
It blew all night, whistling through the door jam, and it was blowing still this morning when dog and I headed up the switchback. I could tell from the loud voice of the wind that today’s would be a short list. Many more leaves flew than birds.
I heard a few as we got underway, saw a few wind-blown robins, spied a solitary Bald Eagle soaring above the ridge. And we flushed a good-sized flock of grouse in a little scrubby vale. They looked like maybe ruffed, but I couldn’t be sure as they sailed up and across Coyote Canyon.
Few birds in the neighborhood, too, on this warm and windy day.
Grandeur Peak Area List
Beginning at 8:30 a.m. (MST), I hiked a few hundred feet up a mountain.
1. House Finch** (v)
2. Black-billed Magpie
3. Black-capped Chickadee
4. American Robin
5. Dark-eyed Junco (v)
6. Bald Eagle
7. Woodhouse’s Scrub-jay
8. Grouse (sp)
(v) Voice only
**Voice only elsewhere
Tags: American robin, bald eagle, black-billed magpie, black-capped chickadee, dark-eyed junco, house finch, Woodhouse’s scrub jay