I overslept this morning. Not a lot—just enough to feel well-rested and rarin’ to hike. Matter of fact, dog and I made it up to the trailhead only a half-hour later than usual. And thanks to that thirty-minute delay, I saw my first-of-Utah (and second ever) Rufous Hummingbird.
Got a look at my first RUHU several years ago back in Rockport, Maine, where they don’t belong. (The crazy vagrant was chasing away the native ruby-throats from a feeder.) They’re not uncommon here, turns out—but the maps show them mostly passing through during migration.
Today’s bird was a young male perched quite a ways off the trail. I managed a bunch of (not great) pics—which is how I identified it this evening. It’s russet sides, those few little bright throat feathers flashing in the sun.
Thanks, little guy, for making this a memorable morning.
Grandeur Peak Area List
Beginning at 8:30 a.m., I hiked a few hundred feet up a mountain.
1. Woodhouse’s Scrub-jay
2. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
3. Black-chinned Hummingbird
4. Lazuli Bunting (v)
5. Yellow Warbler
6. Mourning Dove
7. Black-capped Chickadee
8. Spotted Towhee
9. House Finch**
10. Cooper’s Hawk
11. Broad-tailed Hummingbird*
12. Rufous Hummingbird
13. American Robin
14. Rock Pigeon
15. Green-tailed Towhee
Elsewhere
16. Eurasian Collared Dove
Mammals
Rock Squirrel
(v) Voice only
*Also elsewhere
**Voice only elsewhere
Tags: American robin, black-capped chickadee, black-chinned hummingbird, blue-gray gnatcatcher, broad-tailed hummingbird, cooper's hawk, green-tailed towhee, house finch, lazuli bunting, mourning dove, rock pigeon, rufous hummingbird, spotted towhee, Woodhouse’s scrub jay, yellow warbler
