6 April 2026

Posts Tagged ‘dark-eyed junco’

City Birds

Friday, January 10th, 2020
Rock Pigeons, East Millcreek, Salt Lake City, Utah, 10 January 2020.
Rock Pigeons.

Had a nice nippy hike under clear skies this morning. Temperature was in the lower-20s (F)—coldest I hike I believe we’ve yet had, Jack and I. But in the sun at this elevation, the temperature rises considerably. Comfy.

Not many birds up there. (Lots of deer, though.) But there was plenty of activity in town.

More snow a-comin’.

Grandeur Peak Area List
Beginning at 10:15 a.m., I hiked a few hundred feet up the mountain.

1. Black-billed Magpie**
2. Black-capped Chickadee**
3. House Finch* (v)
4. Woodhouse’s Scrub-jay (v)
5. Dark-eyed Junco

Elsewhere

6. American Robin
7. European Starling
8. Rock Pigeon
9. California Gull

v = Voice only
*Also elsewhere
**Voice only elsewhere

Eagle vs Magpie

Thursday, January 9th, 2020
Golden Eagle takes off, East Millcreek, Salt Lake City, Utah, 09 December 2020.
Golden Eagle takes off.
Song Sparrow, East Millcreek, Salt Lake City, Utah, 09 December 2020.
Song Sparrow.

Fun hike this morning. The highlight was the appearance of an adult Golden Eagle (after I’d predicted one might show up, ahem), which proceeded to land on the mountainside so it could preen. Within a minute (tops), a Black-billed Magpie showed up and—mostly ignored by the eagle—snuck up behind it to tug on its tailfeathers.

This happened a few times until the eagle decided to fly to another spot. Then two magpies showed up and began creeping up behind it. That was enough for the eagle, which took off and soared away.

Some sun, some snow—more snow on the way (or so I hear).

Grandeur Peak Area List
Beginning at 10:30 a.m., I hiked a few hundred feet up the mountain.

1. Black-capped Chickadee**
2. Black-billed Magpie*
3. Lesser Goldfinch (v)
4. House Finch*
5. Woodhouse’s Scrub Jay* (v)
6. Northern Flicker**
7. Golden Eagle
8. Dark-eyed Junco*

Elsewhere

9. Song Sparrow
10. American Robin (v)

v = Voice only
*Also elsewhere
**Voice only elsewhere

Thanks, Birds.

Tuesday, January 7th, 2020
Northern Flicker, East Millcreek, Salt Lake City, Utah, 07 January 2020.
Northern Flicker.

What a morning. Similar to yesterday—but fuller of birds.

Right at the trailhead, species after species, I began to hear their voices. Second voice was the slowly (deliberately) repeated note of a Townsend’s Solitaire. And many other birds flitting around the lower trail that Jack and I rarely take.

This morning we took it.

Notable were quail and robin and singing Song Sparrow. In fact, nine of my list of 11 species occurred within the first five minutes of our hike.

The final species was an agreeable Northern Flicker (red-shafted, this being Utah). Thanks, birds.

Grandeur Peak Area List
Beginning at 10 a.m., I hiked a few hundred feet up the mountain.

1. Black-billed Magpie*
2. Townsend’s Solitaire
3. Lesser Goldfinch**
4. House Finch*
5. Woodhouse’s Scrub-jay
6. Dark-eyed Junco
7. California Quail
8. Song Sparrow (v)
9. American Robin**
10. Black-capped Chickadee**
11. Northern Flicker

Elsewhere

12. Rock Pigeon

v = Voice only
*Also elsewhere
**Voice only elsewhere

 
Bird Report is a (sometimes intermittent) record of the birds I encounter while hiking, see while driving, or spy outside my window. —Brian Willson



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