Rained overnight, a welcome development. At least an inch, I’d say. The trails were damp and dim to start, and the air nice and humid. Warm, too. Few birds early, but a bunch by the time we finished our hike, dog and me.
Parents and youngsters were out roaming around—among them quite a few chickadees. (The chickadees around here have noticeably different accents than those out west, by the way.) And we spooked a good-sized flock of turkeys.
An all around good July hike this morning. Felt like summer, for sure.
Beech Hill List Beginning at 7:51 a.m., I hiked most trails.
1. Red-eyed Vireo** 2. Black-throated Green Warbler (v) 3. American Goldfinch (v) 4. Gray Catbird 5. Downy Woodpecker 6. Eastern Towhee 7. Black-capped Chickadee** 8. American Crow* 9. Wood Thrush (v) 10. Ovenbird (v) 11. American Redstart 12. Chestnut-sided Warbler 13. Eastern Wood-pewee 14. Veery (v) 15. American Robin 16. White-breasted Nuthatch (v) 17. Wild Turkey 18. Tufted Titmouse (v) 19. Common Yellowthroat** 20. Song Sparrow* 21. Cedar Waxwing 22. Mourning Dove 23. Purple Finch (v) 24. Savannah Sparrow 25. Common Raven (v) 26. Eastern Bluebird 27. Red-winged Blackbird 28. Field Sparrow 29. Yellow Warbler (v) 30. House Wren (v) 31. Herring Gull*
(v) Voice only *Also elsewhere **Voice only elsewhere †First-of-year
The sky this morning spread above the basin, from mountains to mountains, in a ripply sort of blue and white blanket as dog and I headed up the switchback. A lovely sky. Snow on the peaks. A nip in the air—but not too nippy.
Birds about. Nothing outlandish, but enough activity to make me feel cast in good company.
A lovely morning walk in the wilds.
Grandeur Peak Area List At 8:28 MST, I hiked a few hundred feet up a mountain.
Thunder last night, and thunder this morning. And rain—steady enough to delay my hike with Jack until nearly midday (MST), when I saw on the weather radar a break in the clouds. So we set out.
Got soaking wet. Got muddy. Did not get hit by lightning. And got a decent photo of a hummingbird.
I’d call that a successful hike, considering.
Grandeur Peak Area List At 10:46 a.m. (11:46 MDT), I hiked a few hundred feet up a mountain.
1. Rock Pigeon* 2. Woodhouse’s Scrub-jay** (v) 3. Black-chinned Hummingbird 4. House Finch*d 5. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 6. Black-capped Chickadee (v) 7. Mourning Dove 8. Broad-tailed Hummingbird
