A rather nippy morning—30s (F) in the shade—but plenty of warming sunshine after we emerged from the mountain’s shadow. Not very birdy early, but a few did pose for pics. About half-way I spied a red-tail flying over. Then I heard the telltale notes of a Townsend’s Solitaire.
Had neither heard nor seen a solitaire for several months. And it was only a few notes—but I knew the sound. Spun slowly around, searching high treetops, and finally saw a bird leaving a perch up ahead, headed in our direction. It stopped on a twig just above us, dog and me.
After grabbing photos, we continued our hike, but while admiring my luck I forgot to keep birding—and missed getting a pic of a second solitaire perched nearly as close as the first. They both headed off toward the shady gully where frequently I’ve seen them.
Rain tomorrow. We’ll see how it goes.
Grandeur Peak Area List
At 8:58 MST, I hiked a few hundred feet up a mountain.
1. Black-billed Magpie*
2. Spotted Towhee (v)
3. Woodhouse’s Scrub-jay (v)
4. Northern Flicker
5. Rock Pigeon*
6. Dark-eyed Junco
7. House Finch**
8. Red-tailed Hawk
9. Pine Siskin (v)
10. Yellow-rumped Warbler
11. Townsend’s Solitaire
12. Song Sparrow (v)
Elsewhere
13. Lesser Goldfinch (v)
14. European Starling
Mammals
Red Squirrel
(v) Voice only
*Also elsewhere
**Voice only elsewhere
Tags: black-billed magpie, dark-eyed junco, European starling, house finch, lesser goldfinch, northern flicker, pine siskin, red squirrel, red-tailed hawk, rock pigeon, song sparrow, spotted towhee, Townsend’s solitaire, Woodhouse’s scrub jay, yellow-rumped warbler
