Nippy in the shade still, but warm in the sun. And the days are forecast to successively warmer through the weekend. Spring.
Jack and I completed most of our regular hike before veering off-course and up a high deer trail that connected with the route to the ridge overlooking our neighborhood, the one with a cairn on top. We even ventured farther up, to more than 6,300 feet, before returing.
The clean spring air and exercise and unnerving cloudlessness thrilled us both, I like to think—which was fortunate, in that birds were rather scarce.
That soon won’t be the case, though, I can tell.
Grandeur Peak Area List
Beginning at 7:39 a.m. (8:39 MDT), I hiked about 1,200 feet up a mountain.
1. Northern Flicker (v)
2. Spotted Towhee
3. American Robin**
4. Woodhouse’s Scrub-jay (v)
5. Rock Pigeon*
6. Black-capped Chickadee
7. House Finch**
8. Black-billed Magpie** (v)
9. Cooper’s Hawk
Elsewhere
10. Song Sparrow
Mammals
Mule Deer
(v) Voice only
*Also elsewhere
**Voice only elsewhere
†First-of-year
Tags: American robin, black-billd magpie, black-capped chickadee, cooper's hawk, house finch, mule deer, northern flicker, rock pigeon, song sparrow, spotted towhee, Woodhouse’s scrub jay
