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 pleasant, rather quiet hike up the deer trails with dog this early morning. The usual suspects—some conspicuously singing, some flitting silently.
Seems the birds were actually a little more active in the neighborhood this day—hummingbirds in the flowers, magpies in the fringes, robins pulling up worms. Also a single male California Quail lurking in the fringes.
Warm in afternoon, but it was a pleasant heat. No longer summerlike in spring.
Grandeur Peak Area List Beginning at 7 a.m. (8 a.m. MDT), I hiked a few hundred feet up a mountain.
Headed to the trailhead a bit earlier this morning, considering the temp was eventually supposed to reach 90° (F) today. Cool in the shade, warm in the sun. (No clouds that I could see.) Despite this dry, dry landscape, there are birds to be seen.
E.g., a female Black-headed Grosbeak. A hard-to-spy Virginia Warbler. A few gnatcatchers and Mourning Doves. Also saw a snake of some kind (garter snake? racer?), an Eight-spotted Skimmer, and a Rock Squirrel.
Tomorrow’s high is supposed to be about 95°.
Grandeur Peak Area List Beginning at 7:11 a.m. (8:11 MDT), I hiked a few hundred feet up a mountain.
