Snowed a tiny bit overnight, and the temperature still hovered right about freezing when dog and I headed up the trail. Nearly cloudless sky, though, so—once the sun topped the ridge—melting commenced.
Meanwhile, we encountered a bunch more migrants, no doubt spurred on by the extra chill.
Many yellow-rumps, quite a few kinglets, a little gang of sparrows, surprisingly few juncos, and a solitary Cooper’s Hawk. (Also a solitaire Townsend’s Solitaire, which was fun to see.)
Sky, chill, migrants—ah, the clarity of a season’s change.
Grandeur Peak Area List At 8:58 a.m. (9:58 MDT), I hiked a few hundred feet up a mountain.
Thought there might be a break in the rain so dog and I could hike this morning, but it wasn’t to be. Instead, we waited until afternoon, when the (welcome) precipitation finally moved away. A nippy—40 degrees (F)—stroll, with more birds than I imagined there’d bee.
Notable were three hawks: a solitary Cooper’s drifting low over the deer trails; a pair of red-tails perched down below the bluff, on their favorite cell tower.
Tomorrow, I hear, will bring no consequential rain.
Grandeur Peak Area List At 12:56 a.m. (11:56 MDT), I hiked a few hundred feet up a mountain.
1. House Finch** (v) 2. Northern Flicker (v) 3. Black-billed Magpie (v) 4. Song Sparrow** (v) 5. Woodhouse’s Scrub-jay 6. Rock Pigeon* 7. Red-tailed Hawk 8. Yellow-rumped Warbler 9. Black-capped Chickadee (v) 10. Cooper’s Hawk 11. Dark-eyed Junco 12. American Robin 13. Lesser Goldfinch (v)
Elsewhere
14. House Sparrow (v)
Mammals
Red Squirrel
(v) Voice only *Also elsewhere **Voice only elsewhere
Chilly morning again, but with a flock of sheep in the sky. More yellow-rumps moving through, flickers calling, chippies sneaking around. I thought sure I saw a raven soaring high in the sky, but photos revealed it was a Cooper’s Hawk (second time that’s happened).
Since dog and I hike in morning, today’s birds were the final birds of summer. Tomorrow’s will be the first birds of fall.
Grandeur Peak Area List At 7:25 a.m. (8:25 MDT), I hiked a few hundred feet up a mountain.
1. Woodhouse’s Scrub-jay** 2. Black-capped Chickadee (v) 3. Rock Pigeon* 4. House Finch** 5. Spotted Towhee 6. Yellow-rumped Warbler 7. Black-billed Magpie 8. American Robin 9. Cooper’s Hawk 10. Chipping Sparrow 11. Northern Flicker 12. Lesser Goldfinch* 13. Red-tailed Hawk
Elsewhere
14. Song Sparrow
Mammals
Rock Squirrel Mountain Cottontail
(v) Voice only *Also elsewhere **Voice only elsewhere
