Coldest morning in a while, with a temperature hovering right about 20° (F)—but by the time dog and I got to the trailhead, the sun had topped the ridge, so we only had the shady switchback to navigate before the air warmed about ten degrees. The birds appreciated that also, apparently.
Because we encountered quite a few species, and nice numbers—and I snagged a few photos. Plus, a first-in-Utah bird.
They were second-last on my list, the Common Redpoll pair. They popped up into bare branches ahead of us as we turned onto the little quarry trail. I’d seen a bunch of redpolls in Maine, of course, but not in a good while, and I couldn’t recall if there was perhaps a different western species. Turns out they do dip down this far south here, too—just barely.
Highlight of this bright, wintry, fall morning hike, for sure.
Grandeur Peak Area List
At 9:25 MST, I hiked a few hundred feet up a mountain.
1. Woodhouse’s Scrub-jay
2. Rock Pigeon*
3. House Finch**
4. Townsend’s Solitaire (v)
5. Lesser Goldfinch**
6. Sharp-shinned Hawk
7. Black-capped Chickadee
8. Black-billed Magpie* (v)
9. Dark-eyed Junco
10. Common Redpoll
11. Song Sparrow (v)
Mammals
Mountain Cottontail
(v) Voice only
*Also elsewhere
**Voice only elsewhere
Tags: black-billed magpie, black-capped chickadee, common redpoll, dark-eyed junco, house finch, lesser goldfinch, mountain cottontail, rock pigeon, sharp-shinned hawk, song sparrow, Townsend’s solitaire, Woodhouse’s scrub jay
