’Tis the season of juvies. Fresh, new baby birds, fledglings testing their wings. My morning hike with dog was a cool one, room temperature, mountain shade, little breeze. Almost felt like air-conditioning. A dozen species, not huge numbers.
But several juvies among them. Most fun to watch was a tiny Blue-gray Gnatcatcher fluttering and crying for food from its parents. Also immature buntings and finches. I’m sure others were out there, too, but laying low.
(It’s good to lay low during drought and heat wave.)
Grandeur Peak Area List Beginning at 6:31 a.m. (7:31 MDT), I hiked a few hundred feet up a mountain.
1. American Robin* 2. Lazuli Bunting 3. Woodhouse’s Scrub-jay 4. Black-capped Chickadee (v) 5. Rock Pigeon* 6. House Finch** 7. Black-chinned Hummingbird 8. Spotted Towhee 9. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 10. Mourning Dove (v) 11. Warbling Vireo (v) 12. Barn Swallow
Elsewhere
13. Eurasian Collared-dove 14. House Sparrow (v) 15. Black-billed Magpie 16. California Quail
(v) Voice only *Also elsewhere **Voice only elsewhere
Supposed to be hot today, and the temp was already in the upper-70s (F) at the airport, so dog and I headed up to the trailhead about half hour earlier than usual. Gotta say it was pretty nice hiking in the mountain shade.
And there were birds a-plenty. Small flocks of young robins, large flocks of fnch families, a juvie Black-throated Gray Warbler, and my first nuthatch in a while.
Not until our return did we finally feel the warmth of direct sunlight—a hint of the heat to come.
Grandeur Peak Area List Beginning at 6:38 a.m. (7:38 MDT), I hiked a few hundred feet up a mountain.
1. American Robin* 2. Lazuli Bunting 3. Woodhouse’s Scrub-jay 4. Mourning Dove 5. Rock Pigeon* 6. House Finch* 7. Red-breasted Nuthatch (v) 8. Spotted Towhee 9. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 10. Black-chinned Hummingbird 11. Black-capped Chickadee 12. California Quail* 13. Western Tanager (v) 14. Warbling Vireo (v) 15. Chipping Sparrow (v) 16. Black-throated Gray Warbler 17. Song Sparrow** (v)
Despite the severe, extended drought, the local bird population is exploding around here. Well, maybe not exploding—but increasing manyfold. It happens every year about this time, of course, because fledglings.
Lately I’ve seen finch fledglings, magpie fledglings, chickadee fledglings, vireo fledglings, robin fledglings—bunting fledglings, too, I think. Swallows taking flight for the first time. Also, back in the neighborhood, little baby quails. It’s one of Nature’s many miracles.
Never mind that it’ll be 100°-plus the next few days. Earth’s critters were built to survive.
Grandeur Peak Area List Beginning at 6:55 a.m. (7:55 MDT), I hiked a few hundred feet up a mountain.
1. Black-capped Chickadee 2. Rock Pigeon 3. Woodhouse’s Scrub-jay (v) 4. American Robin* 5. Black-chinned Hummingbird 6. Mourning Dove 7. Lazuli Bunting 8. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 9. Pine Siskin (v) 10. Spotted Towhee 11. House Finch* 12. Black-headed Grosbeak (v) 13. Cliff Swallow 14. Black-billed Magpie* 15. Warbling Vireo (v) 16. Song Sparrow** (v)
Elsewhere
17. House Sparrow (v) 18. Turkey Vulture 19. Barn Swallow 20. California Quail 21. European Starling
Mammals
Rock Squirrel
(v) Voice only *Also elsewhere **Voice only elsewhere
