Right at the beginning of my (truly active) birding hike with dog this morning, I heard the frantic, unmistakable voice of an American Kestrel and looked up to see two of the little falcons wheeling around in the sky above the trailhead. As I angled for an action shot I never got, one of the birds abruptly, veered rapidly away and down to a perch at the tip of a nearby conifer. Auspicious, that.
The next two hours were full of odd and surprising bird visitations. Most were species I’ve been seeing nearly every day, but one stood out: a lone Osprey—first I’ve seen in more year-plus here in Utah—circling high above us. Migrating, I suspect, because there’ll be cooler days ahead.
If the forecasters are typically accurate, in fact, tomorrow morning’s hike will be the nippiest of the season.
Grandeur Peak Area List Beginning at 8:45 a.m., I hiked a few hundred feet up a mountain.
1. House Finch* 2. American Kestrel 3. Woodhouse’s Scrub-jay** 4. Spotted Towhee 5. Northern Flicker 6. Pine Siskin 7. Juniper Titmouse 8. White-crowned Sparrow 9. Black-capped Chickadee 10. Black-billed Magpie* 11. American Robin 12. Ruby-crowned Kinglet 13. Dark-eyed Junco 14. Osprey 15. Downy Woodpecker 16. Mourning Dove*
Elsewhere
17. Rock Pigeon 18. American crow
(v) Voice only *Also elsewhere **Voice only elsewhere
Cool, breezy, sunny, birdy. What a lovely morning—complete with familiar voices. Birds were all over the place (young and old), so I wasn’t hurting for photographs.
We had ourselves the run of the hill this morning, oddly. Where were all the early Sunday morning hikers I’m accustomed to seeing? It was weird.
But that left more birds to pay attention to. A couple of minor oddities: Red-winged Blackbird in flight, and the voice of a (migrating?) Ruby-crowned kinglet. Many, many juveniles.
Dewy blueberries, too.
Beech Hill List Beginning at 7:15 a.m., I hiked the open trail.
I love the little Alder Flycatcher. These are shy birds, but the nest along he field edges of the preserve, and I’ve grown accustomed to their various subtle vocalizations (beyond their typical “free beer!” song).
Descending today, I heard the familiar Pip! alert sound of theirs coming from some greenery very near the trail. Of course Jack and I stopped so I could take a peek. The bird must’ve had fledglings nearby—otherwise I’d never have gotten close enough for this photo with a sprig of fireweed.
Beech Hill List Beginning at 7:30 a.m., I hiked the open trail.
1. Red-eyed Vireo** (v) 2. Black-capped Chickadee (v) 3. American Goldfinch (v) 4. American Crow* (v) 5. Chipping Sparrow* (v) 6. Tufted Titmouse (v) 7. Eastern Towhee 8. Common Yellowthroat 9. Gray Catbird** 10. Cedar Waxwing 11. Song Sparrow** 12. Field Sparrow (v) 13. Yellow Warbler (v) 14. Chestnut-sided Warbler (v) 15. Eastern Phoebe* 16. Eastern Bluebird 17. Osprey 18. American Robin 19. Savannah Sparrow 20. Alder Flycatcher
Elsewhere
21. Wild Turkey 22. Northern Cardinal (v) 23. Rock Pigeon 24. Mourning Dove
v = Voice only *Also elsewhere **Voice only elsewhere
