A very cool—albeit very smoky—morning. The combination made me think dog and I might should do a ridge hike. And we did.
Quiet again, bird-wise. (It’s just that time of year.) But it was a good hike up the long switchback for we two old troopers. Up along the ridge, I happened to spy a group of five fast-flying, distinctively patterned birds below us—birds I did not recognize. They were too far away for a good look, but my eyeballs say gray birds, with black wings and a little white on ’em somewhere. I tried to get photos, wasn’t sure I had much luck.
Back home, I discovered a single fairly sharp distant photo of one of the birds headed away. Still couldn’t find an ID online, so I ran the pic by my expert bird-tour-leader friend Derek, who immediately identified it as a Clark’s Nutcracker. A lifer for me!
Later, on our return, I sparrow popped up right beside the trail. A chippy. Bidding us adieu—until, perhaps, tomorrow.
Grandeur Peak Area List
At 7:07 a.m. (8:07 MDT), I hiked some 1,200 feet up a mountain.
1. Black-chinned Hummingbird
2. Rock Pigeon*
3. Woodhouse’s Scrub-jay (v)
4. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
5. Black-billed Magpie*
6. Lesser Goldfinch
7. Lazuli Bunting
8. House Finch**
9. Clark’s Nutcracker‡
10. Black-capped Chickadee
11. Cooper’s Hawk
12. Spotted Towhee (v)
13. Orange-crowned Warbler
14. Chipping Sparrow
Elsewhere
15. House Sparrow
16. California Quail (v)
Mammals
Red Squirrel
Rock Squirrel
(v) Voice only
*Also elsewhere
**Voice only elsewhere
‡Lifer
Tags: black-billed magpie, black-capped chickadee, black-chinned hummingbird, blue-gray gnatcatcher, California quail, chipping sparrow, Clark’s nutcracker, cooper's hawk, house finch, house sparrow, lazuli bunting, lesser goldfinch, Orange-crowned Warbler, red squirrel, rock pigeon, rock squirrel, spotted towhee, Woodhouse’s scrub jay
