A bit warmer this morning, mostly cloudless again, but with a breeze. Dog and I had a lovely hike—mostly in the mountain shade. Saw and/or heard a bunch of birds, but had very few photo ops.
Getting pretty familiar with the little male Downy Woodpecker whom we meet in the burnt patch nearly every morning. Yesterday, he seemed a little pissed that w hung around so longed and finally tired of our company, but today it seemed preoccupied with the job of excavating charred scrub oak trunks.
Later, I a glimpse of a Juniper Titmouse (another familiar bid).
Hard to believe tomorrow will be December already.
Grandeur Peak Area List Beginning at 8:21 a.m. (MST), I hiked several hundred feet up a mountain.
My best bird photo today was my first one: an early shot of the Song Sparrow that lives in the ivy along the western fence of the side yard. The bird wore his feathers puffed up, considering a temperature of about 20° (F). It did not fly as I stood and took photos, just turned its head a bit.
Up the trails were the familiar corvids, towhees, finches—my Downy Woodpecker friend (whose tap-tap-tap I can by some miracle always hear in the burnt patch), and a whole bunch of Spotted Towhees.
The sky was cloudless but the atmosphere contained a few particulates. Still a lovely morning.
Grandeur Peak Area List Beginning at 8:20 a.m. (MST), I hiked several hundred feet up a mountain.
About the same weather as yesterday morning, but no breeze, so it didn’t feel quite as nippy. I was surprised we didn’t meet any other people and dogs for most of the hike—just me and Jack and the usual bird suspects.
No astounding sightings, no great photos—but I did hear yet another Juniper Titmouse up in the, well, junipers.
On our return, as we neared the trailhead, we ran into several people and dogs we knew. Good people, good dogs. (I guess they’re all good dogs.)
Also got a glimpse of a cottontail.
Grandeur Peak Area List Beginning at 8:21 a.m. (MST), I hiked several hundred feet up a mountain.
