Got up the trails earlier this morning. Thundershowers were possible, so we took advantage of the clear conditions, dog an I. And did not encounter many birds at all. Few species, few individuals. And only one that posed for a photo.
It was a scrub-jay—a scrub-jay that looked rather like an old bird, with a long white beard.
Other than running into trail pals (human and dog), it turned out to be a rather unremarkable late summer morning. (Would’ve been more remarkable had we not beat a thundershower back to the truck.)
Grandeur Peak Area List At 7:06 a.m. (8:06 MDT), I hiked a few hundred feet up a mountain.
A few clouds this morning, just enough to make for some hazy sun early. Cool, but not as cool as the past few mornings. Still smoky air.
Very quiet along our usual hiking trails: nine species, not many of each. Afterward, doing errands in town, listed another nine species—including a vee of geese, three vultures, swallo, gull, and starling.
However, my best photo came early, thanks to a visit by a chatty scrub-jay.
Grandeur Peak Area List At 7:10 a.m. (8:10 MDT), I hiked a few hundred feet up a mountain.
10. Black-billed Magpie 11. Rock Pigeon 12. Mourning Dove 13. European Starling 14. Canada Goose 15. California Gull 16. Turkey Vulture 17. Barn Swallow 18. California Quail
Mammals
Red Squirrel Rock Squirrel
(v) Voice only *Also elsewhere *Voice only elsewhere
The first bird I heard this morning was a Northern Flicker. First flicker for months, I’d say. Unexpected.
Before long, I spied a quiet bird in a scrub oak: a Rock Wren. First of that species I’ve ever seen that wasn’t perched on a rock. Coincidentally, the next new species I saw was a House Wren. (So few wrens around here, I thought for a while it was the other wren following dog and me around.) Talk about unexpected.
Some time later, I spied a tiny batch of warblers following a vocal pod of chickadees (as warblers are wont to do when roaming). I assumed the first I took a photo of was a Virginia’s Warbler. Only when I looked at the photos later did I notice it was a Nashville Warbler—first in Utah. (At least I assume they have a full yellow belly here as they do back East.) Did not expect that.
Fact is, it was so quiet to start this morning that I sure didn’t expect my species list to reach 15.
Grandeur Peak Area List At 7:06 a.m. (8:06 MDT), I hiked a few hundred feet up a mountain.
1. Northern Flicker (v) 2. House Finch* 3. Woodhouse’s Scrub-jay 4. Rock Pigeon 5. Eurasian Collared-dove* 6. Red-tailed Hawk 7. Black-chinned Hummingbird 8. Spotted Towhee 9. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 10. Rock Wren 11. House Wren 12. Black-capped Chickadee 13. Nashville Warbler 14. Orange-crowned Warbler 15. American Goldfinch (v)
