As dog and I were hiking our usual trail this clear, calm morning, I heard the chuck-chuck! of Chukars up a grassy, scrub-oaky slope, somewhere beyond a few lone junipers. On a lark, I decided to leave the trail. We hiked about halfway to the rocky outcrop, I bet—maybe 15 minutes up or so, in the direction of a small herd of deer, following their trails—before I realized there was no way I’d ever spot those secretive fowl.
That’s when the solitaire showed up.
What began as a Chukar adventure transformed into a Townsend’s Solitaire adventure. I got photos, I got videos, I observed interesting behavior, I listened to the bird’s lovely, faint, throaty, warbly song.
Later, a lone raven flew low overhead. All in all, a very nice day.
Grandeur Peak Area List
Beginning at 9:15 a.m., I hiked a couple hundred feet up the mountain.
1. Black-billed Magpie*
2. Northern Flicker** (v)
3. American Robin*
4. Black-capped Chickadee
5. House Finch*
6. Spotted Towhee
7. Dark-eyed Junco
8. Lesser Goldfinch (v)
9. Chukar (v)
10. Townsend’s Solitaire
11. Woodhouse’s Scrub-jay*
12. Pine Siskin (v)
Elsewhere
13. Eurasian Collared Dove
14. Rock Pigeon
15. California Gull
16. Red-tailed Hawk
17. California Quail
Mammals
Mule Deer
(v) Voice only
*Also elsewhere
**Voice only elsewhere
Tags: American robin, black-billed magpie, black-capped chickadee, California gull, California quail, chukar, dark-eyed junco, Eurasian collared dove, house finch, lesser goldfinch, mule deer, northern flicker, pine siskin, red-tailed hawk, rock pigeon, spotted towhee, Townsend’s solitaire, Woodhouse’s scrub jay
