Ever day while out hiking, we encounter at least a few surprises, dog and I. This morning—in a warm, dry (mostly) overcast—we encountered several:
• a random Red-tailed Hawk soaring over the elementary school below us; • a random grosbeak flitting up to an exposes perch between us and the hawk; • several sildent buntings popping up, males and females and juvies; • three towhees only, and identified only by their voices; • a surprise tanager (young male) appearing in a tree in front of us; • the surprising discovery, when he turned his head, that the tanager had only one eye; • the surprise appearance of a motionless gopher snake stretched out right next to the trail on our return.
I’m sure there were more, but those are the ones that stand out as I write on the evening of this day—after a surprise late-afternoon thundershower showed up and soaked our thirsty landscape.
Grandeur Peak Area List Beginning at 6:42 a.m. (7:42 MDT), I hiked a few hundred feet up a mountain.
1. American Robin* 2. Rock Pigeon* 3. Mourning Dove 4. Woodhouse’s Scrub-jay 5. Black-capped Chickadee 6. Lazuli Bunting 7. Black-chinned Hummingbird* 8. Black-billed Magpie* 9. Black-headed Grosbeak 10. House Finch** 11. Red-tailed Hawk 12. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 13. Spotted Towhee 14. Lesser Goldfinch** 15. Western Tanager
When Jack and I hit the trail this morning, I saw faint curtains streaming from the clouds in the sky and thought, rain. And maybe a little rain did fall out there in the basin under those faint curtains, but none fell on me and my dog.
We had a good hike, though—17 species, most in a while. Got a glimpse of a tanager and three Black-throated Gray Warblers and another coop. Back home in hot, sunny afternoon, a monarch in the garden.
My first rainless experience. Kinda makes you think and wish and hope.
Grandeur Peak Area List Beginning at 6:55 a.m. (7:55 MDT), I hiked a few hundred feet up a mountain.
One nice thing about hiking the same patch every day is getting to know the wildlife well—the individual birds, bird families, where they hang out, their calls, their habits. As rewarding, arguably, are the surprises.
Today’s surprises were: 1) a Eurasian Collared-dove perched on a wire usually occupied by a Mouning dove; 2) a cottontail far afield from where we usually encounter them, dog and I; 3) a random tanager showing up weeks after my last sighting.
Surprises are fun. And not uncommonly experience by the daily birder. (I’m tellin’ ya, birding improves your life.)
Grandeur Peak Area List Beginning at 6:36 a.m. (7:36 MDT), I hiked a few hundred feet up a mountain.
1. Lazuli Bunting 2. Woodhouse’s Scrub-jay (v) 3. Lesser Goldfinch** 4. Black-capped Chickadee (v) 5. House Finch* 6. Eurasian Collared-dove 7. Black-chinned Hummingbird 8. Hawk (sp.) 9. Mourning Dove 10. Black-headed Grosbeak 11. Rock Pigeon 12. Spotted Towhee 13. Black-billed Magpie** 14. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 15. Western Tanager 16. American Robin
Elsewhere
17. House Sparrow 18. California Quail
Mammals
Red Squirrel Rock Squirrel Mountain Cottontail
(v) Voice only *Also elsewhere **Voice only elsewhere
