Snowed a tiny bit overnight, and the temperature still hovered right about freezing when dog and I headed up the trail. Nearly cloudless sky, though, so—once the sun topped the ridge—melting commenced.
Meanwhile, we encountered a bunch more migrants, no doubt spurred on by the extra chill.
Many yellow-rumps, quite a few kinglets, a little gang of sparrows, surprisingly few juncos, and a solitary Cooper’s Hawk. (Also a solitaire Townsend’s Solitaire, which was fun to see.)
Sky, chill, migrants—ah, the clarity of a season’s change.
Grandeur Peak Area List At 8:58 a.m. (9:58 MDT), I hiked a few hundred feet up a mountain.
The forecast called for rain for most of the day, and the morning was lowery and drippy—but from the time dog and I headed up the switchback until we jumped back in the truck, all we saw were some very light flurries of snow.
Well, that wasn’t all we saw—there were a bunch of birds. Migrating robins and yellow-rumpes, a pair of White-crowned Sparrows, many finches, a circling redtail, and, in distant flight, a random, solitary Canada Goosed.
The held the pungent aroma of autumn, and the temperature was chilly (but not too chilly)—and the feeling in the breeze was fall sweet.
Grandeur Peak Area List At 8:41 a.m. (9:41 MDT), I hiked a few hundred feet up a mountain.
Plentiful birds this nippy-yet-sunny morning. Not too many species—but scads of individual birds. E.g., at least sixty (60!) robins flying south (in two large flocks), and half that many yellow-rumps. Also many juncos, along with a few kinglets and such.
Plus, it felt and smelled and tasted of October, rich and sweet and pungent. And looked as a fall day should—a colorful landscape under a blue-and-white morning sky.
Grandeur Peak Area List At 7:51 a.m. (8:51 MDT), I hiked a few hundred feet up a mountain.
1. Black-capped Chickadee 2. House Finch** 3. American Robin 4. Yellow-rumped Warbler 5. Northern Flicker 6. Rock Pigeon* 7. Woodhouse’s Scrub-jay 8. Dark-eyed Junco 9. Spotted Towhee* 10. Black-billed Magpie 11. Ruby-crowned Kinglet 12. Pine Siskin (v) 13. Lesser Goldfinch** (v) 14. Song Sparrow** (v)
Mammals
Red Squirrel
(v) Voice only *Also elsewhere **Voice only elsewhere
