A windy night last night, and down around freezing this morning. I didn’t head up to the trailhead with dog until 8 o’clock (9 DST)—and still the wind was howling.
But once we got up under the ridges, the air calmed, and the sun warmed us—and a list I expected to comprise five or six species ended up with eleven. The usual suspects, true, and not in great numbers. But I got to see a courtship ritual between a pair of Woodhouse’s Scrub-jays: the male appeared with a bit of nest fluff (more like a hair or filament) and delivered it to the female. Really rather touching.
Only a week or so before new arrivals come.
Grandeur Peak Area List Beginning at 8 a.m. (9 MDT), I hiked a few hundred feet up a mountain.
Quite a few bird species showed up on my hike with Jack this morning, but none so unexpected as the female House Sparrow I spotted on a little scrub oak snag overlooking the neighborhood. Pretty sure that’s the first of this species I’ve seen along the deer trails.
Also saw a deer on those trails (again, we got close without spooking it), and a raven, the resident pair of Cooper’s Hawks, and a chickadee inspecting a potential nest hole. Heard Chukars and a titmouse and a siskin.
We visited with three pair of hiking friends, too (and their dogs). All in all, a pleasant Sunday morning.
Grandeur Peak Area List Beginning at 7:29 a.m. (8:29 MDT), I hiked a few hundred feet up a mountain.
1. American Robin** 2. Song Sparrow** (v) 3. Spotted Towhee 4. Woodhouse’s Scrub-jay 5. Rock Pigeon* 6. Black-capped Chickadee 7. Northern Flicker 8. House Finch* 9. Chukar (v) 10. Black-billed Magpie* 11. House Sparrow** 12. Common Raven 13. Juniper Titmouse (v) 14. Cooper’s Hawk 15. Pine Siskin (v)
Elsewhere
16. Eurasian Collared-dove
Mammals
Mountain Cottontail Mule Deer Rock Squirrel
(v) Voice only *Also elsewhere **Voice only elsewhere
On something of a lark (or simply remembering my lifer pair of Mountain Bluebirds last April there), I led Jack up to the cairn ridge—and beyond. We two oldsters hiked up above 7,000 feet and took another route down.
The day was cool at first but warmed up considerably. Saw no bluebirds—nor many species altogether—but we did encountered a pair of Chukars and, descending near the raven stone, the ravens themselves flew silently from behind us, very near, and off across the valley.
A long hike that left us both a bit spent, but well worth it.
Grandeur Peak Area List Beginning at 7:32 a.m. (8:32 MDT), I hiked some 2,000 feet up a mountain.
1. Lesser Goldfinch** 2. Black-billed Magpie* 3. American Robin* 4. Spotted Towhee 5. Rock Pigeon* 6. Woodhouse’s Scrub-jay 7. Black-capped Chickadee 8. Red-breasted Nuthatch (v) 9. House Finch** 10. Chukar 11. Pine Siskin (v) 12. Common Raven 13. Song Sparrow* (v)
Elsewhere
14. House Sparrow (v) 15. Northern Flicker (v) 16. California Quail 17. Eurasian Collared-dove
Mammals
Rock Squirrel
(v) Voice only *Also elsewhere **Voice only elsewhere
