A lovely, breezy, vaporous, overcast morning. Quite a few bird species made their presences known early in my hike with Jack, not so many later on. And only one bird agreed to pose for a photo.
That’s how it goes sometimes. Most days grant me two or three pics. Occasionally, I strike it rich, with so many great photos that it’s hard to winnow ’em down. But this morning, the juncos wouldn’t hold still. The finch was backlit. The warblers flitted away—and the rest stayed hidden, just teasing me with their voices.
So thanks for the photo op, little chickadee.
Grandeur Peak Area List At 8:22 a.m. (9:22 MDT), I hiked a few hundred feet up a mountain.
1. Black-billed Magpie* (v) 2. Black-capped Chickadee 3. Woodhouse’s Scrub-jay (v) 4. House Finch** 5. Rock Pigeon* 6. Northern Flicker 7. Dark-eyed Junco 8. American Robin 9. Ruby-crowned Kinglet (v) 10. Lesser Goldinch (v) 11. Spotted Towhee (v) 12. Yellow-rumped Warbler 13. Pine Siskin (v)
Elsewhere
14. California Quail 15. House Sparrow
(v) Voice only *Also elsewhere **Voice only elsewhere
Got some good sleep last night, so didn’t rush to the trailhead first thing. As a result, much of my hike with dog happened in the sunshine this morning. Mild temperatures, plenty of interesting birds, just an all-around nice time.
Plus, a kinglet actually posed for a photo.
Grandeur Peak Area List At 8:30 a.m. (9:30 MDT), I hiked a few hundred feet up a mountain.
1. American Robin 2. Black-capped Chickadee 3. House Finch** 4. Woodhouse’s Scrub-jay* 5. Yellow-rumped Warbler** 6. Rock Pigeon* 7. Mourning Dove 8. Lesser Goldfinch** 9. Northern Flicker 10. Ruby-crowned Kinglet 11. Dark-eyed Junco 12. European Starling 13. Black-billed Magpie** 14. Red-tailed Hawk
This morning with Jack on the semi-cool trails, under semi-smoky skies, I found myself—after a nice hike among hummingbirds, doves, corvids, towhees, et al—wishing to encounter a surprise. Then, although of course I was thinking of an unusual bird, I thought of how surprises can bring good news or bad news. Like a bird, say, or an angry mountain lion.
But within a minute of having this wish, a Brewer’s Sparrow popped up into a little snag within a few feet of the trail—and posed.
Good news.
[New estimate on the size of the Parleys Canyon Fire: 529 acres. At this writing, it’s 21 percent contained.]
Grandeur Peak Area List Beginning at 7:08 a.m. (8:08 MDT), I hiked a few hundred feet up a mountain.
