This cool morning on the trail with dog, I watched a whole bunch of bird families do their thing. Many, many juvies of all sorts—colorful birds, drab birds, high-flying birds, birds scratching around in the undergrowth.
At one point, up in the shade of a juniper, I decided to stop and look and listen. Within a minute, a little family of Warbling Vireos flitted through, and I grabbed some photos. Then chickadees appeared, then finches, then buntings—then I heard a Virginia’s warbler nearby.
“Stop, look, and listen,” I said aloud—perhaps inspired by “stop, drop, and roll”? (Seemed like an inspired birding phrase at the time.)
Grandeur Peak Area List
Beginning at 8 a.m., I hiked a few hundred feet up a mountain.
1. Rock Pigeon*
2. American Robin*
3. House Finch*
4. Black-chinned Hummingbird
5. Lesser Goldfinch*
6. Lazuli Bunting
7. Woodhouse’s Scrub-jay
8. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
9. Mourning Dove*
10. Spotted Towhee
11. Western Tanager
12. Black-billed Magpie*
13. Downy Woodpecker**
14. Pine Siskin (v)
15. Black-capped Chickadee
16. Cooper’s Hawk
17. Warbling Vireo
18. Virginia’s Warbler (v)
19. California Quail* (v)
20. Black-headed Grosbeak
Elsewhere
21. Eurasian Collared Dove
22. House Sparrow
Mammals
Rock Squirrel
(v) Voice only
*Also elsewhere
**Voice only elsewhere
Tags: American robin, black-billed magpie, black-capped chickadee, black-chinned hummingbid, black-headed grosbeak, blue-gray gnatcatcher, California quail, cooper's hawk, downy woodpecker, Eurasian collared dove, house finch, house sparrow, lazuli bunting, lesser goldfinch, mourning dove, pine siskin, rock pigeon, rock squirrel, spotted towhee, Virginia’s warbler, warbling vireo, western tanager, Woodhouse’s scrub jay
