Among the commonest—and certainly the loudest—bird species hereabouts is the Black-billed Magpie. Which makes it rather astonishing that I haven’t seen or heard any the past two days on my hike up the mountain with dog.
However, I’ve seen plenty down in the neighborhood. And it’s pretty clear what’s going on.
Early nesters, magpies are, and after the youngsters fledge, they seem to move downhill. E.g., across from the trailhead over the past couple weeks, I’ve spied several ganging up on a neighbor’s cat. Plus, just about everywhere you can hear the whine of the big, goofy fledglings.
Today, after a couple thundershowers, a family showed up in the yard. Been working at the front window, so I took a little break to watch these smart, sometimes annoying, highly entertaining local corvids.
Grandeur Peak Area List
Beginning at 8:30 a.m., I hiked a few hundred feet up a mountain.
1. American Robin* (v)
2. Rock Pigeon
3. Lazuli Bunting
4. Black-chinned Hummingbird
5. Black-headed Grosbeak
6. Pine Siskin (v)
7. Spotted Towhee
8. House Finch** (v)
9. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
10. Woodhouse’s Scrub-jay*
11. Black-capped Chickadee (v)
12. Turkey Vulture
13. Swallow (sp)
14. Warbling Vireo (v)
15. Chipping Sparrow
16. Western Tanager (v)
Elsewhere
17. California Quail
18. European Starling
19. Eurasian Collared Dove
20. Black-billed Magpie
Mammals
None
(v) Voice only
*Also elsewhere
**Voice only elsewhere
Tags: American robin, black-billed magpie, black-capped chickadee, black-chinned hummingbird, black-headed grosbeak, blue-gray gnatcatcher, California quail, chipping sparrow, Eurasian collared dove, European starling, house finch, lazuli bunting, pine siskin, rock pigeon, spotted towhee, swallow (sp), turkey vulture, warbling vireo, western tanager, Woodhouse’s scrub jay
