An eventful morning, but not for the wildlife. For the third time in the past year, I dropped my trusty old Garmin Edge on the trail with dog—but this time, retracing our steps, I didn’t find it. So I bought a new one.

Otherwise, the day was forecast to be similar to yesterday, so we started later, so I could compare bird activity in sunnier conditions. Turns out there were fewer—but it might’ve been due to the bad air. (Big ol’ inversion had a haze of particulates up to a couple thousand feet, looked like.)

The highlight of our hike: At just about the same hour as yesterday, at almost exactly the same place, a flicker flew by in the same direction—only this time, while also being my first bird photo, it was my only good ’un.

(Will look for the old Garmin again in the morning.)

Grandeur Peak Area List
At 09:40 MST, I hiked a few hundred feet up a mountain.

1. Black-capped Chickadee
2. Black-billed Magpie** (v)
3. Dark-eyed Junco
4. House Finch** (v)
5. Woodhouse’s Scrub-jay (v)
6. Rock Pigeon*
7. Northern Flicker**
8. Townsend’s Solitaire (v)
9. Pine Siskin (v)

Elsewhere

10. House Sparrow* (v)
11. Song Sparrow

Mammals

Red Squirrel
Mountain Cottontail
Mule Deer

(v) Voice only
*Also elsewhere
**Voice only elsewhere