Today’s hike was a bit later than usual, a bit warmer than on recent mornings, very dry again—with smoky air—and crazy quiet. Was it the drought? The air? The time of day (or year)? Is there a hawk about? All the usual questions that zip through my head.
But a few birds did show up eventually—the usual. Two corvid species, two finches, two doves, two hummingbirds, a random pair of Brewer’s Sparrows. (Wish I’d managed an in-focus photo.)
And sure enough, there were hawks. Heard the familiar voice of a juvie Cooper’s Hawk up above the gully where their nest is, crept over in that direction—and a pair of youngsters took flight from somewhere up ahead beside the trail. Got a little closer, and two more popped up from the same area. Half of the four stuck around for (shady, leafy) photos, which was nice. (Nice to see a good number of fledglings, despite the drought!)
Son’t think the young hawks were the reason things were so quiet, though.
Grandeur Peak Area List
Beginning at 7:28 a.m. (8:38 MDT), I hiked a few hundred feet up a mountain.
1. House Finch
2. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
3. Black-billed Magpie* (v)
4. Black-chinned Hummingbird
5. Lesser Goldfinch**
6. Rock Pigeon
7. Lazuli Bunting
8. Broad-tailed Hummingbird
9. Cooper’s Hawk
10. Black-capped Chickadee
11. Mourning Dove*
12. Brewer’s Sparrow
13. Spotted Towhee (v)
14. Woodhouse’s Scrub-jay (v)
Elsewhere
15. California Quail
16. Barn Swallow
17. American Crow
18. Eurasian Collared-dove
Mammals
Red Squirrel
(v) Voice only
*Also elsewhere
**Voice only elsewhere
Tags: American crow, barn swallow, black-billed magpie, black-capped chickadee, black-chinned hummingbird, blue-gray gnatcatcher, Brewer’s sparrow, broad-tailed hummingbird, California quail, cooper's hawk, Eurasian collared dove, house finch, lazuli bunting, lesser goldfinch, mourning dove, red squirrel, rock pigeon, spotted towhee, Woodhouse’s scrub jay
