Pretty great hike this nearly cloudless morning. Not far along, I spied today’s first-of-year bird: a female Bullock’s Oriole perched in a treed atop the bluff. I heard it first—its raspy chatter and a few more musical notes—and got a distant photo.
Also got a few first glimpses of a Warbling Vireo (the species has been around for several days, but I finally laid eyes on one), a couple flickers (for a change), a couple grosbeaks.
Saw no others on the trail, neither humans nor dogs. Just man other plant and animal species.
Maybe more migrants tomorrow.
Grandeur Peak Area List
Beginning at 7:30 a.m. (8:30 MDT), I hiked a few hundred feet up a mountain.
1. Northern Flicker
2. Lazuli Bunting
3. Song Sparrow** (v)
4. Woodhouse’s Scrub-jay*
5. Spotted Towhee
6. Black-headed Grosbeak
7. Black-chinned Hummingbird
8. Black-capped Chickadee
9. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
10. Rock Pigeon
11. American Robin*
12. Bullock’s Oriole†
13. Virginia’s Warbler
14. Chipping Sparrow
15. House Finch**
16. Cooper’s Hawk
17. Orange-crowned Warbler (v)
18. Black-throated Gray Warbler (v)
19. Warbling Vireo
20. Pine Siskin (v)
21. Black-billed Magpie*
Elsewhere
22. Lesser Goldfinch (v)
23. Eurasian Collared Dove (v)
(v) Voice only
*Also elsewhere
**Voice only elsewhere
†First-of-year bird
Tags: American robin, black-billed magpie, black-capped chickadee, black-chinned hummingbird, black-headed grosbeak, black-throated gray warbler, blue-gray gnatcatcher, Bullock’s oriole, chipping sparrow, cooper's hawk, Eurasian collared dove, house inch, lazuli bunting, lesser goldfinch, northern flicker, Orange-crowned Warbler, pine siskin, rock pigeon, song sparrow, spotted towhee, Virginia’s warbler, warbling vireo, Woodhouse’s scrub jay
