7 November 2026

Archive for September, 2019

An Enjoyable Time

Friday, September 6th, 2019
Spotted Towhee, East Millcreek, Salt Lake City, Utah, 06 September 2019.
Spotted Towhee.
Northern Flicker (red-shafted), East Millcreek, Salt Lake City, Utah, 06 September 2019.
Northern Flicker (red-shafted).

Rained this morning, which was a novel happening. Even had a rainbow. Rather than hike in a thundershower, Jack and I waited until mid-morning or so to hike the mountainside.

Song Sparrow, East Millcreek, Salt Lake City, Utah, 06 September 2019.
Song Sparrow.

Was an enjoyable time. Lots of birds. Most fun was about a ten-minute stop amid a whole slew of noisy little Broad-tailed Hummingbirds going about their social business.

Also liked listening to the western dialect being sung by a Song Sparrow in the yard.

Grandeur Peak Area List
Beginning at 10:30 a.m., I hiked a few hundred feet up the mountain.

1. Mourning Dove*
2. Black-billed Magpie*
3. Northern Flicker
4. Woodhouse’s Scrub Jay
5. House Finch**
6. Lesser Goldfinch** (v)
7. Black-capped Chickadee**
8. Broad-tailed Hummingbird*
9. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
10. Spotted Towhee
11. Turkey Vulture
12. Lazuli Bunting

Elsewhere

13. Song Sparrow
14. Eurasian Collared Dove
15. European Starling
16. California Quail

v = Voice only
*Also elsewhere
**Voice only elsewhere

Goldfinches

Thursday, September 5th, 2019
Lesser Goldfinch, East Millcreek, Salt Lake City, Utah, 05 September 2019.
Lesser Goldfinch in the sunflowers.

The goldfinches in the Mountain West differ from those back east. Lesser Goldfinches are a tad smaller and have dark hoods (the males) and sing a different song. But both species sure do like sunflower seeds.

East Millcreek List
No mountain hike today, but here’s what I saw and/or heard.

1. Black-billed Magpie
2. Eurasian Collared Dove
3. House Sparrow
4. House Finch
5. Northern Flicker
6. Lesser Goldfinch
7. California Quail
8. Rock Pigeon
9. Black-capped Chickadee (v)
10. Black-chinned Hummingbird

v = Voice only

Lifer

Wednesday, September 4th, 2019
Plumbeous Vireo (lifer), East Millcreek, Salt Lake City, Utah, 04 September 2019.
Plumbeous Vireo (a lifer for me).

At some point on the trail in the shadow of the mountain early this morning, I said to my GoPro, “Been a while since I’ve seen a lifer.” Or something like that.

Not long afterward, I was contemplating a vireo, knowing it was a new bird. Turned out to be a Plumbeous Vireo. Cool.

Later, in town, a big ol’ flock of Canada Geese flew over. Early sign of fall.

Grandeur Peak Area List
Beginning at 8 a.m., I hiked a few hundred feet up the mountain.

1. Northern Flicker
2. Woodhouse’s Scrub-jay
3. Black-capped Chickadee**
4. House Finch*
5. Spotted Towhee
6. Hummingbird (sp)
7. Plumbeous Vireo‡
8. Lazuli Bunting
9. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
10. Black-billed Magpie*

Elsewhere

11. Eurasian Collared Dove
12. Rock Pigeon
13. Canada Goose
14. House Sparrow (v)
15. California Quail

v = Voice only
*Also elsewhere
**Voice only elsewhere
‡Lifer

 
Bird Report is a (sometimes intermittent) record of the birds I encounter while hiking, see while driving, or spy outside my window. —Brian Willson



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