American Pipit, Mt. Baker Wilderness, WA

MT. BAKER A COOL RESPIT DURING A HOT SUMMER

 

Mt. Baker, as seen by the long entrance road, Mt. Baker Wilderness, WA; 8/7/2012.

American Pipit already out of its breeding colors, with a meal ready for its baby, Mt. Baker Wilderness, WA; 8/7/2012.

My first trip to the Mt. Baker (Above) Wilderness was fantastic. It was a beautiful area with lots of snow even a week into August (Below). This was a nice vacation away from the sweltering heat of the Midwest, where we were just a week earlier - in the 100 degree weather of Northern Illinois.

I enjoyed the snow at the end of the road leading into the Mt. Baker Wilderness, WA; 8/7/2012.



Bagley Lakes Trail, Mt. Baker Wilderness, WA; 8/7/2012

One of the cool trails that I hiked was the trail to Bagley Lakes (Above). It was on this trail that I found an American Pipit (2nd from top). It gave me some good looks, would fly away then come back, and chipped at me for quite some time. I knew then when it kept coming back that there was either a nest or young Pipit in the area. It was probably too late in the year for a nest, so I listened for a young Pipit to answer back to its mother's call.

A baby American Pipit, Bagley Lakes Trail, Mt. Baker Wolderness, WA; 8/7/2012.

And sure enough, soon I heard another bird chipping, and the sound was very near. After scanning the ground for a couple of minutes, I found it. The baby Pipit (Above and Below) was sitting in an open area not far from me, squawking at its mother but clearly not trying to fly away from me. It looked fully fledged enough to fly.

The same baby American Pipit, Bagley Lakes Trail, Mt. Baker Wolderness, WA; 8/7/2012.

The only other time I remember seeing an American Pipit was in Rocky Mt. Nat Park a couple of years earlier. These are high altitude birds that nest and breed on the tundra. They are found scattered about the Rocky Mt. highlands into Canada and Alaska.