Yesterday I decided we’d hike the ridge trail on Thanksgiving this morning, Jack and me. Snowed an inch or two overnight, though, and I thought—Nah. However, when we reached the big ’ol switchback, I changed my mind. We did the hike.
Before that, though, early in our hike, when I didn’t imagine I’d see anything too interesting, what should appear in the Russian olive tree but a Northern Goshawk. Third-ever bird of this species I’ve had, all in this particular patch.
Up the ridge, I spied a solitaire, heard Chukars—and I kept losing one or the other of my new ice grips. [I’d had this brand before, and they were fine, but something changed, apparently.] Didn’t really need them (eventually just took ’em off), but three times I had to retrace my steps to track down the lost grip. Once descending a couple hundred feet, at least. The hike took a good hour longer than usual on account of it.
But, kind of surprisingly, it was totally worth it—spending that extra time up a mountain with my dog.
Thankful.
Grandeur Peak Area List Beginning at 8:17 a.m. (MST), I hiked some 1,200 feet up a mountain.
Colder today than during yesterday’s snow, but clear with a warming sun. Encountered no one else during my hike with Jack—but there were plenty of tracks in the snow. Mice, deer, dog, human. Quite a few birds out, too.
And then I caught sight of a distant hawk. Too far away to ID in the field, but I thought perhaps it was a red-tail. It flew low, then perched up the mountainside near a mule deer. Through my optics, I saw that it perched upright and seemed to be wearing a dinner jacket—but that’s about it. Decided just to keep my eye out.
On our return trip, my eye spied a nearer hawk. I saw right away it was a goshawk. And it struck me that it was the same bird. (Accipiters tend to fly low, then swoop up to a perch. They have an upright posture and are nearly as large as a Red-tailed Hawk.) Felt good to solve that puzzle.
Coincidentally, in town, I spotted a red-tail, perched on a utility tower.
Grandeur Peak Area List Beginning at 9:30 a.m., I hiked a few hundred feet up the mountain.
1. House Finch* (v) 2. American Robin* (v) 3. Dark-eyed Junco* 4. Woodhouse’s Scrub-jay 5. Black-billed Magpie* 6. Black-capped Chickadee* 7. Northern Goshawk 8. Lesser Goldfinch** (v) 9. Song Sparrow** (v) 10. Pine Siskin
Elsewhere
11. Red-tailed Hawk 12. European Starling 13. Rock Pigeon 14. Mourning Dove 15. Eurasian Collared Dove 16. House Sparrow
Mammals
Rocky Mountain Elk Mule Deer
(v) Voice only *Also elsewhere **Voice only elsewhere
Light snow and thick fog this morning. Temps right around freezing (or a tad above). Dog and I didn’t make it to the trailhead until late morning—still pretty foggy, and I didn’t know what to expect. Kind of thought it might be fun to encounter a surprise.
Goshawk takes flight.
And I did.
Returning from the first leg of trail (which offered up a few deer, fox tracks, and several bird species), I spotted a hawk sitting tall far ahead of us. Thought it was a red-tail at first, but then it took off, showing a long accipiter tail and relatively fast-flapping wings. It flew our way, perched quite near. It had white eyebrows.
My first ever Northern Goshawk. Woo-hoo!
Grandeur Peak Area List Beginning at 11:30 a.m., I hiked a few hundred feet up the mountain.
1. House Finch** (v) 2. Black-billed Magpie** 3. Black-capped Chickadee (v) 4. Woodhouse’s Scrub-jay** 5. Northern Flicker (v) 6. Northern Goshawk 7. Song Sparrow** 8. Pine Siskin 9. California Quail
