A similarly nippy, breezy morning to yesterday’s, but with less mud and fewer clouds. Also fewer birds. In fact, it was eerily quiet for much of my hike with Jack-my-dog. But as we ascended the (quiet) gully (a.k.a., Coyote Canyon), I happened to hear a Chukar—then things got interesting.
First, two other Chukars, softly calling, flew from behind us up the slope to where I’d heard the first call. Then, as we began to ascend in that direction, I heard the shook-shook-shook-shook-shook! of a Steller’s Jay. Then, even nearer, the rather spooky, raspy alarm cry of the jay. It lurked within a juniper above us, but I had no good view.
Then the jay and another (from higher up) took flight and swooped down the slope toward the neighborhood. Then I heard the cry of a flicker. Surprisingly (after such a quiet beginning), I ended up with eleven birds on my list today.
Note: Snow’s in the short-term forecast.
Grandeur Peak Area List
Beginning at 7:31 a.m. (8:31 MDT), I hiked a few hundred feet up a mountain.
1. Spotted Towhee
2. House Finch**
3. Woodhouse’s Scrub-jay
4. Song Sparrow
5. Black-capped Chickadee (v)
6. Chukar (v)
7. Steller’s Jay
8. Dark-eyed Junco
9. Northern Flicker** (v)
10. Rock Pigeon*
11. Lesser Goldfinch (v)
Elsewhere
12. House Sparrow (v)
13. Black-billed Magpie
14. American Robin
Mammals
Mountain Cottontail
(v) Voice only
*Also elsewhere
**Voice only elsewhere
Tags: American robin, black-billed magpie, black-capped chickadee, chukar, dark-eyed junco, house finch, house sparrow, lesser goldfinch, mountain cottontail, northern licker, rock pigeon, song sparrow, spotted towhee, Steller’s jay, Woodhouse’s scrub jay
