Birding Portal: Day 2

View from Rustler Park in the Chiricahua Mountains 5-26-10

Donna and I are up by 6 a.m. and ready to take on another day of birding. We eat a quick breakfast outside on the patio with binoculars and cameras close by. As always, I have my pad and pen ready to list any bird species we see. We can hear the bird calls and birds song around us and soon see a bright bird land in the overhanging tree.

It is a gorgeous male Hooded Oriole and Bill briefly joins us as we all snap away. However, some personal issues have him distracted and he tells us to go on without him for the morning.

I am delighted when this female blue-throated hummingbird lands at a nearby feeder and I get a close-up view of this species.  Soon Donna and I are packing our stuff up as we decide to head down the 1/4 mile Main Street to see what we can see.  And it isn’t long until we are seeing lots of birds.

  From Cardinals and Pine siskins at the store feeders, to Black-headed grosbeaks along the way, the birds are calling us with their beauty and their songs. I hear a familiar song and gaze through the branches of a tree. I know this song, I tell myself, and then it hits me: Bell’s vireo!  Of course.  We see and hear it all the time in Sabino Canyon.  It is my first sighting for Cochise County but for Donna it is a Life bird! We find a pair working over a cedar tree but getting photographs in all those twigs and branches with the contrast of light and shadow can prove to be quite tricky. This is an amusing little bird and we are both so glad to see it. We spend just under 2 hours birding Main Street and end up with 28 species of birds. Our return to the lodge reveals that Bill’s car is gone. Thinking he just want to bird alone Donna and I pack up the car and head for Rustler Park high in the Chiricahua Mountains.

As we drive ever higher we keep our eyes and ears open for birds. We see a pair of western tanagers, a black-headed grosbeak, and a western wood pewee. We pullover by the beckoning creek where we see more wood pewees, a robin, 3 Mexican jays, 2 bridled titmice, 1 western tanager, an Acorn woodpecker, another black-headed grosbeak and a red-tailed hawk. We are tempted to linger in this idyllic spot but Rustler Park is calling us and up we go. When we near a spot know as the Onion Saddle we are driving along a the edge of a steep cliff. Ponderosa Pine and Engelmann Spruce dot the landscape and poke up like green candle from the cliff edge.  I can see evidence of a past fire and on a dead sang I spot a bird. Donna stops the car and backs up so I can get my bins on the black and white woodpecker climbing the dead trunk. It is a female Hairy woodpecker, a species I am well familiar with from Utah, Colorado and New England but not one I see very often where I live near Tucson and certainly not a species seen in the Sonoran Desert. The woodpecker soon spots us and flies off. We linger a moment to gaze off in the hazy distance as fold after fold of land gives way to the flat desert beyond. The temperature is rising and even up here at this higher elevation we can feel the blazing of the sun.

Yet as we continue our now alpine journey we are quickly reminded of how cool it still is as we fine a patch of snow tucked under a shady bank along the road.

We pull over shortly after the snow at the junction for Rustler Park.  Donna tells me that the Olive Warbler has been seen in this location but though we linger and look for 10 minutes or so, all we see are a soaring flock of turkey vultures and delicate clumps of blue lupine, so we hop in the car and press on.

Driving into Rustler Park reminds me somewhat of going to camp in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, though we are actually much higher.  Rustler Park sits at 8,500 feet in elevation and instead of Eastern White Pine we are surrounded by Ponderosa Pine and Engelmann Spruce. We are here to see if we can find a Mexican Chickadee and Red-faced warblers. We are so tempted to just stop and jump out and bird, but we drive past the entrance and the spring, past the campground and meadow to the Forest service cabins used by Fire fighters when needed. We park here and we are barely out of the car when we find this Cordilleran flycatcher hanging around the horse corrals just as we read it would be. Now that I see this bird, I realize how wrong I was about identifying a flycatcher I had seen in Sycamore Canyon wash a few weeks ago.  I had initially called it as a western wood pewee, then changed my mind and decided it was a cordilleran. Now that I see the cordilleran in real life I see that there can be no mistake.  The cordilleran is washed all over with an olive yellow color and is nothing like the western wood pewee.  I know that I was thrown off by what looked like yellow on the belly of the previous flycatcher but I now think that was reflected light from the morning sun and the blossoms of the Palo Verde tree it was perched in. These flycatchers really have me stumped and it is my plan to take a class with the Tucson Audubon to learn more about identifying them.  They can be so tricky for even the most experienced birders and even some experts cannot tell them apart in the field except by their voices.

The Ponderosa Pines tower over like flexible green spires. I can hear the wind gathering in the treetops and rushing towards us like a flash flood and though it moves the towering limbs it seems to stay high above us and barely ruffles our hair. Golden sunlight streams down in beams between the branches and dapples the ground around us.  We walk on a pine needle carpet as we head towards the meadow to see what we can see.  We follow a little path across the meadow.  Robins hop about in the shadows of trees and we spot one gathering nesting material in her beak. The whinny of a Northern flickers filters through the trees and high in a pine we spot a pair of ravens in their nest. The path though the meadow gives way to forest once again and we stop to view some yellow-eyed juncos. While we are looking at them we see motion further up the tree and hear the call we  have been waiting for: Mexican Chickadee!  Having grown up with the black-capped chickadee in New England I am familiar with its song and I wondered how this bird would sound.  Though its call is much harsher and more buzzy, I can still here the familiar refrain, “chick-a-dee-dee-dee!” We soon discover there is a pair in the tree, but they are high above us and small and lost in the branches, twigs, and needles of the pine.  Neither one of us is able to capture a good shot. Still, this is a Life Bird for both of us and we are thrilled.  It was our target bird, so now we relax into the rest of the day.

Farther along the trail we cross into the campground area and see some motion high above us.  A pair of pygmy nuthatches is moving through the pine needles feeding. They are so tiny and the needles so long and large that the little bird is dwarfed by them. If you look closely at the picture above you can just barely see the body of the little bird to the right of the stem.  Yes, every picture I took of a pygmy nuthatch on this day looks just like this!

The morning passes quickly by as we wander about looking for birds. We find many more yellow-eyed juncos but the red-faced warbler continues to elude us, as well as the Olive warbler. I can sense the time is getting late as the sun is directly overhead.  A glance at the time reveals what I already know, it is noontime and I have to go.  It will take us a good 45 minutes to get down the mountains and I told Gus I would be on the road by 1p.m. I now doubt that will happen, but that’s okay. He knows my trouble with time concepts and he is very patient with me.

We pack up our stuff and drive to the picnic area to eat a quick lunch, then Donna wanders off to do some more birding while I sit at the table assembling my bird lists. Soon it is time to hop in the car and we drive to the burn area right outside the gate. Donna wants to get some photos of the sweeping vistas. I keep looking for birds.

It is while we are here that I suddenly notice the gathering smoke in the distance. At first we are unsure if it really is a forest fire but then we seen the tankers flying.

As I start to think about it I realize that this looks like it is very close to the direction we came from. Growing alarmed now I insist that we get in the car and head down he mountain.  I do NOT want to be caught on the mountain overnight in a forest fire. My car and all my stuff is down in Portal.  The only other way off this mountain is to go over the top and down into Wilcox and back around, a trip that would take us well over 2 to 3 hours at best! So down the mountain we go, stopping once to take more pictures of the fire.  On this day the fire was only 300 acres but by the next day it had grown to 600 acres and I learned it was called the Horseshoe Fire (click on the link for the latest update). Last report was that it had grown to over 1600 acres and was threatening some structures south of Portal.  Fire Fighters still don’t have it contained. When Donna and I arrived at the Portal Store we checked on the status of the fire but so far the store owners had not been able to get any news.  We did learn that Bill had checked out earlier and gone home. Though Portal and the canyon were filled with smoke, Donna insisted on staying to do more birding. She is out of the parking lot before I am and heading back into the smoky canyon. She is one dedicated birder! I turn my car to the east and drive out of Portal towards New Mexico.

However, I have to stop when I see this Swainson’s hawk soaring above the Portal Road. Since I have not crossed the Stateline Rd yet, I am still in Arizona, so this will go on my Cochise County list.

At the end of Portal Road I pause debating with myself if I should take the 2 mile detour into Rodeo to get a count in New Mexico.  Heck, it’s only 2 miles I decide and head south.  I stop along the Main Street near a Historical Marker and count birds. To the west I see the smoke billowing above the Chiricahuas, a reminder of the beauty and the danger in all of nature.

In the 5 minutes I spend on Main St in Rodeo I count 10 species of birds, but now it is time to head on down the road, so I get back in the car, turn on my book on CD and do a U-turn. With my vehicle pointed north now I begin the 30 minute drive through barren desert and back to the highway where I will finally have cell phone service. I am lost in my story of Bally-buckle Bo in Ireland and so I do not notice my odometer has gone up beyond the posted speed limit. I barely notice the sheriff’s car coming towards me until it slows down, turns around, and I see the flashers go on. Oh No!  I have never been pulled over for speeding before in my life! I pull off the road in a safe location, shut off my story and wait for the officer.  I do not cry or tremble, which is what I always thought I would do.  I wait patiently to take whatever punishment I deserve.

The officer is actually very polite and patient with me as I search through the glove box for my insurance card.  I finally find a current one after first finding 2 others that are obsolete. He takes my info and return with just a warning.  I am so thankful and I promise him I will pay better attention as I drive the rest of the way to the highway.

But my birding day is not done.  I stop in Wilcox for gas and food and take my meal to a nearby park where I sit at a picnic table and count birds once again while I eat. Then it’s back on the highway and another hour and a half drive into the sunset until I am home.

Happy 33rd Anniversary today to my Sweet Husband, Gus!

Portal Main St. Bird List

Location: Portal
Observation date: 5/26/10
Notes: Portal Peak Lodge to the end of the Main St. We saw other flycatchers that we could not identify.
Number of species: 26
Gambel's Quail 2
Turkey Vulture 5
Band-tailed Pigeon 7
White-winged Dove 12
Mourning Dove 5
Broad-billed Hummingbird 2
Blue-throated Hummingbird 3
Acorn Woodpecker 10
Western Wood-Pewee 1
Say's Phoebe 1
Dusky-capped Flycatcher 2
Ash-throated Flycatcher 1
Bell's Vireo 2
Warbling Vireo 2
Bridled Titmouse 1
Cactus Wren 3
Bewick's Wren 1
Curve-billed Thrasher (Western) 2
Canyon Towhee 1
Northern Cardinal 4
Black-headed Grosbeak 2
Indigo Bunting 1
Hooded Oriole 3
House Finch 6
Pine Siskin 8
Lesser Goldfinch 8
House Sparrow 8
This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)

Rustler Park Bird Lists

Location: Rustler Park
Observation date: 5/26/10
Notes: W/Donna Simonetti. What an awesome place! Love it! So peaceful!
Number of species: 13
Wild Turkey 1
Turkey Vulture 2
Broad-tailed Hummingbird 1
Hairy Woodpecker 1
Northern Flicker (Red-shafted) 3
Cordilleran Flycatcher 1
Steller's Jay 3
Common Raven 4
raven sp. 8
Mexican Chickadee 3 Saw and heard voice. 2 in one pine together near meadow, then one seen and heard later by itself. *****Lifer for both of us!
Pygmy Nuthatch 3
House Wren 2
Hermit Thrush 2
American Robin 12
Yellow-eyed Junco 12

Location: Rustler Park
Observation date: 5/26/10
Notes: We stopped at the burn area to take photos of the view and saw these birds at the same time. We also saw the flames of a wildfire off in a distance and decided to get down the mountian fast! W/Donna Simonetti
Number of species: 3
Steller's Jay 1
Common Raven 1
Pygmy Nuthatch 2
This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)

Rodeo, NM Bird List

Location: Rodeo
Observation date: 5/26/10
Notes: Took a quick detour to Rodeo so I could count birds and see the fire from this perspective. Stopped on Main street near the Historical Marker.
Number of species: 10
Turkey Vulture 1
Red-tailed Hawk 1
White-winged Dove 2
Barn Swallow 1
Cactus Wren 1
Phainopepla 2
Summer Tanager 1
Great-tailed Grackle 9
House Finch 2
House Sparrow 4
This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)

Wilcox, AZ Bird List

Location: Keller Park
Observation date: 5/26/10
Notes: Stopped here to eat on my way home. Watched birds from my picnic table.
Number of species: 8
Rock Pigeon 3
Eurasian Collared-Dove 4
White-winged Dove 1
Western Kingbird 1
Barn Swallow 4
Great-tailed Grackle 9
House Finch 2
House Sparrow 5
This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)

Birding Portal

Blue-throated Hummingbird 5-25-10 SW Research Station 

I am leaving the Sonoran Desert and driving east to Portal, Arizona on Tuesday, May 25^th. The sun is glaring in my face as I drive the sun-bleached asphalt through Benson, Wilcox and into New Mexico. It is taking me longer to get there than I thought it would. I am meeting Donna Simonetti and Bosque Bill at the Portal store for a day or two of birding. While I have been through Portal one time before with Gus, I have never actually birded there. I have also never met Bosque Bill or Donna Simonetti but feel comfortable meeting them since they were part of the Birders who Blog, Tweet and Chirp Expedition that Dawn Fine organized while she was here in southeast Arizona. I was supposed to be part of that adventure, but it took place at the same time Gus and I headed to Kentucky to see our new granddaughter and so I missed out. It was Donna who invited me along and I decided to take my chances.

I get off the highway in Road Forks New Mexico and point my car south. The road curves off towards the mountains before straightening out and heading towards Rodeo. Above me the clear blue sky beckons and urges me on. It isn’t long before I lose all cell phone reception. I am alone and on my own.

The Portal road turns west about 2 miles north of Rodeo. I drive the few miles to the Portal Peak Lodge and find Donna and Bill waiting for me in front of the Portal Store. Donna and Bill are ready to be off since I am at least an hour late. We quickly move my gear and my cooler into Donna’s vehicle, then I hop in and we start to get acquainted on the drive to South Fork.

Donna drives west into Cave Creek Canyon past rocky spires and huge cliffs. The wide open desert quickly gives way to shady forest as we head up the road. A few miles later and we are taking the turn to South Fork which Donna says is the best place to see the Trogon. The Trogon is a bird that has eluded me ever since I moved to SE Arizona. Though I have searched for it in Patagonia and Madera Canyon, I have yet to see it and add it to my Life List. So, she parks the car and we all jump out with cameras and binoculars looking for all the world like a National Geographic Expedition!

The trail before us is shady and cool climbing through sycamore and pines along a bubbling creek. At first it is quiet save for our footfalls but then we hear it, the call of the trogon! Within seconds it actually flies in before us and perches high on a limb with twigs in its face. All I can see are its back and belly as I try to photograph this bird that has eluded me for so long. As we all snap away the bird gets restless and flies off down the canyon. Well, at least I got to see it, I think and then the female flies in and lands on a branch where I have a better view but poor lighting. She is even more skittish than the male and I only get off 2 blurry shots before she is gone. Lifer number 1 of the day!

So up the trail we wander, our pace casual, our necks and ears straining for sight and sound of birds. We see them in little groups, a tanager here, a nuthatch there, a brown creeper climbing the bark of a tree. Brown Creeper South Fork, Cave Creek Canyon 5-25-10

At the creek we find a thrush and start snapping away, for a Swainson’s Thrush was supposedly seen here yesterday. It is much rarer than the usual Hermit thrush.

Hermit Thrush 5-25-10

I am not well aquatinted with Swainson’s thrush and so don’t even know how to distinguish one from the other, so I snap and snap and snap hoping to figure it all out later.

Western Wood Pewee 5-25-10

There are flycatchers everywhere and we try to sort them out. I believe we are seeing Western Wood Pewees, one after the other, but we keep hoping for something else.

Western Wood Pewee 5-25-10

High in the tree tops I catch a brief glimpse of a small bird with a yellow throat and black streaking on its sides. I believe I am seeing my first Grace’s warbler, but it too moves off before I can get a shot off. Lifer No. 2! This birding in the trees is tricky stuff! I have been spoiled by my open desert birds. But Oh, how beautiful it all is! for me I am transported to the forests of New England and I feel like a child again with sun sparkles dancing around me and the soft carpet of leaves and pine needles beneath my feet. I feel like a bird in her nest.  I feel peaceful and safe.

Tananger nest in a Sycamore Tree along the creek 5-25-10

Hepatic Tanager 5-25-10

We wander farther up and cross the creek once more but it is getting quieter and quieter and so we decide to turn around and head back down to see what else we can see. By now it is after noontime and Bill and I are getting hungry. Donna is ready to just move on but we convince her to take a brief break and let us eat.

Painted Redstart 5-25-10 

It is a good thing we do for the Painted Redstarts fly into the picnic area and we all get a good view. Of course, the raucous Mexican Jays greet us right away and follow us about hoping for handouts, but I do not oblige them. Suddenly we hear the trogon once again and Donna and I drop everything and follow the sound of its voice. It is Donna who finally spots it on a limb and this time I get a better view and a better shot. We both take quite a few pictures before the bird flies off and we decide to move on.

Elegant Trogon 5-25-10 South Fork Cave Creek Canyon 

From there Donna takes us to the Southwest Research station. Bill is not feeling well, so he sits in the shade near the hummingbird feeders while Donna and I wander around. Before we leave the feeder area, however, we sit or stand and wait for the Blue-throated hummingbird to arrive. It soon does and once again I snap several photos, most of them as seen from below as the bird preens on its perch in a poplar tree. Lifer no. 3!

 Blue-throated Hummingbird 5-25-10

Donna takes me for a stroll through the meadow and along the creek hunting for the buff-breasted flycatcher she saw here yesterday but though we look and look all we find are a lone robin and yet another western wood pewee.

Western Wood Pewee 5-25-10 

As we head back towards the car where Bill is waiting in front of the gift shop I have to laugh at this sign that is posted on the wall of the store. Is drinking really a problem up here?

Then, it is off up the road to the Herb Martyr Campground where all we see are warbling vireos and yellow columbine growing next to the creek. By now it is almost evening. We decide to head to Portal and to Dave Jasper’s house and bird feeders in the Big Thicket area. While we see a few birds here apparently there are not as many as there were this morning. On our way there, however, we stop in the middle of the road to photograph a Zone-tailed hawk flying with a flock of Turkey Vultures.

Zone-tailed hawk 5-25-10

After dinner at the Portal Store Bill decides to retire early but Donna and I grab our bins and cameras and head down Portal Main Street for a big surprise. We walk past the small library and post office to a playground area where we turn to look high in a sycamore tree. A small crowd has gathered with us in the gloaming and we are all staring at a small dark hole in a limb. What could we be waiting for at this time of night?

Soon the bird peeks out the hole, and then she starts to call to her mate. It is a soft and odd sound that I can’t quite describe but she calls again and again, then retreats.

Elf Owl 5-25-10 Main Street, Portal, AZ

Finally, without warning, the little Elf Owl comes to the edge of the hole and takes flight, disappearing into the gray-blue darkness while Great-horned Owls call behind and before us. How amazing it is to see and hear the largest owl in the United States in the same vicinity as the smallest owl. The Elf Owl is a *Life Bird for me and the 4^th one of the day.

Donna graciously offered to let me stay in her room with her, so we head back to the Portal Peak Lodge where bats hunt bugs around the outdoor lights and Donna and I pour over our day’s photos with questions flying around the room, “ Was that a Swainson’s thrush?” “What was that flycatcher?” “What bird is this?” as Donna shows me a photo of a female varied bunting she took yesterday. It is hard to go to sleep with so much birding to do, but finally we give in because tomorrow we are getting up with the birds!

White-tailed Deer seen along the roadside in Cave Creek Canyon

My World Tuesday

Birds seen in Portal and Cave Creek Canyon today:

1. Gambel’s Quail
2. zone-tailed hawk
3. Turkey vulture
4. Mourning dove
5. White-winged dove
6. Blue-throated hummingbird*
7. Great-horned Owl
8. Elf Owl*
9. Acorn woodpecker
10. Northern Flicker
11. Say’s Phoebe
12. Western Wood pewee
13. Cassin’s Kingbird
14. Dusky-capped flycatcher
15. Plumbeous vireo
16. Warbling Vireo
17. Verdin
18. Mexican jay
19. White-breasted nuthatch
20. Brown Creeper
21. Cactus Wren
22. Bewick’s Wren
23. Curve-billed thrasher
24. American Robin
25. Hermit thrush
26. Elegant Trogon*
27. Painted Redstart
28. Black-throated gray warbler
29. Grace’s Warbler*
30. Black-throated sparrow
31. Hepatic Tanager
32. Western Tanager
33. Black-headed grosbeak
34. Northern Cardinal
35. Scott’s Oriole
36. Brown-headed Cowbird
37. Lesser goldfinch
38. House finch

*Life Bird: first time seeing this species in my life!

The Best Laid Plans

Well, the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry. Our plans to go to Cave Creek Canyon had to be put on hold due to the high cost of gasoline and needing to buy plane tickets to fly back east this summer. In an attempt to still redeem the weekend, we went to Sweetwater Wetlands on Sunday instead. While I have been there several times, most recently with Kathryn in March, Gus has never been. We should have left early on Sunday morning, but it was late by the time we got out the door and we didn’t arrive until almost 11 a.m. By now the sun is high overhead and we can feel the heat as soon as we step from the car. Still, Sweetwater is surrounded by trees in most areas so I expected the shade to keep us somewhat cool. Though the temperature is high and the air dry, I didn’t take my water with me as it is just a short walk back to the vehicle where we have a cooler full of drinks.

We head down the paved path past the information kiosk and over the bridge. The sounds of birds are everywhere and already I am seeing Barn Swallows, Northern Rough-winged Swallows, and White-winged Doves. The raucous calls of Great-tailed Grackles fill the air and more subtly behind that I can hear the trill of Red-winged Blackbirds. The Yellow-headed Blackbirds that Kathryn and I saw when we were here have apparently migrated north, for I don’t see or hear even one.

The middle of the day like this is just about the worst time to be out birding at this time of year, but we have high hopes of seeing something. Now we scan the brush and ponds to see what we can see. I’m amazed at how high the cattails and bulrushes have grown, for I can’t see into the first pond at all except for small glimpses between the greenery. When I do see open water, there are no ducks at all, where previously there were hundreds. Finally in a little channel under the branches of an overhanging tree I spot a pair of Cinnamon Teals floating lazily in the current. However, the insects are out in force and Gus photographs these two just a short distance form each other.

Blue dasher dragonfly (Left) ID. courtesy of Doug Taron

At the Island Pond I scan the banks of the island for any sign of life and spot a pair of mallards sleeping on the shore. Then a coot comes paddling out from the reeds white beak shining in the bright sunlight.

Lizards are everywhere rustling in the bushes, or scampering across our path. A big fat guy is sunning himself on the trail but moves off quickly as we get closer. Next, a male Gambel’s Quail scurries across the path. He crosses to one side, then doubles back before returning to the other side again. Gus comments on how he looks like one of those mechanical birds in a shooting range game at a carnival. Most of the recharge basins are empty and dry right now, but we discover that recharge basin 5 is full of water. I hear the cries of killdeer and soon spot them on the shoreline. But then, to my surprise, I also spot 3 black-necked stilts feeding in the shallow water. While I can see them fine in my binoculars, they are still quite far away for the camera to capture them with its 300mm zoom lens, but Gus makes a valiant effort for my sake.

Now we are standing on the area known as The Knoll if you check out this map.

The killdeer and stilts are down in the recharge basin, but I am surprised to see water in Overlook Pond. I have never walked out this way or seen water in this pond before, so Gus and I head on down the path. By now we have been here for an hour and I am starting to feel the heat. My mouth is getting so dry and I want a drink of water, but the water is back at the car, and we have walked farther than I anticipated. I find a bench under a tree and stand in the shade to see what I can see. There are swallows dipping over the water and landing on the branches of a dead tree that overhangs the pond. I study them carefully trying to determine what I am seeing. The birds are mostly a dull brown with a totally brown head that fades to a light gray or white on their breasts and underbellies. I am sure I am seeing Northern Rough-winged swallows but they are suppose to be solitary, so I am surprised to see 5 of them hanging out together.

While I am watching swallows, Gus is stalking a Great Egret he sees farther down the path. I watch as he gets closer and the bird spies him. It crouches down, lowering its long neck, trying to disappear. Finally, it decides Gus is too close and it lifts its great white wings and flies off a short distance to hide in the reeds again. Gus strolls back towards me and I take the camera to photograph the swallows on the distant shore. I don’t expect to get any great shots, but it’s helpful to be able to confirm the identity when we get home.

By now I am so hot and thirsty that I tell Gus we need to head back towards the car. As we round the curve of the pond I stop in my tracks. I can't believe my eyes, for there in a willow tree a flock of 15 Northern Rough-winged Swallows are perched in the branches. (How many can you see?) And I thought 5 together was unusual!

They are right beside the path, so I freeze while Gus gets some shots. They almost look fake, don't they? But they are very real.

The little birds are sitting with their mouths open, panting in the heat.

Then, one breaks into song and Gus take a shot of the bird with its beak open.

We find a small path through from this pond up to the main trail and I tell Gus to follow this back to the car. I hurry on ahead for I can tell by the way my body feels that I am getting dehydrated. I try to hurry back to the car but can’t resist stopping to identify an Abert’s Towhee, an Anna’s Hummingbird, and a Gilded Flicker on the way. I pass a man standing near the Gazebo Pond. He has a tripod and a camera with a long lens on it, but I don’t stop to talk. At the car I open the cooler and guzzle a pint of water. Then, I get another bottle out to take back with me. It is my intention to meet up with Gus and continue birding, but here he comes walking down the path.He has had enough of the heat also, so we get into the air-conditioned vehicle and talk. He tells me he spoke with the guy with the camera and he was looking for the Elegant Trogon! Someone had seen it here just an hour ago, but no luck so far. I wished I had known that was even a possibility. I wouldn’t have wasted time on mallards and grackles; I would have been scouring the trees for this elusive bird. I have yet to capture it for my life-list and what an awesome photographic opportunity that would have been for Gus! Just before we leave we see the guy come walking out with his camera. He tells us he never saw it, so we drive away.

Perhaps we will make it to Cave Creek Canyon in a week or two (To see some awesome photos click on the link). From the information I have read, spring and summer are the best times to be there. For now, we head back home with our picnic we intended to eat at Catalina State Park where even the shade is too warm.