Light snow in the forecast, but none in the air when dog and I hit the trail. Calm day, gray sky, temps in the upper-20s (F). And very, very quiet.
Most of the few birds I saw or heard were down in the neighborhood; the only species up along the deer trails were junco, towhee, and chickadee. Not a lot of photo ops. On our return, the light snow finally showed up—actually, a nice gentle shower of flakes that made a whispering sound in the old dry maple leaves.
Had I not spotted a magpie from my deck, I might’ve had to post a photo of my good ol’ dog.
Grandeur Peak Area List
Beginning at 9:05 a.m. (MST), I hiked several hundred feet up a mountain.
1. House Finch**
2. Woodhouse’s Scrub-jay (v)
3. Black-billed Magpie* (v)
4. Rock Pigeon
5. Spotted Towhee
6. Black-capped Chickadee
7. Dark-eyed Junco
8. Northern Flicker (v)
Elsewhere
9. Song Sparrow
10. House Sparrow
(v) Voice only
*Also elsewhere
**Voice only elsewhere
Tags: black-billed magpie, black-capped chickadee, dark-eyed junco, house finch, house sparrow, northern flicker, rock pigeon, song sparrow, spotted towhee, Woodhouse’s scrub jay
