A very cool—albeit very smoky—morning. The combination made me think dog and I might should do a ridge hike. And we did.
Clark’s Nutcracker.
Quiet again, bird-wise. (It’s just that time of year.) But it was a good hike up the long switchback for we two old troopers. Up along the ridge, I happened to spy a group of five fast-flying, distinctively patterned birds below us—birds I did not recognize. They were too far away for a good look, but my eyeballs say gray birds, with black wings and a little white on ’em somewhere. I tried to get photos, wasn’t sure I had much luck.
Back home, I discovered a single fairly sharp distant photo of one of the birds headed away. Still couldn’t find an ID online, so I ran the pic by my expert bird-tour-leader friend Derek, who immediately identified it as a Clark’s Nutcracker. A lifer for me!
Later, on our return, I sparrow popped up right beside the trail. A chippy. Bidding us adieu—until, perhaps, tomorrow.
Grandeur Peak Area List At 7:07 a.m. (8:07 MDT), I hiked some 1,200 feet up a mountain.
Trouble operating my GoPro for the second straight day—this time, I managed to set it for “night lapse.” Sheesh. (Tomorrow I’ll do a careful equipment check.) Compared to yesterday, at least, it was a quiet morning, with not a lot of excitement, nor many photo opportunities.
Except toward the end, when I happened to spot a bird perched on some bare scrub-oak twigs. And for the second straight August day, I had a first-of-year species.
Grandeur Peak Area List At 7:05 a.m. (8:05 MDT), I hiked a few hundred feet up a mountain.
1. House Finch** 2. Black-capped Chickadee 3. Black-chinned Hummingbird 4. Woodhouse’s Scrub-jay 5. Rock Pigeon* 6. Lazuli Bunting 7. Eurasian Collared-dove 8. Spotted Towhee (v) 9. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 10. Western Tanager 11. Warbling Vireo (v) 12. Accipiter (sp) 13. Broad-tailed Hummingbird 14. Lesser Goldfinch (v) 15. American Goldfinch 16. Pine Siskin (v) 17. American Robin (v) 18. Sage Thrasher†
Elsewhere
19. Black-billed Magpie 20. European Starling 21. American Crow 22. California Quail
Mammals
Red Squirrel
(v) Voice only *Also elsewhere **Voice only elsewhere †First-of-year bird
This morning’s hike with dog began quietly. The air was cool (if a bit smoggy), but very few birds to start, not much very exciting to look at—other than the familiarly magnificent landscape—and a few humans and dogs as distractions. I detected within me a feeling of disappointment, bordering on mild depression. Why? The quietness? The bad air? The fact that Jack didn’t deign to follow me up a particular side trail (a route he never questioned before)?
I decided to take a detour down below the trail, into the thickets where the deer hang out in the off season. That’s because I heard the little whine of a vireo (same as yesterday) and wanted to confirm. The good news: Jack didn’t question this detour at all. The bad news: within a few minutes, I turned to check on him, and my dog wasn’t there. Because he no longer hears well, and he’s taken to staying in one place when he loses sight of me, I panicked a little. Retraced my steps, didn’t see him, but I did see a bird in a tree—the vireo!
(Crazy that, although worried about losing my best friend of all time, a bird distracted me.)
American Kestrel (banded).
Soon enough, we found each other. But still no great bird photos—until we began our return trip when, scanning for hummingbirds, I heard an unfamiliar mewling alarm note. Caught sight of the bird perched on a twig nearby, and recognized it right away as a Green-tailed Towhee. First of year. Moreover, this shy bird perched and preened and posed and let me take plenty of photos before flitting away.
Just after that, I heard the high bright call of a falcon and spied, on a snag up-slope from us, a kestrel. Second of the day, actually. I know this because the first bird didn’t have a blue leg band with the number 16 on it (which I only discovered when reviewing photos).
Finally, we surprised a big group of sparrows and finches and such coming around a bend. Added chippie, Brewer’s, and bunting to this morning’s list.
Ironically, it being such a dramatic turn—from feeling blue to feeling high excitement—I discovered when I got back to the truck that I’d forgotten to turn my GoPro on. (First time in many months.)
Oh, well. Didn’t detract from this fun, dramatic day.
Grandeur Peak Area List At 7:09 a.m. (8:09 MDT), I hiked a few hundred feet up a mountain.
