BIRDING TO THE EDG

Huffing and puffing all the way to the top of Colorado's highest peaks is no easy task. Yesterday, I started my journey from Denver at 2 am in order to get to the base of Mt. Bross (14,177 ft) at a decent hour. The trailhead is in the vicinity of Breckenridge, CO but very remote it is. Getting there early is a must since one needs to be off the mountain before noon (or thereabouts) to avoid potentially life-threatening lighting storms that are all too common on Colorado peaks during the early summer season. My head nodding from the lack of sleep, I finally role up to the trailhead at close to 5 am. I stepped outside of the car and temporarily jolted awake from the 40 degree temperature that slapped me cold in the face. I retreated to the car for a little cat-nap. Next time I hike a 14er I am camping, for sure. This driving business at 2 am is a total bummer.

Finally, at 5:45 am I commence my hike to the summit. The sun was just peeking over the hills and about to reign supreme on this kid's pasty, white skin. That is another advantage to getting off the mountain early is that you beat the midday sun which can be brutal....SUNSCREEN a necessity! The hike started at about 10,500 feet so I had a ways to go, but since I spend much time in the high country the elevation really doesn't hit me until 13,000 feet. It is at that point I hit the metaphorical wall and slow significantly. At that point I usually take 150 steps and take a quick breath-catch session and then do it again. I find this to be the best way to hike a 14er. I never go anywhere without binoculars, but hikes like this you need to evaluate the weight you carry. Every ounce is felt by your body (shoulders primarily). I decided to carry my Nikon Monarch 8x36 binocular given the combination of weight (19 ounces) and compact nature. It is like having a compact binocular with all the high-end amenities. The fully-multi coated lens' allow for supreme light absorption. Also, I always carry a Nikon micro-fiber lens cloth with me to do quick glass cleanings in the field. My bins get dirty often and need to be cleaned on the spot.

With my Nikon Monarch strapped to me and my pack weighing me down I continue the "hard march," up the big hill. I stopped to take a quick swig from my 100 ounce Camelbak at 13,100 feet and notice a familiar call off to my left. It was the call of a Brown-capped Rosy-Finch!!!! NIIIIICE! Their calls are loud, harsh and squeaky. In the form of a "CHEW." It is hard to explain otherwise, but at this elevation there aren't many choices for a call like that. The most common calls you will hear at this elevation sounds nothing like that of the finches. Birds that can be found here are American Pipit, Horned Lark, White-crowned Sparrow, Lincoln's Sparrows, etc.


I glance to my left only to find a group of 18 Rosy-Finches right at my feet. I almost didn't even see them. There was a small snowfield to my left and they were feeding on the perimeter of the field. Pretty expected to see this, from this finch.

The Rosy-Finch was split into three distinct species' a number of years ago and the Brown-capped Rosy-Finch breeds only in southern Wyoming, Colorado Rockies and north New Mexico. It's cousins, the Black Rosy-Finch breeds in Utah and other sporadic spots west and north of there. Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch breeds sporadically in California, Cascade region and parts of Canada through Alaska. However, they all migrate altitudinally mainly with a little southward movement. Colorado's Front range gets all three in winter at feeder stations. Brown-capped Rosy-Finch has the least migrational movement usually only decending to feeder territory in the winter.


Brown-capped Rosy-Finches breed on high ridges above 10,000 feet here in Colorado in the vicinity of year-round snow fields at which they feed on. They feed on seeds, grasses and insects when available. Notice the picture above with the grass in it's bill. These are all pictures of the males, but the females are a much more drab version. Juveniles hatch starting now for another two-three weeks and are very dirty-looking with streaks on the chest. Females do much of the brood rearing and nest building. The nest is a cup of grasses and moss that is built in a high crevice on a cliff. They usually appear in high numbers whether in winter or summer and they are common in the proper habitat. More often than not you need to hike majorly to get to them in summer so get your lungs expanded and good luck hiking up to these little buggers.

Thanks for reading and please join back! All photos were taken with a Nikon D200 and a 300mm F4 Nikkor lens.