Dog and I hit the trail at 9 a.m. this cloudless morning. (Seriously not a single cloud in the sky.) Encountered a herd of elk and quite a few birds—including a couple of towhees.
Not that Spotted Towhees are rare here—I’ve seen two or three this winter—but I was proud to be able to recognize their whiny call more than once today. In both instances I spotted the bird.
First on the high trail, when I heard the whine down in the scrub oak. Next, nearing the end of our hike, when I heard the whining bird down along the lower trail somewhere.
And I actually tracked it down.
Grandeur Peak Area List
Beginning at 9 a.m., I hiked a few hundred feet up the mountain.
1. Black-billed Magpie*
2. Lesser Goldfinch** (v)
3. Song Sparrow* (v)
4. Dark-eyed Junco
5. Black-capped Chickadee**
6. American Robin* (v)
7. Woodhouse’s Scrub-jay*
8. Spotted Towhee
9. House Finch*
10. European Starling*
Elsewhere
11. Rock Pigeon
12. Red-tailed Hawk
Mammals
Rocky Mountain Elk
(v) Voice only
*Also elsewhere
**Voice only elsewhere
Tags: American robin, black-billed magpie, black-capped chickadee, dark-eyed junco, European starling, house finch, lesser goldfinch, rock pigeon, song sparrow, spotted towhee, Woodhouse’s scrub jay
