Today would’ve been a rather unremarkable, chilly, clear, pleasant hike with Captain Jack, but then I heard the voice of a Townsend’s Solitaire.
It wasn’t the first time I’ve heard a solitaire’s repeated one-note territorial call lately—a bird’s been calling down in the neighborhood for a month or more—but it was only the second I’d heard from up in the juniper barrens. The first (yesterday) sounded near enough to see, but I couldn’t find it. This morning’s bird was rather distant, down over the rise toward town from where we walked, but nowhere near as far away as the neighborhood bird. Just as I wondered aloud if it might be perched in a particular juniper that we pass daily down in that direction, it stopped calling.
I pretty much gave up at that point, but when we topped the rise and I could see the juniper, I couldn’t help training my binocs on the tree—and there it was.
It’s hard to describe how thrilled I felt at my soothsaying abilities. Then, as I began to take faraway photos of the bird, it flew. Straight in our direction it flew, only to perched atop a leafless tree quite a bit nearer. Again I trained my camera on the solitaire, and again it flew—to a treetop even nearer us. I focused again, and it flew again.
That’s when I took the photo you see here.
Grandeur Peak Area List At 09:08 MST, I hiked a few hundred feet up a mountain.
1. House Finch** (v) 2. Black-billed Magpie* (v) 3. Black-capped Chickadee 4. Rock Pigeon* 5. European Starling 6. Woodhouse’s Scrub-jay (v) 7. Townsend’s Solitaire 8. Pine Siskin (v)
Mammals
Mule Deer Red Squirrel
(v) Voice only *Also elsewhere **Voice only elsewhere
As forecast, it sure enough snowed last night—an inch or so. Didn’t seem to clear away all the bad air, but it made for an interesting, scenic morning stroll for dog and me.
Oddly, no juncos or flickers. Heard singing finches, a singing Song Sparrow, and a calling solitaire. But for the second straight day, the most noteworthy bird was a Steller’s Jay—perhaps the same bird as yesterday, but perching a bit nearer, and being even more vocal.
, and a calling solitaire. But for the second straight day, the most noteworthy bird was a Steller’s Jay—perhaps the same bird as yesterday, but perching a bit nearer, and being even more vocal.
Also notable were all the deer that emerged to greet the snow. Spied more than twenty individuals of all ages and sizes. Fun hike
Grandeur Peak Area List At 09:12 MST, I hiked a few hundred feet up a mountain.
1. House Finch** (v) 2. Woodhouse’s Scrub-jay 3. Black-capped Chickadee (v) 4. Song Sparrow** (v) 5. Rock Pigeon* 6. Black-billed Magpie* (v) 7. Townsend’s Solitaire (v) 8. Steller’s Jay
Elsewhere
9. European Starling
Mammals
Mule Deer
(v) Voice only *Also elsewhere **Voice only elsewhere
A bit cooler this morning, with a slight breeze pushing a big inversion cloud bank out into the basin. The usual January birds showed up, and a dozen deer, but no cottontails.
The highlight, for me, was hearing the raspy, high-pitched call of a Steller’s Jay at some distance behind me, turning, and right away spying the bird atop a juniper. After I grabbed a couple quick pics, it flapped away to the tip of another juniper and let out its famous shook-shook-shook alert.
(A highlight because I love the look of this gorgeous bird—but also ’cause I nailed the call.)
Grandeur Peak Area List At 09:12 MST, I hiked a few hundred feet up a mountain.
