I’d lived here in Utah about a year before I saw my first (ever) Cassin’s Finch. In the past few months, I’ve seen a bunch of ’em.
From what I understand, they tend to wander around in flocks, depending on food, weather, and/or reasons known only to themselves. They’ve been hanging around a lot lately, though, and I’m glad. I like the way they look—all clean-cut and stylish looks. I also like their habit of letting me approach nearer than other finches do. Makes for some nice photos.
We got to the trailhead about ten minutes later this morning than usual. By design, kind of. I wondered if a later start might lead to more action than a hike mostly in the mountain shade.
Right away, the action was pretty great—within about five minutes, I had several species, including a nuthatch, two titmice, a Mountain Chickadee, and a female Downy Woodpecker (later found the male in his usual patch). But then things settled down for much of the rest of the hike.
Until the last hundred yards or so, which brought a flurry of activity: juncos, a Cooper’s Hawk, a singing Townsend’s Solitaire, and two finch species.
Honestly, I doubt the later start had anything to do with it. Still a fun day, though.
Grandeur Peak Area List Beginning at 8:40 a.m. (MST), I hiked several hundred feet up a mountain.
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.
