’Tis the season of little flitty birds. Hiking this morning with dog, I saw a bunch, put a name on a few and missed a few. The funnest sighting: a Wilson’s Warbler (no photo). Migration’s begun for sure.
I also spied a few hawks for a change. Three coops (two circling, a young-un perched) and at last one sharpie.
But my favorite pic of the day was a portrait of a sparrow.
Grandeur Peak Area List At 7:27 a.m. (8:27 MDT), I hiked a few hundred feet up a mountain.
Woke up this early morning to the sound of thunder and rain. Aaaaahhhh.
Waited for a passing shower, so Jack and I got to the trailhead pretty late, where we enjoyed cool air, wet foliage, interesting wildlife activity, and walking in sweet, sweet mud.
The rain caused change. The atmosphere had completely change—damp, fragrant, different. Saw a living snail among the empty shells. And encountered an amazing fly hatch—wispy-winged flies rising like smoke, driving the little birds to distraction. Watched a bunting feed flies to a young one. Watched gnatcatchers catch ’em. Watched the flies themselves float through the air like some kind of earthly daylight constellation.
Another thing that happened involved the resident Cooper’s Hawks. While ascending the leafy gully, I heard the call of a young bird (possibly the only young bird, as I can’t remember hearing more than one at a time), then the ki-ki-ki-ki-ki! of an adult. We hurried up to a place where I could scan the hillsided. Just as I turned to look around, the adult took flight again and landed on a branch not far above us. Slowly, I lifted my camera—and the hawk too wing again. So I had to grab a photo of it crouching, pretty well camouflaged, in a tree.
More rain possible tonight. We shall see.
Grandeur Peak Area List Beginning at 7:30 a.m. (8:30 MDT), I hiked a few hundred feet up a mountain.
A bird’s been singing for more than a week up little Coyote Canyon, just above where dog and I typically veer off onto the upper deer trail, so we’ve been heading up the gully in search of it. But it’s always kept far enough off trail to make the chase futile. This morning looked at first to be a repeat of this routine—but then the bird flitted down below us up into a maple right along the trail. Just had to sneak quietly down in the direction of its buzzy voice, and there it was.
Nearby was also a Warbling Vireo, a couple other wood-warblers, an accipiter, chippies, buntings, and towhees. It’s a birdy place up there this time of year.
As is just about every place, if you take a walk outside.
Grandeur Peak Area List Beginning at 7:33 a.m. (8:33 MDT), I hiked a few hundred feet up a mountain.
