Got to the trailhead a bit earlier this morning, still cool, shady, breezy—and quiet. Missed a few more little flitty birds, too, but in the early sunny spots, a few sparrows emerged.
Three species, to be precise: chippies, Brewer’s, and (first in I don’t know how long) a single immature white-crowned hanging with the little guys. And later, back home, a family (or two) of House Sparrows showed up in the garden, dining on sunflower seeds.
I kinda dig sparrows.
Grandeur Peak Area List At 7:07 a.m. (8:07 MDT), I hiked a few hundred feet up a mountain.
A similarly nippy, breezy morning to yesterday’s, but with less mud and fewer clouds. Also fewer birds. In fact, it was eerily quiet for much of my hike with Jack-my-dog. But as we ascended the (quiet) gully (a.k.a., Coyote Canyon), I happened to hear a Chukar—then things got interesting.
First, two other Chukars, softly calling, flew from behind us up the slope to where I’d heard the first call. Then, as we began to ascend in that direction, I heard the shook-shook-shook-shook-shook! of a Steller’s Jay. Then, even nearer, the rather spooky, raspy alarm cry of the jay. It lurked within a juniper above us, but I had no good view.
Then the jay and another (from higher up) took flight and swooped down the slope toward the neighborhood. Then I heard the cry of a flicker. Surprisingly (after such a quiet beginning), I ended up with eleven birds on my list today.
Note: Snow’s in the short-term forecast.
Grandeur Peak Area List Beginning at 7:31 a.m. (8:31 MDT), I hiked a few hundred feet up a mountain.
1. Spotted Towhee 2. House Finch** 3. Woodhouse’s Scrub-jay 4. Song Sparrow 5. Black-capped Chickadee (v) 6. Chukar (v) 7. Steller’s Jay 8. Dark-eyed Junco 9. Northern Flicker** (v) 10. Rock Pigeon* 11. Lesser Goldfinch (v)
Elsewhere
12. House Sparrow (v) 13. Black-billed Magpie 14. American Robin
Mammals
Mountain Cottontail
(v) Voice only *Also elsewhere **Voice only elsewhere
Warm—50s (F)—and most overcast when dog and I started up the switchback. Big thaw since yesterday (and surely more today). Nowhere near as many birds as the last couple days, but I did manage a dozen species.
That was before I decided on something of a lark to head on up the gully to the summit of the Ridge overlooking Millcreek Canyon. About the time we got up in the airy heights, a warm (for winter) wind began to blow. Which might explain the lower bird numbers. Nice views up there.
It was a long hike—and a good one.
Grandeur Peak Area List Beginning at 8:32 a.m. (MST), I hiked a few hundred feet up a mountain.
