With lower temperatures again we decide to go closer to Phoenix and there is an area that we really enjoyed recently and want to explore more thoroughly. Specifically it is the area near Sycamore creek where we found the abandoned buildings of a former Forest Service camp. But today we have something different in mind, to explore along the powerline road and to find a cache that has not been found for years. For this we park again at the McFarland Trailhead and start from there.
However this time we do not start towards the Arizona Trail via the official trail but use a disused road to reach the powerline road and follow along the road. While not an actual trail it is quite deserted and besides one car we do not see anyone else throughout the day.
There are surprisingly many birds here especially compared to last time and we start with a full family of Rock Wrens just playing around, something we haven’t seen before.
After a first exhausting climb we reach the top of the hill and here is where we meet the Arizona Trail, this is a different spot than the one we reached a few weeks ago but we were here from a different direction quite some time ago. Today something has changed as we have spectators, a couple of horses are watching us intently from the side. At least they are not aggresive and we can pass them continuing on our trail unhindered.
The trail on the plateau is quite level and we enjoy this section as we can catch our breath and enjoy the beautiful landscape.
And the birds of course. There are lots of them here including beautiful cardinals and more rarer, for us, Gray Vireos. We haven’t seen many of them in the last years so it is a surprise to see quite a few of them on top of the plateau.
Between the birds we see also a few mammals including a jackrabbit that decides to exits at high speed when it spots us.
And then we reach the end of the plateau with one more special bird on the way, a beautiful Green-tailed Towhee that is quite aware of us but still lets us take some good photos.
From here we start to descend on the other side of the plateau and it is surprising how different the area is. It is warmer and with it there are other plants like jojobas and even saguaros as we will see in a while. But first we have to descend via the shelf road and here we are happy we are on foot as there are a few nasty gaps in the road that would be difficult to navigate in a car.
At the bottom we have a bonus surprise, there is an active nest. We are not sure what bird made it but it must be pretty big and indeed it is as it comes out of the nest to greet us, a Zone-tailed Hawk. It is quite scary really and we are happy that it lets us pass without becoming even more aggresive.
Now at the bottom the trail is more level again and we can see from where we descended which is cool if we wouldn’t have to return the same way climbing back up to the plateau.
There are not only birds and mammals here of course there are also lizards and insects, lots of interesting insects in the bushes and on the ground. that we do our best to photograph as we see them. And the cacti are flowering, quite beautiful.
Soon we see our first saguaro, it is a fallen one but in the distance we can also see one standing so it is clear that the plateau we passed is the border between saguaro warm desert and non-saguaro cold desert, cool.
And then we finally reach the cache which is relatively easy and then we sit down to eat our late lunch before returning back to the car.
And here is where we get the biggest surprise of the trip, as we turn around to look at the road we notice something huge creeping towards us. We scream and get on our feet before understanding what we see, a beautiful Gila Monster. It really does not care about us and just passes by and we take lots of photos as he moves through exploring and then disappears in the bushes.
Returning we enjoy the great views of the valley, the views are quite beautiful and stark with only the creekside being green from the trees growing in the wetter area.
We continue enjoying the many beautiful plants and birds including a plant never seen by us before, Pretty Dodder, which is a bit like a mistletoe surviving from the plant it attaches to.
We keep our eyes open as we return and find something that we missed on the way in, a couple stones full of petroglyphs. And they look original too, quite fun!
Some of the petroglyphs, like usual, look like aliens and that is always fun to see. And nearby is another interesting find, a stone that is marked with a year, not sure how it was used but interesting nonetheless.
There are still some interesting birds to see as we return but we cannot really look for them as we have to look at our feets all the time. The reason? There are lots of snakes crossing the road suddenly, all of them harmless Ground Snakes but we do not want to kill one by mistake.
Another thing we find on our way back that we missed going the other way is a plastic waterhole high on a hill. We have no idea what it is until we climb to it and even after seeing it we are not sure whether it was ever used like we think it was used.
Soon we reach the hawk nest and now there are two hawks flying around it and protecting it. And not from us but from a red-tailed hawk that is trying to approach it or so the parents think.
And then it is time to climb to the plateau where we find another surprise, an actual full waterhole that is used by doves only today.
There are a few more interesting birds to see on the plateau mostly sparrows like Brewer and Lark Sparrows and now we have time to look at them and enjoy them as they fly around through the bushes and trees.
But the top bird we see now is a Scott’s Oriole singing from the junipers, we haven’t seen one for years so this is really cool.
On the way back we take a different trail, we actually use the Arizona Trail to go to the intersection we have visited a couple weeks ago and then plan to go down the original trail we used at that time.
The trail is mostly level here with the only descends and ascends being when we cross over washes which is not that often.
On this stretch the only special bird is an Ash-throated Flycatcher that gives us great views and even sings to us a bit.
One of the creeks we find actually has water into it and we discover it is the creek that actually descends to the parking, we are getting close which is nice as we are quite tired by now.
Soon we reach the intersection with the trail towards the parking and now it is time to descend following the creek as last time.
We stop a few more times on the way to look for wildlife near the water but with no luck, the only interesting thing we find is a beautiful flowering hedgehog cactus. And then we reach the parking lot and it is time to return to Phoenix after an exceptional day out with many birds, snakes and even petroglyphs.
