We got up to the trail a bit later this morning, Captain Jack and I—9 a.m., to be exact. The sun had topped the mountains, and the variety of birds was a bit different.
The oddest thing: no corvids on my list. Can’t remember the last time that happened (if ever). Also only one warbler. After failing to track down two grosbeaks yesterday, one just kind of dropped in my lap this morning.
Lovely day. Warm and dry. Early breeze giving way to a summery calm. No mountain lions, though.
Grandeur Peak Area List Beginning at 9 a.m., I hiked about 1,200 feet up a mountain.
Usually I stick to birds around here, but this breezy, blue-sky morning I saw my first mountain lion.
I heard it first—a high, slurred whistle that didn’t sound like any bird I knew—then scanned the sunny slope across the valley and spotted the big cat. It was clearly a youngster, was just wandering around sniffing things. And in broad daylight, no less. Still an exciting moment.
Elsewhere, quite a few bird species on my list—including two lifers for me (White-throated Swift and Willow Flycacher).
Just another memorable spring day.
Grandeur Peak Area List Beginning at 7:45 a.m., I hiked about 1,200 feet up a mountain.
Chilly this morning (upper-30s (F)), with a clear blue sky and a bit of breeze. Lots of birds moving about—the usual suspects mostly—but some interesting finds.
Most interesting was a newly constructed gnatcatcher’s nest directly above a shady section of trail. I heard the birds first, then saw an active pair scolding Captain Jack and me, then noticed that one of the pair was sitting on a nest. Not wanting to disturb, I took a few quick photos, then we continued on our way.
(That little nest, though—so complete and well-constructed. Truly a lovely thing.)
Grandeur Peak Area List Beginning at 8 a.m., I hiked several hundred feet up a mountain.
Bird Report is an intermittent record of what's outside my window in Rockport, Maine, USA (44°08'N latitude, 69°06'W longitude), and vicinity. —Brian Willson
