The morning was mild, the morning was overcast. Aside from a lone trail runner and a distant hiker, it was just dog and me up there on the deer trails.
Still quite a few migrants—in fact, more yellow-rumps than yesterday—and a lovely sparrow, and a high, distant eagle (I’m pretty sure).
Afternoon rain. Will rain tonight and in the morning. Sweet, sweet rain.
Grandeur Peak Area List At 8:21 a.m. (9:21 MDT), I hiked a few hundred feet up a mountain.
1. Woodhouse’s Scrub-jay** 2. Yellow-rumped Warbler 3. Black-billed Magpie* 4. House Finch** 5. Ruby-crowned Kinglet (v) 6. Rock Pigeon* 7. White-crowned Sparrow 8. Northern Flicker (v) 9. American Robin (v) 10. Dark-eyed Junco 11. Golden Eagle 12. Lesser Goldfinch*
Elsewhere
13. House Sparrow (v) 14. Song Sparrow (v)
(v) Voice only *Also elsewhere *Voice only elsewhere
And I don’t mean just juncos (although there were a bunch of those). Today’s nippy. cloudless hike with Captain Jack was a fun one. A cold-and-snowy snap combined with a dwindling photoperiod has kept the migrants moving right along.
Scores of robins today, plus the usual ’rumps, kinglets, and the aforementioned juncos. But also a young sharpy and—last but not least—a solitary Rock Wren. Pretty sure it’s the first of the species I’ve ever seen surrounded by (semi-fresh) snow.
I kinda wish every morning could be like this one. (Not really, but what an inspiration.)
Grandeur Peak Area List At 8:06 a.m. (9:06 MDT), I hiked a few hundred feet up a mountain.
1. American Robin 2. House Finch** 3. Woodhouse’s Scrub-jay (v) 4. Yellow-rumped Warbler 5. Rock Pigeon* 6. Pine Siskin 7. Sharp-shinned Hawk 8. Northern Flicker 9. Lesser Goldfinch (v) 10. Black-billed Magpie* 11. Black-capped Chickadee 12. Ruby-crowned Kinglet 13. White-crowned Sparrow 14. Dark-eyed Junco 15. Rock Wren
Elsewhere
16. Townsend’s Solitaire 17. Song Sparrow
(v) Voice only *Also elsewhere **Voice only elsewhere
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.
