What a lovely, summery morning—considering we’ve still got a month left of spring. Birds about, although no new firsts-of-year. A sneaky Cooper’s Hawk overlooking the Monarch Quarry (ignoring the tiny gnatcatchers attempting to mob him), buntings and grosbeaks and Warbling Vireos vying for their preferred high desert territories, four Turkey Vultures.
It was a warm one, and—other, perhaps, than a pair of Chukars we flushed coming along the deer trail—nothing particularly outstanding about this morning. Just a generally outstanding hike with dog.
Grandeur Peak Area List Beginning at 7:31 a.m. (8:31 MDT), I hiked a few hundred feet up a mountain.
1. Black-headed Grosbeak 2. Song Sparrow* (v) 3. Lazuli Bunting 4. American Robin* 5. Black-chinned Hummingbird 6. Spotted Towhee 7. Black-capped Chickadee 8. Rock Pigeon* 9. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 10. Mourning Dove 11. Cooper’s Hawk 12. Pine Siskin 13. Woodhouse’s Scrub-jay (v) 14. House Finch** 15. Chipping Sparrow 16. Warbling Vireo (v) 17. Turkey Vulture 18. Chukar
Elsewhere
19. California Quail 20. Black-billed Magpie 21. European Starling
Mammals
Rock Squirrel
(v) Voice only *Also elsewhere **Voice only elsewhere
Another morning with a nice bit of spring migration going on. Jack feelin’ good, what with all the smells, and me feelin’ good, what with all the empids.
Seriously, I didn’t expect any flycatchers (I’ve learned rarely to expect anything), let alone three. First came what I thought might be a Willow Flycatcher or a Western Wood-pewee (neither of which species I’m very familiar with); then came what I thought might be a willow or maybe Hammond’s Flycatcher; finally came what I was pretty sure was another Gray Flycatcher.
The first turned out to be a wood-pewee, the second turned out to be a Dusky Flycatcher—the second I’ve ever encountered. (The first, coincidentally came on 18 May 2020, exactly a year ago.)
Other cool birds, too. Still a little migration excitement left, I’ll bet.
Grandeur Peak Area List Beginning at 7:05 a.m. (8:05 MDT), I hiked a few hundred feet up a mountain.
1. Lazuli Bunting 2. American Robin* 3. Song Sparrow* (v) 4. Black-chinned Hummingbird 5. Woodhouse’s Scrub-jay 6. Spotted Towhee 7. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 8. Rock Pigeon 9. Pine Siskin 10. Black-billed Magpie* 11. Mourning Dove 12. Western Wood-pewee† 13. Black-capped Chickadee 14. House Finch** 15. Chipping Sparrow 16. Warbling Vireo 17. Dusky Flycatcher† 18. Black-throated Gray Warbler (v) 19. Black-headed Grosbeak 20. Chukar (v) 21. Lesser Goldfinch** 22. Cooper’s Hawk 23. Gray Flycatcher 24. House Sparrow** (v)
Elsewhere
25. Eurasian Collared-dove (v) 26. California Quail
Mammals
Mountain Cottontail Rock Squirrel
(v) Voice only *Also elsewhere **Voice only elsewhere †First-of-year bird
A lovely hike with dog this clear, birdy morning. Before we’d barely left the switchback, in fact, I had more than a dozen species on my list—including a strange, unexpected bird perched in the big Russian olive tree.
A huge-beaked bird it was, but no Black-headed Grosbeak. Every several seconds it emitted a single bright note, a call I didn’t recognize. Had to be another grosbeak, but which could it be? Not until we got back home and I searched the Cornell Lab site for Utah grosbeaks did I realize what I’d seen: an Evening Grosbeak, a female or immature male.
. Every several seconds it emitted a single bright note, a call I didn’t recognize. Had to be another grosbeak, but which could it be? Not until we got back home and I searched the Cornell Lab site for Utah grosbeaks did I realize what I’d seen: an Evening Grosbeak, a female or immature male.
Decades ago, back in Maine, great flocks of Evening Grosbeaks descended during winter irruptions, and I got to know them very well. And then one year they didn’t return, and I hadn’t seen one since. Not in a span of at least 30 years—and never, I think, a solo individual.
Good to see you, great-beaked bird. I hope you find more of your kind.
Grandeur Peak Area List Beginning at 7:05 a.m. (8:05 MDT), I hiked a few hundred feet up a mountain.
