Overcast and hazy sun this morning. Birds about—plenty of ’em, vocalizing and moving around—although no crazy migrants yet. Breeze was from the southwest, though, so favorable for mogration.
Wren again, nesting chickadees, five kinglets, a Cooper’s. Lots of birds in the neighborhood, too—and in town (including a domestic mallard in Sugar House that I did not list here).
Deer, too, and the voice of a quail.
Grandeur Peak Area List At 7:47 a.m., sun time, I hiked a few hundred feet up a mountain.
1. Pine Siskin** 2. American Robin* 2. Woodhouse’s Scrub-jay 3. Spotted Towhee 5. Rock Pigeon* 6. Black-capped Chickadee 7. Rock Wren 8. House Finch* (v) 9. California Quail* (v) 10. Northern Flicker* 11. Black-billed Magpie* (v) 12. Ruby-crowned Kinglet 13. Cooper’s Hawk (v) 14. Red-tailed Hawk 15. Song Sparrow* (v)
Elsewhere
18. Lesser Goldfinch 16. House Sparrow 17. Eurasian Collared-dove 18. European Starling 20. Mourning Dove 21. California Gull
Mammals
Red Squirrel Mule Deer
(v) Voice only *Also elsewhere **Voice only elsewhere
A few showers overnight, and more showers this morning, so dog and I waited a bit before embarking on what I knew would be a slippery, muddy hike. Which was awesome. A nice assortment of birds—including a handsome wren, a pair of vultures, the neighborhood redtail. Was also a three-mammal day. Got good and muddy, slipped three or four times, but never fell down.
Also busy at home, bird-wise: quail, sparrows, finches, and robins poking about in the garden. (The robins are doing some major nest-building.) A sunny, warm afternoon.
A springy day for sure.
Grandeur Peak Area List At 10:36 a.m., sun time, I hiked a few hundred feet up a mountain.
1. Pine Siskin** 2. American Robin* 3. Spotted Towhee 4. Black-capped Chickadee** 5. House Finch* (v) 6. Rock Wren 7. Red-tailed Hawk 8. Black-billed Magpie* (v) 9. Northern Flicker* (v) 10. Turkey Vulture 11. Woodhouse’s Scrub-jay 12. Cooper’s Hawk 13. Dark-eyed Junco (v) 14. Song Sparrow* (v)
Elsewhere
15. House Sparrow 16. Eurasian Collared-dove 17. Lesser Goldfinch 18. California Quail
Mammals
Rock Squirrel Mountain Cottontail Mule Deer
(v) Voice only *Also elsewhere **Voice only elsewhere
Had an early appointment, so Captain Jack and I were late to hit the trail this morning. The early sun had slipped behind a veil of haze—first trace of coming precipitation, I reckon—but the light was good, and there were a dozen bird species to watch and/or listen to.
Rock Wren.
A Rock Wren showed up, which was fun. And gang of fifteen deer surprised us (or me, at least) up amid the junipers. But the funnest moment was when I heard the voices of crows.
In Maine, crows appeared on my list nearly every day, whereas up in the foothills, I think I’ve only listed them a two or three times (I can recall two) in my years here. So I gasped when I heard a caw!—then another. I spied them a few hundred feet above us, eight in all, flying in a loose circle.
Seems I really miss ’em, crows.
Grandeur Peak Area List At 8:58 a.m., sun time, I hiked a few hundred feet up a mountain.
1. American Robin** 2. Eurasian Collared-dove** 3. Spotted Towhee 4. California Quail 5. Northern Flicker** 6. Rock Pigeon* 7. Dark-eyed Junco 8. Rock Wren 9. Woodhouse’s Scrub-jay 10. House Finch** 11. Black-capped Chickadee 12. American Crow
Elsewhere
13. Song Sparrow (v) 14. California Gull 15. European Starling 16. Lesser Goldfinch
Mammals
Rock Squirrel Mule Deer
(v) Voice only *Also elsewhere **Voice only elsewhere
