Snowed a tiny bit overnight, and the morning light came into an overcast sky. Warmish, freezing or above. We met no one on our hike, dog and me.
But we did encounter a nice assortment of birds—although I suppose “encountered” is the wrong word, considering a couple of species visible only through my binocs and maximum zoom. One of those was the Red-tailed Hawk that perches on the cell tower across the highway down by McDonald’s. I check for it from the bluff each day.
Did my annual fortnightly grocery shop afterward, where I encountered another supermarket crow. This bird also sat cawing atop a parking lot light. Perhaps it was the same bird as the last crow I saw. (So strange to live where there are so few crows.)
The hawk—which still perched atop the tower when we headed down—had gone by the time of our return. But later, from the deck, I spied a red-tail on a tall utility pole perhaps a quarter mile away. Same bird I bet.
Grandeur Peak Area List
Beginning at 9:02 a.m. (MST), I hiked several hundred feet up a mountain.
1. House Finch** (v)
2. Black-billed Magpie*
3. Black-capped Chickadee (v)
4. Woodhouse’s Scrub-jay
5. Spotted Towhee**
6. Rock Pigeon*
7. Red-tailed Hawk*
8. Northern Flicker
9. Dark-eyed Junco**
10. American Robin*
11. Song Sparrow (v)
Elsewhere
12. European Starling
13. American Crow
(v) Voice only
*Also elsewhere
**Voice only elsewhere
Tags: American crow, American robin, black-billed magpie, black-capped chickadee, dark-eyed junco, European starling, house finch, northern flicker, red-tailed hawk, rock pigeon, song sparrow, spotted towhee, Woodhouse’s scrub jay
