This morning’s hike took dog and me along our familiar route south along the shoreline trail, up Coyote Canyon (so-called) and back via deer trails up among the junipers. There were a lot of nice surprises.
Up the in the cool shady canyon, I heard the sapsucker-like call of a female Cooper’s Hawk and got a nice look at a randomly appearing female Yellow Warbler. In the junipers, I have a favorite shady spot where I like to pause, look and listen. Warbling Vireos, Black-throated Gray Warbler, chickadees, robins. Returning I spied a tanager and oriole, heard a magpie—even caught sight of a collared dove.
Just about every bird occurs to me as a nice surprise.
Grandeur Peak Area List Beginning at 8 a.m., I hiked a few hundred feet up a mountain.
1. Rock Pigeon* 2. Mourning Dove 3. Black-chinned Hummingbird 4. Woodhouse’s Scrub-jay* 5. Lazuli Bunting 6. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 7. House Finch** 8. Pine Siskin 9. Spotted Towhee 10. Black-capped Chickadee 11. Lesser Goldfinch 12. Cooper’s Hawk (v) 13. Yellow Warbler 14. Black-throated Gray Warbler 15. Warbling Vireo (v) 16. American Robin 17. Western Tanager 18. Eurasian Collared Dove 19. Black-billed Magpie (v) 20. Bullock’s Oriole
Elsewhere
21. House Sparrow 22. Barn Swallow
Mammals
Mountain Cottontail
(v) Voice only *Also elsewhere **Voice only elsewhere
On our hike this lovely morning, dog and I encountered fewer bird species—but the air held plenty of birdsong. All because of a feeding frenzy.
We got scolded by buntings and gnatcatchers and Warbling Vireos. Only got a glimpse or two of the vireos—but the faint, high-pitched voices of their new fledglings were an apparent reason for that.
No magpies and just one scrub-jay (voice only)—meaning they and their offspring have long abandoned the nest.
Meanwhile, a Chipping Sparrow sat silently on a juniper stem, waiting for dog and human to pass so he could bring breakfast to the young ’uns.
It’s a seasonal imperative.
Grandeur Peak Area List Beginning at 8:30 a.m., I hiked a few hundred feet up a mountain.
Aaand, right on schedule—a toasty warm hike today. It might not have been so warm had Jack and I not slept late, but man and dog had places to go, so we went those places, as always.
The heat might’ve daunted the birds some—that and the job of keeping everyone safe and hidden—because I didn’t encounter many species. Still da bunch of buntings and towhees (as always, I have come to realize). And plenty of finches and hummingbirds and gnatcatchers.
I’m kinda taking a liking to gnatcatchers.
Grandeur Peak Area List Beginning at 8:45 a.m., I hiked a few hundred feet up a mountain.
