Another warm early morning hike with Jack-my-dog. Another nice assortment of birds and dragonflies and such. Most interesting, perhaps, were the flocks of Cliff Swallows circling in the blue above us—one of which comprised nine birds—but just the numbers (18 spp. total) were also impressive for these hot, dry days.

Speaking of numbers, I’ve been missing a few counts lately—both low and high—and this has me mildly amused. But also glad I’ve been doing this “memory exercise” (as I call it) for so many years. At the start, for each hike, I simply kept a list of species in my head, then later recalled them for inclusion in this daily accounting. After a while, I began counting the number of individuals of each species, and listing them here in the evening of each day.

I’m sure there’ve been a few misses over time. And it’s true that my (too many) photos help jog my memory in may cases. Still, it’s a habit that somehow seems—oddly—to have increased my overall talent with, well, numbers.

Grandeur Peak Area List
Beginning at 7:03 a.m. (8:03 MDT), I hiked a few hundred feet up a mountain.

1. Lazuli Bunting
2. Woodhouse’s Scrub-jay*
3. Song Sparrow* (v)
4. Black-chinned Hummingbird
5. Lesser Goldfinch*
6. Spotted Towhee
7. House Finch**
8. Black-billed Magpie*
9. Rock Pigeon
10. Mourning Dove
11. Black-headed Grosbeak
12. Cliff Swallow
13. Black-capped Chickadee**
14. Warbling Vireo
15. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
16. Pine Siskin
17. Turkey Vulture
18. American Robin*

Elsewhere

19. California Quail
20. Northern Flicker
21. Eurasian Collared Dove

Mammals

Rock Squirrel

(v) Voice only
*Also elsewhere
**Voice only elsewhere