9 February 2025

Archive for January, 2021

Nice Hike

Monday, January 25th, 2021
Dark-eyed Junco, East Millcreek, Salt Lake City, Utah, 25 January 2021.
Dark-eyed Junco.

We hiked through a little overnight snow for the third straight morning, a partly sunny morning this day. A few birds about, a couple photos, no mammals, a little breeze, a fragrant sagebrush sprig, my best friend as a companion.

All in all, a very nice hike.

Grandeur Peak Area List
Beginning at 9:01 a.m. (MST), I hiked several hundred feet up a mountain.

1. Northern Flicker
2. Spotted Towhee
3. Woodhouse’s Scrub-jay
4. Black-billed Magpie*
5. American Robin*
6. Rock Pigeon*
7. Dark-eyed Junco
8. Black-capped Chickadee
9. House Finch** (v)

Elsewhere

10. European Starling

(v) Voice only
*Also elsewhere
**Voice only elsewhere

Birds on a Wire

Sunday, January 24th, 2021
Many pigeons, East Millcreek, Salt Lake City, Utah, 24 January 2021.
Many pigeons.

More snow overnight, about three inches. Easier hiking (more snow underfoot), pleasant walk with dog. Had all but one bird species within the first few minutes, though—hardly anything up the high trails. And one last Song Sparrow toward the end.

Back home, all I saw were a few dozen pigeons all lined up on a wire.

Grandeur Peak Area List
Beginning at 9:06 a.m. (MST), I hiked several hundred feet up a mountain.

1. House Finch** (v)
2. Woodhouse’s Scrub-jay
3. Black-billed Magpie (v)
4. Black-capped Chickadee (v)
5. Spotted Towhee
6. Northern Flicker**
7. American Robin*
8. Song Sparrow

Elsewhere

9. Rock Pigeon

(v) Voice only
*Also elsewhere
**Voice only elsewhere

Snow

Saturday, January 23rd, 2021
Sharp-shinned Hawk (juvie), East Millcreek, Salt Lake City, Utah, 23 January 2021.
Sharp-shinned Hawk (juvie).

As the weather-folk promised, it snowed overnight. An inch toward the trailhead, two inches up a few hundred feet. Warm hike, though—above freezing throughout. Still some nice bird life, though.

Emerging up onto the bluff trail, I spied an accipiter perched alone in a tree on the overlook and thought, young Northern Goshawk! (I’ve seen only four or five, all in this area, and I saw its pale eyebrow and white-speckled back.) Snapped a ton of photos.

Only when I viewed those photos later did I realize the bird was way too small and compact for a goshawk—finally decided it was a juvie sharpie. Still a little worried I might be wrong. (Accipiters have always tended to confuse me, for some reason.)

Lovely day, though. Great hike with dog.

Grandeur Peak Area List
Beginning at 9:03 a.m. (MST), I hiked several hundred feet up a mountain.

1. Woodhouse’s Scrub-jay**
2. Black-billed Magpie*
3. Black-capped Chickadee
4. Sharp-shinned Hawk
5. House Finch
6. Spotted Towhee
7. Dark-eyed Junco
8. Rock Pigeon*
9. American Robin**

(v) Voice only
*Also elsewhere
**Voice only elsewhere

 
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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