This morning’s hike was interesting. It started cool and quiet and breezy, but it ended warm and rather active. The usual suspects were active—buntings, finches, gnatcatchers, hummingbirds—and were joined by a random female Downy Woodpecker. One of the Cooper’s Hawks delivered a loud soliloquy, a Black-throated Gray Warbler dropped by, and a single robin showed up out of nowhere.
But the most interesting—or at least entertaining—activity occurred out the front window, in the yard and garden.
For the past week or so, a family of California Quail have apparently taken residence on the property—an adult pair and three chicks. They lurk in the garden, the spring across the driveway, they’ve even taken swift flight (those tiny babies are great fliers!) up into the trees. I worried a bit this afternoon, seeing the mom and only two young ’uns (there’s at least one loose house cat in the neighborhood, grr), but the third showed up with the dad a little later.
Whew.
(Also fun have been the butterflies, and occasional hummingbird—but those stories will have to wait for another day.)
Grandeur Peak Area List
Beginning at 7:04 a.m. (8:04 MDT), I hiked a few hundred feet up a mountain.
1. Black-chinned Hummingbird
2. House Finch**
3. Lazuli Bunting
4. Woodhouse’s Scrub-jay
5. Black-capped Chickadee
6. Mourning Dove
7. Black-billed Magpie* (v)
8. Rock Pigeon*
9. Spotted Towhee
10. Lesser Goldfinch* (v)
11. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
12. Broad-tailed Hummingbird
13. Cooper’s Hawk
14. Downy Woodpecker
15. American Robin
16. Black-throated Gray Warbler
Elsewhere
17. California Quail
18. Eurasian Collared-dove
Mammals
Rock Squirrel
(v) Voice only
*Also elsewhere
**Voice only elsewhere
Tags: American robin, black-billed magpie, black-capped chickadee, black-chinned hummingbird, blue-gray gnatcatcher, broad-tailed hummingbird, California quail, cooper's hawk, downy woodpecker, house fnch, lazuli bunting, lesser goldfinch, mourning dove, rock pigeon, rock squirrel, spotted towhee, Woodhouse’s scrub jay
