A few days ago, in the front yard, I noticed what appeared to be a couple of fledgling House Sparrows following their parents around. Those were likely the first fledglings of the year noticed by me. Today brought two more.
First, up on the deer trails, I noticed a very young towhee fluttering around in the undergrowth. Later, back home, I spied a couple of fledgling magpies following their parent around.
Although i’s not real easy to do, I like trying to keep track of the new birds o the season.
[A note on the hot, dry weather: I heard a radio forecast today that essentially predicted temps up in the 90s (F) pretty much every day from here through the month of August. Yesterday we tied the all-time record high of 107° (F). Not gonna let up for a good while, apparently.]
Grandeur Peak Area List Beginning at 7:02 a.m. (8:02 MDT), I hiked a few hundred feet up a mountain.
A little windy this morning, and few birds to start. As the sun topped the ridge and the air warmed up, more of the usual resident suspects made appearances—especially buntings and towhees.
It’s pretty dry, though. Drought conditions, in fact. Throughout the western states. Summer-like fire warnings with a couple weeks left in spring. Things are still green, and dragonflies are out, and pollinators are tending to multitudes of high desert flowers. But when draught comes to the high desert, there’s room for a little concern.
Still Nature knows what she’s doing. All life’s connected. And precipitation will come. Eventually.
Grandeur Peak Area List Beginning at 7:24 a.m. (8:24 MDT), I hiked a few hundred feet up a mountain.
Cool in the morning, warm in the afternoon. We hiked in morning under a cloudless sky, dog and I, and the sun warmed us up nicely. Few other humans or dogs, but quite a few good birds—e.g., a female Western Tanager.
But most noteworthy might’ve been three raptors: one of the resident Cooper’s Hawks, a pair of Golden Eagles perched high on the ridge (first eagles in a while), and, on our return, a lone soaring Red-Tailed Hawk.
(Lots of little hummingbirds, too.)
Grandeur Peak Area List Beginning at 7:28 a.m. (8:28 MDT), I hiked a few hundred feet up a mountain.
