As you might have noted by now, as soon as Jack-my-dog and I top the first switchback of our morning hike, we hit what I call the Bluff—a high-ish promontory overlooking our neighborhood. Thanks to its high perches, its tasty Russian olive crop, its tangled vegetation and rocky hiding places, and other of its more obscure benefits, it attracts a lot of birds. We also hit the Bluff again on our return, before descending the switchback again.
This morning, the Bluff brought us a nice early sighing and and a nice late sighting: a Sharp-shinned Hawk, and a pair of Townsend’s Solitaires.
The hawk perched alone as we emerged at the top of the sloping trail, hidden by tangles of branches. I snuck over as quietly as possible and managed a few photos—enough for an ID—before it flew away.
On our return, I spotted a solitaire in the tallest olive tree. And it began to emit its characteristic territorial note—single pitch, repeated about once every two seconds. It flitted from perch to perch before another solitaire appeared, and the two twittered around for a minute.
Each sighting was a thrill in its own way. Both were unexpected, yet sublime.
Grandeur Peak Area List
Beginning at 8:45 a.m. (MST), I hiked several hundred feet up a mountain.
1. Black-billed Magpie** (v)
2. Black-capped Chickadee
3. Spotted Towhee
4. House Finch**
5. Woodhouse’s Scrub-jay
6. Sharp-shinned Hawk
7. Rock Pigeon*
8. Dark-eyed Junco*
9. Pine Siskin (v)
10. Northern Flicker*
11. American Robin*
12. Townsend’s Solitaire
Elsewhere
13. Downy Woodpecker
14. European Starling
Mammals
Red Squirrel
(v) Voice only
*Also elsewhere
**Voice only elsewhere
Tags: American robin, black-billed magpie, black-capped chickadee, dark-eyed junco, downy woodpecker, European starling, house finch, northern flicker, pine siskin, red squirrel, rock pigeon, sharp-shinned hawk, spotted towhee, Townsend’s solitaire, Woodhouse’s scrub jay
