This nippy, sub-freezing, cloudless morning began with a lot of quiet. No birds to start, very few birds after a good half-hour (none seen)—and then the sun warmed the landscape, and we got a little action.
Quite a little, in fact: finches, corvids (the Steller’s Jay again), finches, a distant eagle. A few even posed for pics.
My favorite photo, though, was of the first bird I saw: a flicker, in flight, headed up the foothills alongside dog and me.
Grandeur Peak Area List At 09:24 MST, I hiked a few hundred feet up a mountain.
1. Woodhouse’s Scrub-jay 2. Rock Pigeon* 3. Northern Flicker 4. Black-billed Magpie 5. House Finch** 6. Dark-eyed Junco 7. Black-capped Chickadee 8. Lesser Goldfinch 9. Golden Eagle 10. Steller’s Jay (v) 11. American Robin (v)
Elsewhere
12. Red-tailed Hawk
Mammals
Red Squirrel Mule Deer
(v) Voice only *Also elsewhere **Voice only elsewhere
The temperature dipped overnight, so this morning I wore a scarf on my hike with dog. But the day had dawned cloudless, so the sun warmed the high desert landscape, and it felt like perfect weather for the season.
Few bird species—in fact few birds, except for magpies. Saw a noisy flock of seven and nine in all. They seemed to enjoy the weather also.
Otherwise, just a bright quiet morning. Quiet cottontail, quiet deer. We encountered no other dog or human. Quiet—even peaceful.
Grandeur Peak Area List At 09:15 MST, I hiked a few hundred feet up a mountain.
1. Black-billed Magpie 2. Rock Pigeon* 3. House Finch 4. Northern Flicker** (v) 5. Dark-eyed Junco 6. Woodhouse’s Scrub-jay 7. American Robin (v)
Elsewhere
8. House Sparrow
Mammals
Red Squirrel Mountain Cottontail Mule Deer
(v) Voice only *Also elsewhere **Voice only elsewhere
Snowed less than an inch overnight, which made the trails this morning much less slippery. Dog and I had a pretty good time of it—Jack smelling the smells, me observing wildlife. Heard the Steller’s Jay again but (again) didn’t spot it. Hoping it’ll stick around.
Fun conversation with some trail friends (humans and dog). An all around lovely hike.
Grandeur Peak Area List At 09:15 MST, I hiked a few hundred feet up a mountain.
1. Black-billed Magpie** 2. Pine Siskin 3. American Robin 4. House Finch** 5. Dark-eyed Junco 6. American Goldfinch (v) 7. Northern Flicker 8. Rock Pigeon* 9. Black-capped Chickadee 10. Steller’s Jay (v) 11. Lesser Goldfinch (v) 12. Woodhouse’s Scrub-jay (v)
Elsewhere
13. House Sparrow (v) 14. Red-tailed Hawk
Mammals
Red Squirrel Mountain Cottontail Mule Deer
(v) Voice only *Also elsewhere **Voice only elsewhere
