Field Ornithology Journal Entry Three 05/20/2020

As I was walking up to the ridge top from where I parked I crossed through an early successional scrubland, and as I was hiking around the outside of this area I heard a Bobolink call what I would estimate to be 70 yards away within some dense vegetation. I did not however visually observe this bird.

As I reached the ridge top early in the morning I heard a wild turkey Jake gobble from down the ridge in what I believe was a hardwood section of the ridge. As I hiked down the ridge I was not able to visually observe the Jake and conclude whether or not he had hens with him, as walking through the dry leaves was too loud and likely alerted the bird.

American Crow were active in the early morning, vocally communicating throughout much of the ridge, and flying overhead at times, but as the temperature increased Crow activity lessened and only the occasion call was heard in mid morning.

Red-eyed Vireo had moderate activity during the mid morning in mixed wood forested on the westerly side of the ridge. I was able to witness red-eyed vireo vocalizations in 7 locations on the westerly side of the ridge, and visually track down 4 of these 7 birds. All of which were located in mixed wood forests.

Black-capped Chickadees were highly active throughout much of the morning. One flock which I estimated to be around 10 birds followed me almost out of curiosity as I hiked through a forest dominated by hemlocks up to the ridge top which was a mixed wood forest. dominated by pines, ash and maple.

As I began to descend down the easterly side of the ridge from the mixed wood forest I heard a Pileated Woodpecker vocalization, and looked up and saw the woodpecker swooping onto a large White Ash. From there I proceeded to watch it drum for a short period of time before it swooped out of sight down the hill.

As I was sitting in a predominantly deciduous forest on the easterly portion of the ridge I heard an American Redstart vocalization from ~50 yards away. I was able to located the bird and watched it moving amounts the tree tops for a short period of time as it was calling.

While I was on the other side of the ridge through a deciduous forest in what would be Taylor valley I heard the distinctive call of the Veery coming from a bit of dense underbrush near the stream. I was able to get within ~40 feet from where I suspected the bird to be calling from before I watched it fly out of a honeysuckle bush in the direction of Taylor Valley Road.

As I was sitting in a mixed wood forest atop the ridge I heard Hermit Thrush vocalizations coming from a hemlock forest with a dense canopy ~80 yards below me. I was unable to locate the bird within the canopy. Vocalization persisted for about 15 minutes before the bird left the area.

Early in the morning as I exited my vehicle and began up the ridge I heard the characters hoot of a barred owl. I attempted to locate the bird but was unable to as I believe the noise of me hiking through the dry leaves caused it to stop calling and possibly leave the area.

I was walking through a mixed wood forest with significant brush in the understory near the bottom of Taylor Valley right above the wetland when a ruffed grouse flushed from ~15 yards to my right. This grouse flew down the hill towards a small group of white pines which I presume it landed in.

As I was approaching the top of the ridge on the eastern side I heard the characteristic Che-Bec call of the Least Flycatcher. I was unable to visually locate this bird within the canopy of the deciduous forest I was in.

I was surprised to locate a second male Ruby-crowned Kinglet in two days. While sitting in the same mixed-wood forest that I located the Hermit Thrush in I saw a bird moving amongst the low branches a beech sapling. After hearing it sing I identified it as a Ruby-crowned Kinglet which I was able to confirm by recognizing the characteristic red cap through the binoculars.

When I was sitting in the same deciduous forest that I observed the American Redstart in I heard the characteristic peter-peter-peter of the tufted titmouse coming from the canopy over a set of ledges to my right. After I moved to the ledge, the bird stopped singing and I was unable to locate it within the canopy.

While I was walking through the Taylor valley portion of location on the western exposure of the ridge I came across a single white sparrow moving amongst low dense conifers in the understory of a mixed wood forest.

In the same mixed wood forest on the westerly facing slope that I observed the white throated sparrow, I also heard the vocalization of a singular wood through from a ~50 yards down the ridge among conifers in the understory.