6 November 2026

Archive for January, 2022

Snowbirds

Sunday, January 16th, 2022
Dark-eyed Junco, East Millcreek, Salt Lake City, Utah, 16 January 2021.
Dark-eyed Junco.

Another morning hike much like the past few—clear skies, sub-freezing to start, ice on the trails, kinda bad air, few bird species, some deer. Still, as nearly always, we enjoyed it, dog and I.

Notable today were the number of juncos. Juncos everywhere—twittering, flitting in the scrub oaks, poking about in the grass where snow used to be. I counted 22 of these little snowbirds.

I do like Dark-eyed Juncos. Their presence is comforting somehow.

Grandeur Peak Area List
At 09:24 MST, I hiked a few hundred feet up a mountain.

1. Song Sparrow (v)
2. Woodhouse’s Scrub-jay
3. Dark-eyed Junco
4. House Finch
5. Rock Pigeon*
6. Black-billed Magpie
7. Black-capped Chickadee**
8. Pine Siskin (v)

Mammals

Red Squirrel
Mule Deer

(v) Voice only
*Also elsewhere
**Voice only elsewhere

Quiet Morning

Saturday, January 15th, 2022
Scrub-jay found a peanut, East Millcreek, Salt Lake City, Utah, 15 January 2022..
Scrub-jay found a peanut.

A quiet morning hike with dog. A bit later than yesterday, nearly cloudless, hazy (but not as hazy), many fewer bird species.

Still, got a glimpse of a cottontail, a few deer, and a scrub-jay with a peanut, so all was not lost. In fact, much (as usual) was found.

We’ll do it again tomorrow.

Grandeur Peak Area List
At 09:16 MST, I hiked a few hundred feet up a mountain.

1. House Finch
2. Rock Pigeon*
3. Dark-eyed Junco
4. Woodhouse’s Scrub-jay
5. Black-billed Magpie**
6. Black-capped Chickadee

Elsewhere
7. House Sparrow (v)
8. European Starling

Mammals

Red Squirrel
Mountain Cottontail
Mule Deer

(v) Voice only
*Also elsewhere
**Voice only elsewhere

A Blessing

Friday, January 14th, 2022
Dark-eyed Junco, East Millcreek, Salt Lake City, Utah, 14 January 2022.
Dark-eyed Junco.

Bad air again this morning—even worse than a couple days ago—but a nice variety of bird species. And Captain Jack’s good company, no matter the atmosphere.

Common Raven, East Millcreek, Salt Lake City, Utah, 14 January 2022.
Common Raven.

Had a couple chats along the trail, which is always nice. And my list had a Steller’s Jay (voice only) and a Townsend’s Solitaire. But the highlight was probably a solitary raven that flew low over our heads as we stood on the bluff, and continued north for a minute or more until it vanished over the far foothills.

Encountering a raven always seems, to me, like a blessing.

Grandeur Peak Area List
At 09:03 MST, I hiked a few hundred feet up a mountain.

1. House Finch**
2. Rock Pigeon*
3. Steller’s Jay (v)
4. Black-billed Magpie*
5. Northern Flicker
6. Woodhouse’s Scrub-jay
7. Common Raven
8. Townsend’s Solitaire (v)
9. Dark-eyed Junco
10. Black-capped Chickadee

Elsewhere
11. American Kestrel

Mammals

Red Squirrel
Mountain Cottontail
Mule Deer

(v) Voice only
*Also elsewhere
**Voice only elsewhere

 
Bird Report is a (sometimes intermittent) record of the birds I encounter while hiking, see while driving, or spy outside my window. —Brian Willson



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