A morning much like yesterday—except I just turned 69. So thankful I can still get around well enough to climb a mountain or two, can hear well enough to hear distant singes, can see well enough to spy a perched bird (or is that a rock?) a half-mile away.
Nippy again—maybe even a degree or two nippier than a day ago—and with just a few wispy clouds drifting overhead. Few birds to start, and not a lot of numbers, but a nice birthday surprise on our return: a raven.
I heard it’s harsh cry high above us, dog and me. I stopped, turned, found it up in the blue, and fire off a mess of photos of it circling and gliding and calling before it drifted away off over the ridge.
Right after that is when I noticed I’d lost one of my ice grips and had I had to retrace my steps about 300 paces down a slippery slope to retrieve it.
Hey, life’s got its ups and downs!
Grandeur Peak Area List Beginning at 9:02 a.m. (MST), I hiked several hundred feet up a mountain.
Had a nice hike with Jack this morning, as always. Aside from two ravens in fast flight, the usual bird species. (Lots of juncos.) Beautiful scenery—snow-powdered peaks under mostly cloudy skies. But the most bird action happened right around the house. Specifically on and below my deck.
The deck faces west, with a nice view of the basin (city lights at night) and, beyond, the Oquirrh Mountains. On the deck rail today—three noisy scrub-jays and a junco. Below, a towhee, finches, more juncos. On the utility lines between me and I-215, starlings, pigeons, and a Mourning Dove.
The last full day of fall was a good one, and daylight gets longer starting tomorrow.
Grandeur Peak Area List Beginning at 8:49 a.m. (MST), I hiked several hundred feet up a mountain.
1. Black-billed Magpie* 2. House Finch** 3. Common Raven 4. Woodhouse’s Scrub-jay* 5. Spotted Towhee* (v) 6. Pine Siskin (v) 7. Rock Pigeon* 8. Black-capped Chickadee 9. Dark-eyed Junco* 10. Lesser Goldfinch (v)
Elsewhere
11. American Robin (v) 12. Mourning Dove 13. Northern Flicker 14. European Starling
Mammals
Mule Deer
(v) Voice only *Also elsewhere **Voice only elsewhere
A lovely Saturday morning with a dramatic, partly cloudy sky, a half-inch layer of fresh snow, and a slight breeze. The air tasted clean. Few birds to start—although including a Mountain Chickadee (voice only)—but some high excitement toward the end of our hike, dog and me.
My count was ten species when I spied the Bald Eagle above the rocky ridge. It was a young eagle, and I took a bunch of pictures of it in flight. Less then a minute after it sailed away, I saw another soaring shape—a Common Raven. First raven I’ve seen since June, and I really love those guys, so I have to declare that the highlight of the morning.
Nice to see a couple big birds again.
Grandeur Peak Area List Beginning at 8:21 a.m. (MST), I hiked a few hundred feet up a mountain.
1. Black-billed Magpie 2. Mountain Chickadee (v) 3. Spotted Towhee 4. House Finch** 5. Dark-eyed Junco 6. Lesser Goldfinch** (v) 7. Northern Flicker 8. Black-capped Chickadee 9. Downy Woodpecker 10. Woodhouse’s Scrub-jay 11. Bald Eagle 12. Common Raven 13. Rock Pigeon 14. Pine Siskin (v)
