal (voice)
11. Blackbird (sp., voice)
Elsewhere
12. Mourning dove
13. House finch
14. Ring-billed gull
15. Rock pigeon
16. Eastern phoebe
Tags: American crow, American goldfinch, American robin, black-capped chickadee, blackbird, eastern phoebe, herring gull, house finch, mourning dove, northern cardinal, northern flicker, northern harrier, ring-billed gull, rock pigeon, song sparrow, tufted titmouse
