Idaho Day 7: West Pass, second time’s the charm?
Boulder Mountains, ID
Thursday 24 August 2023
69 °F
MONDAY, JANUARY 7:
My mom and I awoke at the crack of dawn to hike up to West Pass in the Boulder Mountains, a hike that my dad and I tried twelve years ago but didn’t make it to the top, so we wanted to give it a go this year. Target birds for today include Black and Gray-crowned Rosy-Finches, high alpine species of which the latter would be a life bird and the former an awesome year bird.
We were on the trail around seven in the morning, following a brief lost phone scare that was resolved when I found my phone wedged deep in the crevasse between the center console of the car and the driver seat. Alas…
Our first impressive sight, of many along this trail, was a collapsed glacier that had slid down the mountainside, over our trail, and onto the river below. It was covered in dirt and debris from the resulting landslide but there was a thick layer of ice below. Impressive to see this late in the season:
Following that sighting, we were treated with some of the most scenic valley and wildflower views of any hike we have ever taken:
Birds abounded, too, including male WESTERN TANAGER:
And a FOX SPARROW, a great species that we missed yesterday so I was happy to clean this one up:
SWAINSON’S THRUSH:
HAMMOND’S FLYCATCHERS abounded along the hike:
As well as their long-tailed cousin, the DUSKY:
The views kept getting better and better:
CHIPPING SPARROW:
Along with a female Tanager:
WHITE-CROWNED SPARROWS were omnipresent for much of the subalpine part of this hike:
As well as YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS, in Audubon’s form:
BREWER’S SPARROW:
We flushed a couple DUSKY GROUSE which proceeded to omit a cacophonous whirring with their wings clumsily barreling through the dense spruce saplings and shrubs adorning the trail. A great F.O.Y. bird:
After a few hours of relentless climbing, the trees opened up into a snowy alpine meadow where the views were nothing short of astonishing:
A couple GOLDEN EAGLES drifted by:
And the alpine wildflowers and butterflies did not disappoint:
CALLIOPE HUMMINGBIRD, the quintessential alpine hummer:
As we got nearer and nearer to the treeline and the summit of the hike, the flora and fauna trended increasingly alpine. We were treated to views of rare high-elevation mammals such as the cute Pika:
And Yellow-bellied Marmot:
Finally, I heard what I had been waiting for: the “cheep! cheep! cheep!” call reminiscent of the House Sparrow, but reverberant among the alpine rocks and amphitheaters: that of the denizen songbird of the Rocky Mountain West, the BLACK ROSY-FINCH! Absolutely awesome to hike up this bird on its breeding grounds, yet another incredibly difficult species to get in Idaho (this time of year).
I have only seen it twice before; Old Hyndman Basin and the basin above Profile Lake, both locations also being high alpine cirques adorned with snow and above the treeline. This species, along with the other two rosy-finches, truly have a peculiar affinity for the most windswept, inhospitable locales of the intermountain west.
Though inhospitable, the surrounding views were nothing short of legendary. One side looked high above the cirque from which we had just climbed, and the other direction gave an overarching view of the Boulder & White Cloud Mountains to the north. We hunkered out of the wind and took in the beautiful surroundings. At nearly 10,200 feet above sea level, this was the highest elevation we had ever hiked in Idaho.
That is, until I got distracted by birds. These MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRDS were my F.O.Y:
Flyover RED-TAILED HAWK:
Soon, it was time for the descent where we once again soaked up the incredible montane views:
The standout avian highlight from the downslope section was my F.O.Y. TOWNSEND’S SOLITAIRE, a species of high Rocky Mountain woodlands that I seem to always find in low numbers on my highest hikes here in Idaho. Absolutely awesome:
Following the hike, the many morel mushrooms from yesterday were enjoyed by Caroline, Ann, mom, and I — on top of steak!
It was a terrific end to the day, capped off by a few hilarious episodes of Arrested Development with Caroline.
Bird-of-the-day to the Black Rosy-Finches with runners-up to the Fox Sparrow, Golden Eagles, Calliope Hummingbird, and Townsend’s Solitaire. Fantastic mountain birding!
Happy birding,
Henry
World Life List: 1171 Species
