Cool, fair, little breeze, little birds all over the place. Had fun seeking out a few of the usual hard-to-catch suspects. But today’s first-of-year species was an American Kestrel. Just happened to spot it circling high above us.
Probably had a few better photos, but for some reason this one somehow typifies the fun dog and I had up the mountain this morning.
Grandeur Peak Area List Beginning at 7:52 a.m. (8:52 MDT), I hiked a few hundred feet up a mountain.
This day dawned warm (mid- to upper-30s (F)) and mostly overcast. My morning hike brought not many species, but pretty good numbers.
Birds were hopping back at home, though: I had as many species within ear- and eyeshot of my door. Sparrows, robin, chickadee (a species I did not have up the mountain trails)—and, last bird of the day, an American Kestrel, perched on a street light post overlooking the highway, with the city view behind him.
Thanks, kestrel.
Grandeur Peak Area List Beginning at 9:05 a.m. (MST), I hiked several hundred feet up a mountain.
8. Song Sparrow (v) 9. House Sparrow (v 10. American Robin 11. Eurasian Collared-dove 12. European Starling 13. Black-capped Chickadee 14. American Kestrel
Mammals
Rock Squirrel Red Squirrel
(v) Voice only *Also elsewhere **Voice only elsewhere
A calm, nearly cloudless morning with chillier temps (20s (F)) than yesterday—and a bunch of nice surprises to discover. The first being a Canyon Wren in the rocky cavity up near the bluff. I heard it first, remembered the call from early spring, and managed even to spy the little energetic bird.
Soon after that sighting, I decided we should climb up to the ridge where the cairn stands—where I’d seen (from a distance) that it’d partly fallen in on account of (I assume) a few very windy days. It’d been a couple-three months, at least. Past time.
And it was a grand climb, a lovely view. I repaired the cairn (more or less), and dog and I ascended a couple hundred feet above it, sat a spell, then came back down (during which descent I heard—then spotted—a couple Chukars) and finally hiked a stretch of our usual trail, for good measure.
Good measure turned out to be a Sharp-shinned Hawk, perched low in the scrub not far away, casting about for voles or juncos until a trail runner jogged by.
All in all a very fine day.
Grandeur Peak Area List Beginning at 8:20 a.m. (MST), I hiked some 1,200 feet up a mountain.
