The forecast called for rain for most of the day, and the morning was lowery and drippy—but from the time dog and I headed up the switchback until we jumped back in the truck, all we saw were some very light flurries of snow.
Well, that wasn’t all we saw—there were a bunch of birds. Migrating robins and yellow-rumpes, a pair of White-crowned Sparrows, many finches, a circling redtail, and, in distant flight, a random, solitary Canada Goosed.
The held the pungent aroma of autumn, and the temperature was chilly (but not too chilly)—and the feeling in the breeze was fall sweet.
Grandeur Peak Area List
At 8:41 a.m. (9:41 MDT), I hiked a few hundred feet up a mountain.
1. Black-capped Chickadee
2. Woodhouse’s Scrub-jay
3. House Finch**
4. Yellow-rumped Warbler
5. Black-billed Magpie
6. Rock Pigeon*
7. Spotted Towhee
8. American Robin
9. Dark-eyed Junco (v)
10. Northern Flicker* (v)
11. Red-tailed Hawk
12. Canada Goose
13. White-crowned Sparrow
13. Ruby-crowned Kinglet (v)
14. Lesser Goldfinch**
Elsewhere
15. Song Sparrow
Mammals
Rock Squirrel
(v) Voice only
*Also elsewhere
**Voice only elsewhere
Tags: American robin, black-billed magpie, black-capped chickadee, Canada goose, dark-eyed junco, house finch, lesser goldfinch, northern flicker, red-tailed hawk, rock pigeon, rock squirrel, ruby-crowned kinglet, song sparrow, spotted towhee, white-crowned sparrow, Woodhouse’s scrub jay, yellow-rumped warbler
