This being my first April in Utah, I’ve been waiting for spring migration to announce itself. So far only a few seemingly random appearances (well, other than the early towhees)—a couple of singing Canyon Wrens, one Mountain Bluebird sighting, chippies in just the past few days. Still no gnatcatchers or buntings. Or warblers.
Until today.
Actually, I spied a single unidentifiable warbler yesterday, and it might well have been an orange-crowned, the species I saw this morning. Three in all. (My only other sightings of this bird have been in fall on Monhegan Island, Maine.) Also a whole bunch of inbound Ruby-crowned Kinglets.
To say I’m psyched to see what tomorrow will bring might be something of an understatement.
Grandeur Peak Area List
Beginning at 8:15 a.m., I hiked several hundred feet up a mountain.
1. Spotted Towhee
2. American Robin*
3. Black-billed Magpie*
4. House Finch* (v)
5. Black-capped Chickadee
6. Pine Siskin (v)
7. Lesser Goldfinch** (v)
8. Ruby-crowned Kinglet
9. Orange-crowned Warbler‡
10. Mountain Chickadee (v)
11. Sharp-shinned Hawk
12. Dark-eyed Junco**
13. Chipping Sparrow (v)
14. Woodhouse’s Scrub-jay
15. Song Sparrow* (v)
16. Northern Flicker
17. California Quail* (v)
Elsewhere
18. House Sparrow
19. European Starling
20. Eurasian Collared Dove
Mammals
None
(v) Voice only
*Also elsewhere
**Voice only elsewhere
‡First-of-year bird
Tags: American robin, black-billed magpie, black-capped chickadee, California quail, chipping sparrow, dark-eyed junco, Eurasian collared dove, European starling, house finch, house sparrow, lesser goldfinch, mountain chickadee, northern flicker, Orange-crowned Warbler, pine siskin, ruby-crowned kinglet, sharp-shinned hawk, song sparrow, spotted towhee, Woodhouse’s scrub jay
