Had a dusting of snow overnight, so dog and I waited until late morning to head up the foothills. By the time we returned, the sky had cleared, most of it had melted. A pretty good selection of birds—the usual suspects (plus a random robin).
And of course we also encountered a bunch of deer. Pretty much every day since the first snowfall, we’ve seen at least a few—usually many more. (We do, after all, return via deer trail.)
The deer always stop what they’re doing and keep their eyes (and big ol’ ears) on us, but they never run away. Every year, there’s at least one deer carcass or two about (coyotes and/or mountain lion). The coyotes will run away—but not the deer. I think they’ve grown used to our daily passage.
This being a bird report (so-called), I don’t often mention the deer. So here’s a shout out.
Grandeur Peak Area List
At 10:27 MST, I hiked a few hundred feet up a mountain.
1. Black-billed Magpie
2. House Finch**
3. Black-capped Chickadee (v)
4. Rock Pigeon*
5. Woodhouse’s Scrub-jay**
6. Townsend’s Solitaire (v)
7. Pine Siskin
8. Dark-eyed Junco
9. American Robin (v)
Elsewhere
10. House Sparrow (v)
Mammals
Red Squirrel
Mule Deer
(v) Voice only
*Also elsewhere
**Voice only elsewhere
