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
Much unlike yesterday’s lowery overcast, this morning’s sky had no clouds in it, and the air carried quite a chill. Still fun to watch the doings of the wild bird life—especially, this morning, the Black-chinned Hummingbirds.
Broad-tails are also nesting around here somewhere, but it’s the black-chinneds that are zipping around everywhere above the scrubby surrounds. I’ve learned the peculiar hum their wings make as they zip by, as well as the fluty sounds those wings can emit when they’re doing their “U” display—zip up, pause zip down and up, pause, back and forth in the exaggerated shape of the alphabets twenty-first letter.
Today, I watched this display in minature, as a black-chinned made little declarative U’s in front of clump of sagebrush. I spied another hummer within the slump—rival? potential mate?—as the U-maker decided to perch for a bit.
That’s when I took this picture.
Grandeur Peak Area List Beginning at 7:11 a.m. (8:11 MDT), I hiked a few hundred feet up a mountain.
Grandeur Peak Area List Beginning at 8:59 a.m., I hiked a few hundred feet up a mountain.
As forecast, it rained this early morning. Not a lot, but enough to make things good and damp for a while. And up in the peaks—snow.
Lovely skies, but quiet birding. Still, what I did see and hear gave me pleasure. And a couple of halfway decent photos. Most fun were a bunch of juncos, another Mountain Chickadee, a couple yellow-rumps, and three White-crowned Sparrows (an adult and two juvies).
All will be dry again in the morning, but it seems a coldish snap has taken hold. Looking forward to tomorrow.
Grandeur Peak Area List Beginning at 8:59 a.m., I hiked a few hundred feet up a mountain.
1. Black-billed Magpie 2. House Sparrow (v) 3. House Finch* 4. Mountain Chickadee (v) 5. Yellow-rumped Warbler 6. Pine Siskin 7. American Robin** 8. Dark-eyed Junco 9. Woodhouse’s Scrub-jay 10. Spotted Towhee 11. Black-capped Chickadee (v) 12. Northern Flicker 13. Downy Woodpecker (v) 14. Mourning Dove 15. White-crowned Sparrow
Elsewhere
16. Lesser Goldfinch 17. Rock Pigeon 18. Eurasian Collared Dove
Mammals
Red Squirrel (v)
(v) Voice only *Also elsewhere **Voice only elsewhere