My World: Picacho Peak

Volcanic Rock and clear skys 4-14-09 by Kathiesbirds

It is a windy day the afternoon I pull into Picacho Peak State Park. Blue skys greet me as I present my State Parks Pass and drive in. It has been 3 years since I have been here and I am eager to be back. Last time I was here we still lived in Utah and Gus and I were down here visiting my son and his wife in their new home in Coolidge for Thanksgiving. It was that very trip that sparked our move to Arizona, and now I am driving back after a two day visit to see them and my new grandson.

Clouds roll in 4-14-09 by Kathiesbirds

Picacho Peak sits right along I-10 and is visible from both directions. It's unique shape has been a landmark long before motor vehicles were invented and long before their was even a road here. It was first recorded by the Anza expedition in the 1700's. Later the Morman Battalion constructed a road through Picacho Pass in 1848. This road was used by the Butterfield Overland Stage in the late 1950's. However, Picahco Peak is best known to non-native Americans as the site of the only Civil War Battle in Arizona. The Battle of Picacho Pass took place on April 15, 1862. Lasting only 1 1/2 hours, three union soldiers were killed before it was all over. A monument to the battle is located in the park and until recent budget cuts, a Civil war re-enactment was held here on a yearly basis.

High Peaks tower over me 4-14-09

Today I am here to watch birds, however. Last time I was here I was not eBirding. For my own personal pleasure, I kept a list of the species, but not a count of how many birds I had seen. I know Picacho Peak as the first place I saw a Black-throated Sparrow and a Verdin. Now I am wondering what birds I will see today.

Saguaro Slopes 4-14-09

The high gusty winds are blowing the clouds in like a thick blanket above me. The winds also seem to be keeping the birds down and the ones I see are few and far between.

Dust storm across the highway 4-14-09

Across the highway the high winds blow up a dust storm in gossamer gray clouds.

Prickly Pear Blossom 4-14-09

But I am soon distracted by the bright yellow blossom of a prickly pear cactus.

Looking back down the trail 4-14-09

I find a little .2 mile hike up the slope of the peak called the Children's Cave. Though I am not technically a child, my curiosity is piqued and I start up the winding path. The path crosses a little bridge, then follows a couple of switchbacks as it gains elevation. I turn back to see the view and my lone car parked in the parking lot.

View to the southeast 4-14-09

I look southeast towards Tucson and the Catalina Mountains. The new Visitor Center lies before me, as well as the edge of the peak.

View to the northeast 4-14-09

Though I have been allover the park in my car checking on spots to bird, I have seen the most birds along the main road at the Palo Verde Ramada. I see it across the street now with the Ramada looking like a giant picnic table. Beyond it a rock formation on the other side of the highway looks like a sleeping dragon. I wonder why the birds like this area so much. I am determined to find out.

So, after peaking in the little cave I head back down the trail. I drive the short distance to the Ramada because I want to sit in it out of the wind and record my bird counts. As soon as I park my car, however, I am off taking photos of a cactus wren.

The secret pool 4-14-09

Then the sounds of birds entices me across the street where earlier I had seen 12 chipping sparrows alongside the road. As I cross the road and look down the embankment I see the source of their interest. A little cement pool sits at the bottom of the wash with what I can only assume is the overflow of gray water from the restrooms above. In the desert water is a precious thing and the sustainer of life. I look on as a few mourning doves and House Finches gather at the edges. The mourning doves stay on the ground while the house finches cling to the desert broom that sways over the pool. I am always surprised when I find house finches in a wild place as I think of them as suburban birds. But here they are on the slopes of Picacho Peak, wild as any other bird that inhabits this dry land.

I turn from the pool to head to the Ramada once again when I spot a thrasher on a Saguaro. I creep closer to see if it is a Bendire's Thrasher, but that long curved bill reveals it to be the usual Curve-billed Thrasher. We have Bendire's Thrashers here in Arizona and I am on the hunt to see one. They are very similar to the Curve-billed with the only differences being subtle changes in the length and curve of the bill, a pale base to the bill, and arrowhead shaped spots instead of indistinct round spots on the breast. So far I have not been confident enough to know I have seen one, so I keep studying on it. While I am watching the curve-billed I hear a chattering in the creosote bushes beside me. I turn to look...

Who's in the bush? 4-14-09

Could it be? I start stalking the little gray bird as it flits about from twig to twig staying deep in the foliage. Everytime it reveals itself it flies aways before I can focus on it.

Patience pays off 4-14-09

Finally my patience pays off as the Black-tailed Gnatcatcher pops up on a branch just long enough for me to snap a photo. I see his black cap and his white eye-ring before it disappears again. I wait a little longer and then...

Black-tailed Gnatcatcher by Kathie Brown 4-14-09

Mouth-gaping surprise! The little bird poses for me. I hear the shutter clicking even faster than the beating of my own heart. And then...

Good-bye!

Birds Seen at Picacho Peak on April 14, 2009:

1. Turkey Vulture
2. Mourning Dove
3. Gila Woodpecker
4. Cactus Wren
5. Curve-billed Thrasher
6. Ash-throated Flycatcher
7. Verdin
8. Black-tailed Gnatcatcher
9. Common Raven
10. White-crowned sparrow
11. Chipping Sparrow
12. House Finch

Blogger's Notes: all of today's Photography is by Kathie Brown with the Nikon D80 and the 70-300 mm lens. The historical information in today's post was gleaned from the Picacho Peak website and Wikipedia, as well as from my own experience of being there. To read more about Picacho Peak visit the Picacho Peak website as well as the Picacho Peak History Page. Wikipedia's Picacho Peak entry has an excellent photo of the Cival War re-enactment. I hope this post encourages you to stop and visit Picacho Peak if you are ever in the area!

Skywatch Friday: Ocotillo Sky

Ccactus Wren on Ocotillo 3-20-09 Sycamore Canyon

Brewer's sparrow-A thorny perch 11-30-08

Ocotillos en masse in Sycamore Canyon 3-19-08

Ocotillo on the rim of Sycamore Canyon 3-24-09

Ocotillo Buds 3-29-08 Saguaro NP

Ocotillo blossoms-Fire in the Sky! 4-24-08

Bullock's Oriole and Ocotillo Blossoms 4-27-08

Casa Grande Ruins National Monument

Ocotillo Sunset in Sycamore Canyon 8-10-08

Ocotillo has to be one of the most interesting plants I have become aquainted with since moving to Arizona. They always remind me of an inverted jelly fish with rigamortis! Ocotillo are drought deciduous, which means they loose their leaves during drought and grow them back during the rainy season. The tiny leaves slowy turn yellow before dropping like coins to the ground. In spite of the fact that there is no main trunk, ocatillo are still considered to have branches. The dried branches have been used for centuries as fencing. They are also used by many species of birds for perching on and some even eat the blossoms. Hummingbirds use the nectar for food, as well as numerous butterflies and some nectar feeding bats. All these photos have been taken since we moved here with our Nikon D80 and some were taken by Gus while others were taken by me. As you scan down the photos you might wonder why anyone would want one of these in their yard, but as you get near the bottom you can see why. When they are in bloom they are spectacular!

Visit more amazing skys at Skywatch Friday!

Thanks Skywatch Team!

Clearing My Head

California Brittle bush 3-20-09 by Kathiesbirds

As the slow gray dawn blushes pink in the east my feet hit the floor as my mind races. For the first night in over a month I have made it through the night without the pain killers I have been taking to alleviate the jaw pain from a dental procedure gone awry. I had feared this day would never come, yet here it was. I hate to take medication of any kind but the pain and swelling were unendurable. Yet, I could feel my creativity slow with every pill I took. Now I feel the weight of my own body as I walk out the front door. I have been inside for too long. I crave nature like a drug. I need to be outside and away from these walls and this ceiling. I want to shed these human trappings and fly free like a bird…

Globe Mallow 3-20-09 by Kathiesbirds

…however, it is Friday before I finally take that walk and after doing all my morning chores it is late by the time I get out the door at 9:30 a.m. The workers have already been busy on the house across the way for three hours or more. An overcast sky greets me today. The great blue yonder is lost in a veil of thin gray clouds that shield the sun’s rays, but I feel the humidity in the air. The day feels muggy to me.

Fairy duster blossoms a.k.a. False mesquite 3-20-09

Wild flowers are blossoming everywhere and with blooms come the bees. I can barely look at a flower without finding a bee crawling greedily over it. They seem frantic in their search for pollen and not one iota interested in me. I am glad to see and hear the bees, even though I know most of these are probably Africanized. I keep my distance as I walk along with the hum of their spring song in my ears.

Wolf Berries 3-20-09 by Kathiesbirds


Brittlebush 3-20-09 by Kathiesbirds




Vesper Sparrow on Mesquite with Creosote bush 3-20-09

Down the street I cut the corner on the Saguaro Loop trail. This little patch of desert is often ripe with bird life, and this morning is no different as the songs of sparrows, curved-billed thrashers, and the cackle of cactus wrens greets me.

Cactus Wren 3-20-09 by Kathiesbirds

Update 3-28-09: Mormon Tea identified by Diane. Thanks Diane!

I wander slowly down the winding trail past plants I know and some I don’t. So many things are in bloom right now, and the wolf berries are already fruiting! I find one strange plant with tube-like stems and buds emerging like grains of wheat!


Its overall size is about 2 feet high and scraggly. I marvel at the shape and texture of the buds and wonder what it’s called.

I follow the gravel path onward and emerge on the pavement again. Car after car passes by in the time it takes me to reach the road and cross to where I disappear into the desert on the Barrel Cactus Loop Trail.

These trails are marked and maintained by the HOA for use by residence and others.

From here I can see the new Fire Station with its silver roof blending into the soft gray sky. It’s not the prettiest place in town, but I am glad that they have done the whole building with solar power.

I am taking this trail because it follows the wash behind my friend Sherri’s house. Whenever I visit her I see and hear so many birds in the open space beyond her fence. Today I want to see what I can see and hear for myself, alone and uninterrupted by conversation or the need to socialize. I need to be alone in nature. I need to feel like I am someplace wild. I have been seeing thrashers everywhere and now is no exception. They perch aloft on ocotillo and mesquite and fly to the ground to skulk beneath the scrub. I am searching everywhere for something new, but I am seeing all the usual suspects. Verdin call with their “tu-tu-tu” from the tree tops. Sparrows scatter like dust in the wind. I hear the “chi-CA-go” call of Gambel’s quail farther out in the desert while all around me the backs of houses loom like manmade cliffs.

Thrasher Sky 3-20-09 by Kathiesbirds

The width of this open space varies as it runs between the neighborhoods. The trail meanders down into gullies, then brings me close to backyards. I do not like being close to the backyards. This is not quite the nature fix I wanted, but I am amazed at all the birds I am seeing. How is it that they have been able to make peace with the human presence? They seem to feel safe in this desert scrub as they dive for cover when they hear my approaching footsteps. Though I try ever so hard to tread lightly, my footsteps on gravel sound like magnified crunching even to my ears.

New Growth on a Prickly Pear 3-20-09 by Kathiesbirds

I find a little wooden bench behind someone’s house. It looks so inviting in the shade of some bushes. I consider sitting for a few moments to see if the birds will relax and come to me, but I can hear them calling father down the path and I walk on.

Desert Hackberry Bush 3-20-09 by Kathiesbirds

The sounds of sparrows singing has risen to a cacophony right behind Sherrie’s house. I stand here and try to figure out why this place? What is so inviting to the birds right here. The presence of Hackberry bushes is one clue, as well as numerous varieties of cacti. I see Palo Verde Trees and mesquite along with creosote bush and other scrub I don’t know the names of yet. The homes above me on the west end at their rail fenced yards where the gravelly earth slops down to the wash. This is one of the widest points between the two neighborhoods and for some reason, the birds love it.

Canyon towhees in Hackberry bush 3-20-09 by Kathiesbirds

I can identify white-crowned sparrows, brewer’s sparrows, house finches, house sparrows and rufous-winged sparrows here. I find one lone pine siskin in a nearby bush, and then a pair of Canyon towhees flies into the hackberry bush before me like desert dust with feathers and wings. They watch me warily before diving for cover again.

Desert cottontail 3-20-09 by Kathiesbirds

I feel like I am walking down the bunny trail when a little Desert Cottontail comes hopping along. It doesn’t see me at first, but stops dead in its tracks when it does. It pauses on the path and we stare at each other for a few seconds before it hops off into the surrounding scrub. I am about to continue down the trail when three more little bunnies come racing towards me. They spot me even sooner and veer off sharply not knowing that I would never hurt them.

Lesser Goldfinch 3-20-09 by Kathiesbirds

A few steps farther down the path I hear the twitter of a lone Lesser Goldfinch atop an ocotillo. She grasps her thorny perch and sings her spring song to a pale sky before flying off. A male Pyrrhuloxia flies to the top of a tree to sing, and then I spot his female staying low in the brush. Eventually she joins him briefly before melting quietly into the shadows and thickets once again.

I must have stood here for over a half an hour trying to figure out all the birds I am seeing, but the heat of the day urges me onwards and I finally continue down the path. Suddenly the scrub grows silent and I wonder why. They say the birds are down by ten, and it must be after that time. Did they all simultaneously decide to sleep? I spot a male cardinal fighting with a thrasher in a tree a few paces on. I pause to try to coax it up by “pishing.” As I purse my lips and force the air between them the birds actually dive for cover and then a Cooper’s hawk rises slow and irritated from a nearby tree. Of course! I should know by now. If all the birds become suddenly silent, a hawk is usually lurking somewhere nearby. If I had just looked a little farther down the path I might have seen it sitting on its lookout perch.

I can feel the heat on my back now and I fear I am starting to burn. I quicken my pace as I finish the trail and emerge on the street once again. In the last few paces of the desert wash another thrasher waits atop a saguaro, a Gila woodpecker laughs at me and three mourning doves fly up on whistling wings from beneath the shelter of a creosote bush beside the path I walk on. Though this trail wasn’t as remote as I wanted, still, the sights and sounds of the desert soothed my soul. I feel more peaceful now. I walk home in the heat of a midday sun with a happy feeling of fatigue. It’s a satisfied tiredness. I think it is time for a nap!


In all I saw 23 species of birds today, March 20, 2009. Here is the list:

1. Gambel's Quail
2. Turkey Vulture
3. Cooper's hawk
4. Costa's Hummingbird
5. Mourning dove
6. Pigeon
7. Gilded Flicker
8. Gila woodpecker
9. Curve-billed thrasher
10. Cactus Wren
11. Verdin
12. Raven
13. Canyon towhee
14. Brewer's sparrow
15. White-crowned sparrow
16. Rufous-winged sparrow
17. Northern Cardinal
18. Pyrrhuloxia
19. Pine siskin
20. Lesser Goldfinch
21. House finch
22. House sparrow
23. Vesper sparrow
    
    

Note: All of today's photos were taken by Kathie on March 20, 2009 with the Nikon D80.

End of Summer Series: Cholla Cacti

As the end of our second summer in Sycamore Canyon draws to a close I think of all the new things I've learned and experienced since moving here a year and a half ago. There are so many new plants, animals and birds to see and learn about. Each day I feel that I am more in tune with the breathing of this desert landscape. When we first moved here I quickly learned about Cholla cacti (pronounced "choy-a"). These spiny plants grow all over the desert and break off in segments that fall to the ground to start new plants. On June 30 of this year before the Monsoon started I decided to hike out into the desert with a bucket and tongs to collect a few cholla segments. I brought them home and tossed them into the vacant wash that borders my house in an effort to encourage regrowth. I tossed them and forgot about them until this past Sunday...

...when I looked over the wall and look what I found! A baby cholla has taken root right behind my house. Why would I want a cholla to grow here you ask? Because the roots will discourage erosion, and the cactus will provide shelter for one of my favorite insect eating birds...

A catus wren! These noisy little charecters build nests in the spiny chollas to protect themselves from predators. I don't know how this little one can perch on these sharp spines but it doesn't seem to mind. Can you find the nest in the cactus below?

Cactus Wren nest in Sycamore Canyon cholla 3-19-08 by Kathie

This is the first in the End of Summer Series 2008. Come back tomorrow to see Gus' photo "Rat: It's What's for Dinner."