Hi All, Just returned from a two-day trip up Pikes Peak, and a couple observations of note: - A band-tailed pigeon was 'singing' this morning at 11,500ft in subalpine Spruce/Limber Pine woods. Looking at eBird, this is not completely outlandish, but definitely seemed unusual. - A white-tailed ptarmigan on the East Face on the mountain. (They're a pretty hard bird to peg down on Pikes.) - A golden eagle high up just off the summit. There is a resident pair I often see on the mountain, but it's always a treat nonetheless.
Lots of other good birds around. Hermit thrushes are still singing in the subalpine woods, though the kinglets seem to have quieted down a bit. Many Virginia's warblers where the foothills and montane habitat meet on the bottom three miles. Also, I was seeing white-crowned sparrows as high as 14,000ft - I am used to them being abundant in the krummholz habitat at timberline, but usually not so much higher. Other interesting non-avian observations included colorado bighorns and several calling pika on the East Face. Also the white *ochroleucum* variety of* *Monkshood at No Name creek, and my first Star Gentian (*Swertia* * perennis*) of the summer. Lee Farese Colorado Springs -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Colorado Birds" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/63841616-ffbf-471b-ac82-3bd212bc0702%40googlegroups.com. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
