This morning’s hike with do became surreal in a hurry. First, the smoke remains (thicker than yesterday)—which kept things cool, at least. But it also made the light an odd orange-yellow. And I heard hardly any birds at all for a good part of our excursion. (Saw only a few, too.)
No towhees. No pigeons. One bunting. No gnatcatchers. A single cry from a young hawk. A sparrow I couldn’t identify.
At last, in the gully, hummingbirds rose and surrounded us—which, while a sweet relief, was also rather surreal.
[08/13/2021 update: Also surreal is the fact that my featured photo this date was a female Calliope Hummingbird, not a female broad-tailed. Yowza!]
Grandeur Peak Area List
Beginning at 7:09 a.m. (8:09 MDT), I hiked a few hundred feet up a mountain.
1. Lesser Goldfinch (v)
2. Mourning Dove*
3. Black-chinned Hummingbird
4. Woodhouse’s Scrub-jay
5. House Finch** (v)
6. Black-billed Magpie*
7. Broad-tailed Hummingbird
8. Cooper’s Hawk (v)
9. Rufous Hummingbird
10. Calliope Hummingbird
11. Warbling Vireo (v)
12. Sparrow (sp.)
13. Lazuli Bunting (v)
Elsewhere
14. Eurasian Collared-dove
15. Rock Pigeon
16. California Quail
Mammals
Rock Squirrel
(v) Voice only
*Also elsewhere
**Voice only elsewhere
Tags: black-billed magpie, black-chinned hummingbird, broad-tailed hummingbird, California quail, cooper's hawk, Eurasian collared dove, house finch, lazuli bunting, lesser goldfinch, mourning dove, rock pigeon, rock squirrel, rufous hummingbird, sparrow (sp), warbling vireo, Woodhouse’s scrub jay
