On the chilly morning of a warm day, dog and I had a lovely hike up in the foothills. Some nice sightings of bird species doing interesting things. (E.g., a Chukar calling from high on a ridge.) A few decent photos, too. A lot of spring things for Jack to smell.
Interesting to me was watching a pair of chickadees excavating a nest about halfway up the gully trail. We we got to their nest cavity, I didn’t see or hear the birds at all—which I attributed was due to a Cooper’s Hawk nearby—and sure enough a Cooper’s took wing, calling, and then the chickadees showed up, taking turns entering the hole and exiting with mouthfuls of chipped wood. (While in there, I could hear their excavations.)
Lots of birds at home, too. For possibly the first day this season, there was no trace of deep-seated doubt that spring is here.
Grandeur Peak Area List At 7:58 a.m., sun time, I hiked a few hundred feet up a mountain.
1. Eurasian Collared-dove 2. Pine Siskin** 3. American Robin* 4. Spotted Towhee 5. Black-capped Chickadee 6. House Finch* 7. Song Sparrow* (v) 8. Northern Flicker* 9. Cooper’s Hawk 10. Woodhouse’s Scrub-jay 11. Ruby-crowned Kinglet 12. Chukar 13. California Quail* (v) 14. Hairy Woodpecker 15. Turkey Vulture
Elsewhere
16. Lesser Goldfinch 17. House Sparrow 18. European Starling
Mammals
Mule Deer Red Squirrel
(v) Voice only *Also elsewhere **Voice only elsewhere
Overcast and hazy sun this morning. Birds about—plenty of ’em, vocalizing and moving around—although no crazy migrants yet. Breeze was from the southwest, though, so favorable for mogration.
Wren again, nesting chickadees, five kinglets, a Cooper’s. Lots of birds in the neighborhood, too—and in town (including a domestic mallard in Sugar House that I did not list here).
Deer, too, and the voice of a quail.
Grandeur Peak Area List At 7:47 a.m., sun time, I hiked a few hundred feet up a mountain.
1. Pine Siskin** 2. American Robin* 2. Woodhouse’s Scrub-jay 3. Spotted Towhee 5. Rock Pigeon* 6. Black-capped Chickadee 7. Rock Wren 8. House Finch* (v) 9. California Quail* (v) 10. Northern Flicker* 11. Black-billed Magpie* (v) 12. Ruby-crowned Kinglet 13. Cooper’s Hawk (v) 14. Red-tailed Hawk 15. Song Sparrow* (v)
Elsewhere
18. Lesser Goldfinch 16. House Sparrow 17. Eurasian Collared-dove 18. European Starling 20. Mourning Dove 21. California Gull
Mammals
Red Squirrel Mule Deer
(v) Voice only *Also elsewhere **Voice only elsewhere
A few showers overnight, and more showers this morning, so dog and I waited a bit before embarking on what I knew would be a slippery, muddy hike. Which was awesome. A nice assortment of birds—including a handsome wren, a pair of vultures, the neighborhood redtail. Was also a three-mammal day. Got good and muddy, slipped three or four times, but never fell down.
Also busy at home, bird-wise: quail, sparrows, finches, and robins poking about in the garden. (The robins are doing some major nest-building.) A sunny, warm afternoon.
A springy day for sure.
Grandeur Peak Area List At 10:36 a.m., sun time, I hiked a few hundred feet up a mountain.
1. Pine Siskin** 2. American Robin* 3. Spotted Towhee 4. Black-capped Chickadee** 5. House Finch* (v) 6. Rock Wren 7. Red-tailed Hawk 8. Black-billed Magpie* (v) 9. Northern Flicker* (v) 10. Turkey Vulture 11. Woodhouse’s Scrub-jay 12. Cooper’s Hawk 13. Dark-eyed Junco (v) 14. Song Sparrow* (v)
Elsewhere
15. House Sparrow 16. Eurasian Collared-dove 17. Lesser Goldfinch 18. California Quail
Mammals
Rock Squirrel Mountain Cottontail Mule Deer
(v) Voice only *Also elsewhere **Voice only elsewhere
