As you might have noted by now, as soon as Jack-my-dog and I top the first switchback of our morning hike, we hit what I call the Bluff—a high-ish promontory overlooking our neighborhood. Thanks to its high perches, its tasty Russian olive crop, its tangled vegetation and rocky hiding places, and other of its more obscure benefits, it attracts a lot of birds. We also hit the Bluff again on our return, before descending the switchback again.
This morning, the Bluff brought us a nice early sighing and and a nice late sighting: a Sharp-shinned Hawk, and a pair of Townsend’s Solitaires.
The hawk perched alone as we emerged at the top of the sloping trail, hidden by tangles of branches. I snuck over as quietly as possible and managed a few photos—enough for an ID—before it flew away.
On our return, I spotted a solitaire in the tallest olive tree. And it began to emit its characteristic territorial note—single pitch, repeated about once every two seconds. It flitted from perch to perch before another solitaire appeared, and the two twittered around for a minute.
Each sighting was a thrill in its own way. Both were unexpected, yet sublime.
Grandeur Peak Area List Beginning at 8:45 a.m. (MST), I hiked several hundred feet up a mountain.
1. Black-billed Magpie** (v) 2. Black-capped Chickadee 3. Spotted Towhee 4. House Finch** 5. Woodhouse’s Scrub-jay 6. Sharp-shinned Hawk 7. Rock Pigeon* 8. Dark-eyed Junco* 9. Pine Siskin (v) 10. Northern Flicker* 11. American Robin* 12. Townsend’s Solitaire
Elsewhere
13. Downy Woodpecker 14. European Starling
Mammals
Red Squirrel
(v) Voice only *Also elsewhere **Voice only elsewhere
A couple inches of snow had fallen between yesterday’s hike and this mornings. Wet snow—the kind that clings to all twigs and leaves and branches. We got rather covered with it, dog and I, while ascending leafy Coyote Canyon.
Speaking of coyotes, we passed one on our return from the juniper barren—where, I might note, I spied a couple hunters high on the slope above us, about a hundred yards from six or seven deer, which they had spied, and which had spied them.
The temps were 30s (F) or above, which might explain some pretty good bird activity.
(The highlight, though, was the coyote.)
Grandeur Peak Area List Beginning at 8:47 a.m. (MST), I hiked several hundred feet up a mountain.
1. Black-billed Magpie** (v) 2. Black-capped Chickadee 3. House Finch** (v) 4. Woodhouse’s Scrub-jay* 5. Spotted Towhee 6. Rock Pigeon 7. Dark-eyed Junco* 8. Downy Woodpecker 9. Northern Flicker 10. American Robin* 12. Lesser Goldfinch** (v) 13. Pine Siskin (v)
Elsewhere
13. House Sparrow
Mammals
Mule Deer Red Squirrel
(v) Voice only *Also elsewhere **Voice only elsewhere
This morning’s hike began in drizzle which turned straight away to snow flurries. It was moist, it was breezy. But soon enough the mist rolled away to reveal… quite a few birds.
Mostly the usual suspects—including several great flocks of juncos—but during our return trip, I looked up to see three ravens sailing around in what had turned into a gusty wind. Right away they sailed directly overhead to check us out, then veered off toward the south, dipping and twirling and doing somersaults.
That’s all. Just wanted to tell you about the ravens.
Grandeur Peak Area List Beginning at 8:42 a.m. (MST), I hiked several hundred feet up a mountain.
