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
Few clouds in this morning’s blue sky, and few bird species up along the deer trails. Rock Squirrels were rather conspicuous, as were Mule Deer, and insects—flies, wasps, butterflies—were a bit more numerous. Seems we’ll still have to wait some days for the first wave of migrants.
Especially considering the weather forecast for tonight and tomorrow: cooler temperatures, higher winds, and a ew inches of morning snow.
Ah, sweet fickle spring!
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. House Finch* 3. Spotted Towhee 4. Song Sparrow** (v) 5. Rock Pigeon* 6. Woodhouse’s Scrub-jay 7. Black-capped Chickadee 8. Juniper Titmouse (v)
This day, Captain Jack’s thirteenth birthday, we headed up the switchback as usual. The sky, cloudless. The trails, dry. The sense of spring, surrounding us. May we share more springs to come.
No obvious migrants still (other than, perhaps, some robins)—but the year-round resident birds are active. A noisy gang of jays engaging in a row, chickadees (both black-capped and mountain) moving around, and the ringing songs of towhees.
I’ve likely mentioned here before the differences—and similarities—between the Eastern Towhee of Maine and the Spotted Towhee of Utah. Once considered races of the same species, they have much in common. Also plenty of vocal differences.
One similarity, though, is their ubiquitousness. I like a familiar bird.
Grandeur Peak Area List Beginning at 7:40 a.m. (8:40 MDT), I hiked a few hundred feet up a mountain.
1. Northern Flicker** 2. Song Sparrow* (v) 3. American Robin (v) 4. House Finch** 5. Rock Pigeon* 6. Spotted Towhee 7. Woodhouse’s Scrub-jay 8. Black-capped Chickadee 9. Mountain Chickadee
Elsewhere
10. House Sparrow (v)
Mammals
Mule Deer Rock Squirrel
(v) Voice only *Also elsewhere **Voice only elsewhere
