A lovely, cool, overcast morning. A bit of sun peeped through occasionally, but it was cool enough that Captain Jack and I went ahead and hiked the Millcreek Ridge loop again. Great hike.
Bunch of birds, too. I saw few—what with nesting and fledglings and the need for secrecy—but heard many.
Felt good for the rest of the day.
Grandeur Peak Area List Beginning at 8:15 a.m., I hiked some 1,200 feet up a mountain.
Another cool, bright morn. Lots of birds about—but most were skulking, lurking, staying hidden, laying low. I wonder how many nestlings and fledglings there are out there.
Notable was when one particular bird, whose call I didn’t recognize, zipped across the trail directly in front of dog and me. Looked and sounded like it might be some kind of woodpecker, but it wouldn’t pose for photos, so I suppose I’ll never know.
Lovely day, though.
Grandeur Peak Area List Beginning at 8:30 a.m., I hiked a few hundred feet up a mountain.
I worried a bit yesterday when I encountered the male uphill from the nest a bit, very near the trail, emitting a sharp alarm chip. When I then checked the nest, the baby birds were still there, at least three fuzzy heads bobbing—but it was the first time I hadn’t seen a parent with them. Wondered what had spooked the dad, or where the mom got off to. Didn’t worry, too much, though.
Turned out I had good reason.
I suspect the resident magpie family got the nestlings. A good while ago, the magpie pair fledged a brood of big, loud, healthy youngsters. Their nest was just up the slope from the grosbeaks’. Perhaps something happened to the female, which left the male as the only parent to fend for the youngsters.
An empty nest is a sad thing.
Grandeur Peak Area List Beginning at 8:45 a.m., I hiked a few hundred feet up a mountain.
