On this warm (70-ish (F)), overcast morning, I encountered many birds—both resident and migrating through—and most noteworthy were the sparrows.
Two were towhees (spotted and green-tailed), and two were, well, regular sparrows (chipping and Brewer’s). One of each group were only my second sightings (green-tailed and Brewer’s).
Besides the two resident chippies I know of, I spotted a few moving throgh this morning, in a small flock that included at least one Brewer’s Sparrow. They were staying low in the scrub, flitting into and out of the branches. The Green-tailed Towhee was perched low in a small tree a few hundred feet up the mountainside.
(I also learned today that Lazuli Buntings sing a whole bunch of variations of their basic song.)
Grandeur Peak Area List
Beginning at 9:00 a.m., I hiked several hundred feet up a mountain.
1. American Robin* (v)
2. Song Sparrow* (v)
3. Black-billed Magpie* (v)
4. House Finch*
5. Spotted Towhee
6. Black-capped Chickadee
7. Chipping Sparrow
8. Brewer’s Sparrow†
9. Lazuli Bunting
10. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
11. Sharp-shinned Hawk
12. Pine Siskin (v)
13. California Quail*
14. Broad-tailed Hummingbird
15. Virginia’s Warbler
16. Black-throated Gray Warbler (v)
17. Townsend’s Solitaire (v)
18. Red-breasted Nuthatch (v)
19. Green-tailed Towhee
20. Lesser Goldfinch** (v)
21. Woodhouse’s Scrub-jay (v)
Elsewhere
22. 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, black-throated gray warbler, blue-gray gnatcatcher, Brewer’s sparrow, broad-tailed hummingbird, California quail, chipping sparrow, Eurasian collared dove, green-tailed towhee, house finch, lazuli bunting, lesser goldfinch, pine siskin, red-breasted nuthatch, sharp-shinned hawk, song sparrow, spotted towhee, Townsend’s solitaire, Virginia’s warbler, Woodhouse’s scrub jay
